Home health aide screening questions: training rules, EVV, visits and boundaries

Home health aide screening questions should confirm that the candidate meets the training and competency rules the agency works under (the federal 75-hour standard for Medicare-certified agencies, or the state's rules for personal care), has worked for pay recently enough to count, and can do the parts of the job that happen with no supervisor in the room: getting to each visit on time, clocking in through electronic visit verification, staying within scope and keeping professional boundaries in a client's home.

This bank is for agency recruiters and home care hiring managers filling home health aide, personal care aide and companion roles, including live-in and hourly cases. Facility aides are covered in the CNA screening questions; many skills overlap, but home care adds travel, EVV and working alone, and those are where this screen spends its time.

The training and supervision rules behind the job

Medicare-certified home health agencies follow 42 CFR 484.80. As commonly summarized, as of September 2026 (42 CFR 484.80):

• Training: at least 75 hours of classroom and supervised practical training, with at least 16 classroom hours before at least 16 hours of supervised practical training.
• Competency: the aide must pass a competency evaluation covering set skills, some of which must be observed with a patient or a person standing in for one.
• The 24-month rule: if the aide went 24 consecutive months without providing services for pay since qualifying, previous training no longer counts, and a new program or evaluation is required.
• In-service: at least 12 hours of in-service training in each 12-month period.
• Supervision: for patients receiving skilled services, a registered nurse or therapist assesses aide services at least every 14 days; for patients receiving only aide services, a registered nurse visits at least every 60 days. There are also annual on-site observations.

A state-registered CNA may satisfy some or all of this, depending on the agency and the state. Private-pay and Medicaid personal care programs are governed by state rules that can be quite different, and some states license home care agencies and set their own aide training hours. Check the client's program and the state before you decide what counts.

Training, certification and eligibility questions

1. "Where did you complete your home health aide or nursing assistant training, and when?"
   • Strong answer: names the program or agency, roughly how many hours, and that it included supervised hands-on practice and a competency test.
   • Red flags: an online-only course with no hands-on skills check, for a role in a Medicare-certified agency.
2. "Are you on your state's nurse aide registry or any home care registry? Which state?"
   • Strong answer: the state, status and expiration, or clearly says they are not on one.
   • Red flags: claims CNA status but cannot say which state's registry.
3. "When did you last work as an aide for pay?"
   • Strong answer: a recent agency or private employer, with dates.
   • Red flags: recent care was for a family member without pay, and paid work was more than 24 months ago. Under the federal rule that means retraining or a new competency evaluation.
4. "Did you complete your in-service hours last year? Which topics?"
   • Strong answer: a yes, with topics such as infection control, dementia care or fall prevention.
   • Red flags: did not know in-service was required, after years at a certified agency.
5. "Is your CPR card current?"
   • Strong answer: yes, with a date, if the agency requires it.
   • Red flags: expired, for an agency that requires it before the first visit.

EVV, visits and getting there

Section 12006 of the 21st Century Cures Act requires states to use electronic visit verification for Medicaid personal care services and home health services that involve an in-home visit. Medicaid.gov lists the deadlines as January 1, 2020 for personal care and January 1, 2023 for home health care services (Medicaid EVV guidance). The system records the visit: who received and who provided the service, what service, where, the date, and when it started and ended. Each state chooses its system or allows agencies to choose one.

Care skills, scope and changes in condition

In a client's home, the aide is often the only person who sees a change in condition that day. Screen for safe personal care, clear limits and prompt reporting.

1. "Walk me through helping a client who uses a walker take a shower."
   • Strong answer: checks the care plan, prepares the bathroom (non-slip mat, shower chair, towels within reach), tests water temperature, uses a gait belt if trained and allowed, lets the client do what they can, never leaves them alone in the shower.
   • Red flags: no mention of the care plan, fall risk or water temperature.
2. "A client asks you to give them their pills from the organizer. What do you do?"
   • Strong answer: follows the agency's policy and the care plan: in many programs, reminding is allowed but handing out or administering medication is not. Calls the nurse or coordinator when unsure.
   • Red flags: fills pill organizers, gives injections or adjusts doses as a routine part of aide work.
3. "You arrive and your client is more confused than usual and has not eaten. What do you do?"
   • Strong answer: stays with the client, calls the agency nurse or supervisor right away, calls 911 for emergency signs, documents what they saw and when.
   • Red flags: waits to mention it at the next visit.
4. "What would you do if you found the client on the floor?"
   • Strong answer: does not lift them alone, checks for injury, calls 911 if hurt or unsure, calls the agency, follows the fall policy.
   • Red flags: would lift the client by themselves.
5. "How do you document each visit?"
   • Strong answer: completes the task list or visit note in the app before leaving, notes anything unusual, and does not mark tasks done that were refused or skipped.
   • Red flags: ticks every task each visit regardless.

Boundaries and safety in the client's home

Case fit: hours, live-in and client preferences

On live-in and 24-hour cases, pay rules for sleep time, meal breaks and travel between clients are set by federal and state wage-and-hour law, and many states are stricter than federal rules. Have the agency explain its arrangements; do not improvise answers on the screen.

Knockout checklist and scoring

Lawful phrasing for home care screens

Home care recruiting is high volume, and the questions most likely to be skipped on a rushed call are the ones about paid work dates, EVV and transport. Interview Signal keeps a question guide on screen and ticks each one off as it comes up, so every candidate gets the same screen. When you check references, ask for a coordinator or field nurse who supervised their visits; see the reference check template.