> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.officeridge.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credentialing a caregiver

> Take a new hire from offer to their first assignable visit.

This guide takes a new hire from offer through to their first assignable visit.

Getting the order right matters: an attendant assigned before their screening is complete creates a
compliance exposure and, for many payers, unbillable visits.

## Before you start

You need the Human Resources, Clinical Manager, Location Admin, or Organization Admin role.

## The path

```mermaid theme={null}
graph LR
    A[Roster record] --> B[Background<br/>screening]
    B --> C[Reference<br/>checks]
    C --> D[Credentials<br/>recorded]
    D --> E[Health<br/>screening]
    E --> F[Orientation]
    F --> G[Competency<br/>assessed]
    G --> H[Assignable]
```

## Step 1 — Create the roster record

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the employee">
    Position, department, and hire date. See [Employees](/employees).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record their address">
    This feeds the employee map, which helps match them to nearby members. See [Maps](/maps).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2 — Run background screening

<Steps>
  <Step title="Record each check separately">
    Texas home care requires several distinct screenings, and they renew on different cycles. One
    combined entry loses that.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Type, Provider, Result, and Expires">
    **Expires** is what drives renewal warnings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check for exclusion list matches">
    The [Dashboard](/dashboard) **OIG Flags** tile surfaces these.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Do not assign work to anyone with an unresolved exclusion list match. Services delivered by an
  excluded provider are not payable and the matter is reportable. Investigate and document the outcome
  before proceeding.
</Warning>

See [Credentials and checks](/employees/credentials-and-checks).

## Step 3 — Verify references

<Steps>
  <Step title="Record each reference">
    With the facility and **Verified By** — who at your agency performed the check.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Note rehire eligibility">
    Where the reference provides it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 4 — Record credentials

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter each licence or certification">
    With its number and, critically, its **Expires** date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm expiry dates are populated">
    A credential with no expiry never warns you.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  A blank **Expires** date is the most common credentialing failure. The credential looks fine in the
  list and silently never appears in any expiry warning.
</Warning>

## Step 5 — Complete health screening

<Steps>
  <Step title="Record the TB symptom survey">
    Before any member contact.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record TB clearance">
    Test type, date, result, and **Next Screen**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Offer hepatitis B vaccination">
    Record the outcome as consent or declination. Both are valid; both must be recorded.
  </Step>
</Steps>

See [Health records](/employees/health-records).

## Step 6 — Run orientation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the orientation record">
    From the hire date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify identity">
    Set **ID Status**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Issue and confirm materials">
    Set **Sent**, then **Acknowledged** when the employee confirms receipt.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the checklist">
    Set **Checked**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Include fraud prevention training">
    This is a programme requirement. See [Fraud prevention](/operations/fraud-prevention).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  **Sent** is not **Acknowledged**. Issuing orientation materials does not evidence that the employee
  received and accepted them, and the acknowledgement is what surveyors look for.
</Warning>

## Step 7 — Assess competency

<Steps>
  <Step title="Run the initial competency assessment">
    Record category, level, score, and date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the reassessment date">
    **Reassess** keeps them in the cycle. A one-off assessment at hire does not demonstrate ongoing
    competence.
  </Step>
</Steps>

See [Training and competency](/employees/training).

## Step 8 — Collect payroll paperwork

<Steps>
  <Step title="Collect the signed W-4">
    An unsigned W-4 is not a valid withholding instruction.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record direct deposit details">
    Then set **Sent to Payroll**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Issue a wage notice">
    Track it through to **Acknowledged**. See [Payroll setup](/finance/payroll-setup).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 9 — Assign

<Steps>
  <Step title="Confirm Active on the roster">
    Scheduling checks this.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the work assignment">
    Member-to-employee, with dates. See [Care Plans](/care-plans).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the schedule">
    See [Scheduling](/scheduling).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Credentialing checklist

| Done | Item                                           | Where                                                       |
| :--: | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
|   ☐  | Roster record with position and hire date      | [Employees](/employees)                                     |
|   ☐  | Each background check recorded with expiry     | [Credentials and checks](/employees/credentials-and-checks) |
|   ☐  | No unresolved exclusion list match             | [Dashboard](/dashboard)                                     |
|   ☐  | References verified                            | [Credentials and checks](/employees/credentials-and-checks) |
|   ☐  | Credentials recorded with expiry dates         | [Credentials and checks](/employees/credentials-and-checks) |
|   ☐  | TB survey, clearance, and next screen date     | [Health records](/employees/health-records)                 |
|   ☐  | Hepatitis B consent or declination             | [Health records](/employees/health-records)                 |
|   ☐  | Orientation checked, ID verified, acknowledged | [Training](/employees/training)                             |
|   ☐  | Fraud prevention training complete             | [Fraud prevention](/operations/fraud-prevention)            |
|   ☐  | Competency assessed with reassessment date     | [Training](/employees/training)                             |
|   ☐  | Signed W-4 and direct deposit sent to payroll  | [Payroll forms](/employees/payroll-forms)                   |
|   ☐  | Wage notice acknowledged                       | [Payroll setup](/finance/payroll-setup)                     |
|   ☐  | Active on roster                               | [Employees](/employees)                                     |

## Keeping them assignable

Credentialing does not end at hire. Four separate cycles run afterwards:

| Cycle                    | Watch                         |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Credential renewal       | **Expires** on credentials    |
| Background check renewal | **Expires** on checks         |
| TB screening             | **Next Screen** on clearances |
| Competency reassessment  | **Reassess** on assessments   |

<Tip>
  These renew on different schedules, so one combined reminder does not work. Add a recurring rule per
  cycle in [Task Manager](/tasks), and check the [Dashboard](/dashboard) **Expiring in 7 Days** tile
  each morning.
</Tip>

## What goes wrong most often

| Problem                                 | Cause                                           |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Attendant suddenly unassignable         | A credential or background check expired        |
| Credential never warned before expiring | **Expires** was left blank                      |
| Orientation shows incomplete            | **Acknowledged** or **ID Status** unset         |
| Visits unbillable                       | Attendant delivered care on a lapsed credential |
| Employee not paid                       | Direct deposit never marked **Sent to Payroll** |

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Scheduling" icon="calendar-clock" href="/scheduling">
    Assign the credentialed attendant.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Survey preparation" icon="clipboard-check" href="/guides/survey-preparation">
    What surveyors ask about personnel files.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>