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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA · CARE PROGRAM

Personal Care Aide (PCA) Services, State Plan and EPD Waiver

Personal care aides, employed or through a staffing agency, of the licensed home care agencies (also Medicare home health agencies) that deliver Medicaid PCA services under 29 DCMR Chapter 50; EPD Waiver PCA follows the same rules (29 DCMR § 4226).

PCA · ON FILE
Registries named
5
Required
3
Expected
2
Screened by ezOIG
4 of 5
Rules checked
October 16, 2026

Required checks

Named by a regulation, a statute or the state's Medicaid agency

  1. National Sex Offender Public Website

    U.S. Department of Justice

    NOT SCREENED YET The registry's terms forbid automated searches
    WHEN
    AT HIRE Within 45 days before hire or contract, all staff with direct patient, resident or client access
    BASIS
    22-B DCMR § 4701.1(c); PCAs must pass a criminal background check under the Act (29 DCMR § 5009.1)

    The Department of Health and those facilities identified pursuant to § 4701.1 verify by means of a check, that the person’s name is not on the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website coordinated by the United States Department of Justice, or the Nurse Aide Abuse Registry of the District of Columbia or such registry in the state or states in which the person has lived or worked; and

    Read the source dcregs.dc.gov

  2. Certified Nurse Aide Abuse Registry

    DC Health, Board of Nursing

    SCREENED BY EZOIG Read with the nurse aide registry check
    WHEN
    AT HIRE Before hire or contract; also the registry of any other state where the person lived or worked (22-B DCMR § 4701.1(c))
    BASIS
    D.C. Code § 44-552(g); 22-B DCMR § 4701.1(c)

    No facility shall employ or contract with any unlicensed person who is not a licensed professional if that person’s name appears on the Nurse Aide Abuse Registry maintained pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Mayor.

    Read the source code.dccouncil.gov

  3. Licensure Lookup Portal (Verify a License)

    DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration

    SCREENED BY EZOIG License verification
    WHEN
    AT HIRE At hire; keep current: Home Health Aide certification for every PCA, verified by the provider (29 DCMR § 5008.2)
    BASIS
    29 DCMR §§ 5008.2, 5009.1

    Each PCA, whether an employee of the Provider or secured through a staffing agency, shall meet the following requirements: Obtain and maintain Home Health Aide certification in accordance with the requirements under Chapter 93 of Title 17 DCMR;

    Read the source dcregs.dc.gov

Expected checks

Standard practice, or implied by a provider's enrollment duties; no rule names them outright

  1. List of Excluded Individuals/Entities

    HHS Office of Inspector General

    SCREENED BY EZOIG Federal exclusion check against the HHS-OIG list
    WHEN
    MONTHLY At hire and monthly
    BASIS
    42 CFR 1001.1901 bars Medicaid payment for services by excluded people and CMS SMDL #09-001 asks for monthly checks; no DC rule found names the check for staff; DHCF's Provider Self-Audit Protocol lists exclusion checks on all staff among basic controls

    Next, see if basic operations controls are in place and working. This includes such controls as: Criminal, exclusion, suspension, and debarment checks on all staff;

    Read the source dhcf.dc.gov

  2. SAM.gov exclusions

    General Services Administration

    SCREENED BY EZOIG Federal exclusion check against SAM.gov
    WHEN
    MONTHLY At hire and monthly
    BASIS
    Standard practice for DC Medicaid providers: DHCF's Provider Self-Audit Protocol lists exclusion, suspension and debarment checks on all staff among basic controls; no DC rule names SAM.gov

    Next, see if basic operations controls are in place and working. This includes such controls as: Criminal, exclusion, suspension, and debarment checks on all staff;

    Read the source dhcf.dc.gov

Also required

Not registry lookups; ezOIG doesn't run these
  • Fingerprint or live-scan criminal background check through MPD and the FBI within 45 days before hire, repeated every 4 years unless the person is enrolled in rap back (22-B DCMR §§ 4701.1(a), 4701.2, 4701.4; D.C. Code § 44-552)
  • Sworn statement that no criminal matters are pending (22-B DCMR § 4701.1(d))
  • Freedom from communicable disease, including a PPD test and hepatitis vaccine at the initial exam, then annual physician documentation (29 DCMR § 5009.1)
  • Current CPR and first aid certification (29 DCMR § 5009.1)
  • Reference check and verification of prior employment (29 DCMR § 5009.1)
  • Individual NPI number and 12 hours of in-service training a year (29 DCMR § 5009.1)

Why some registries are not screened yet

The registry's terms forbid automated searches
The registry's terms, or the law behind it, rule out automated or third-party searches, so ezOIG doesn't run them.

Guidance, not legal advice

This page summarizes ezOIG's research into District of Columbia's rules for this program, checked against the regulations as of October 16, 2026. Rules change, and an agency's own contract or license can add to them. Confirm what applies to you with Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) or your own counsel before relying on it.

Screen for District of Columbia PCA.

Choose this program when you set up your organization, and ezOIG runs the registries it screens on your schedule.

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