Connecticut has enacted a significant new compliance obligation for homemaker-companion agencies. Beginning January 1, 2027, covered agencies must provide at least eight paid hours of training to covered employees and must provide annual education thereafter.
What the New Law Requires
Public Act No. 26-50, “An Act Requiring Training for Homemaker-Companion Agency Employees,” applies to homemaker-companion agencies registered in Connecticut. Homemaker-companion agencies are defined as organizations that place their employees in homes to provide non-medical, basic supervision services to ensure the safety and well-being of a person in their home. The law requires each covered agency that places such employees to provide not less than eight paid hours of initial training to each new covered employee within 90 days after the employee’s start date. Agencies also must provide annual continuing education to covered employees using training programs approved by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
The Department of Consumer Protection must develop and publish a list of approved training programs by October 1, 2026, in consultation with the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, Developmental Services, and Mental Health and Addiction Services. Agencies should monitor that list closely because the approved program list will determine which courses may be used to satisfy the statutory obligation.
Covered Training Topics
Initial training must include, at a minimum, topics focused on core safety and service responsibilities, including maintaining a clean and safe environment; best practices related to dressing, bathing, and toileting assistance; identifying and reporting abuse and neglect; and identifying and reporting changes in a client’s condition and service needs. If an employee will provide services to individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia, the employee also must receive training on providing nonmedical services to those clients.
Annual continuing education must be drawn from the approved training list and includes the initial training topics as well as communication, differentiating between medical and nonmedical care, and any additional topics identified by the responsible state agencies. Agencies must also ensure each employee completes each required class at least once every two years.
Who Is Exempt?
The statute includes several important exemptions. Registered nurse’s aides, home health aides, personal care attendants, and employees who do not provide homemaker or companion services are not subject to the training requirements. In addition, a new employee who completed qualifying initial training while employed by another homemaker-companion agency within the three years preceding hire may satisfy the initial training requirement by providing the required proof of completion. Agencies should build a process for requesting and evaluating such documentation during onboarding.
Recordkeeping and Attestation Obligations
The new law requires documentation of training completion. Covered employees and supervisors must complete forms attesting to training completion, and agencies must retain those records in employee personnel files. Agencies also must attest to the Department of Consumer Protection by January 1, 2027, that they will comply with the training requirements.
From an employer compliance perspective, the recordkeeping component is critical. Agencies should assume training records will become relevant in regulatory inquiries, consumer complaints, audits, employment disputes, or litigation involving client care. Records should identify the employee, training provider, training topic, completion date, number of paid training hours, supervisor certification, and any relied upon exemption documentation.
Employer Considerations Before January 1, 2027
Although the effective date may appear distant, agencies should begin preparing now. The law requires paid training, which means agencies should evaluate wage-and-hour implications, scheduling logistics, overtime exposure, timekeeping practices, and whether training time will occur during regular shifts or outside normal work hours. Agencies using part-time, per diem, or fluctuating schedules should be especially careful to ensure paid training time is captured accurately.
Agencies should also revisit offer letters, onboarding checklists, employee handbooks, training policies, job descriptions, service-line classifications, and personnel-file procedures. Employers operating both homemaker-companion and home health businesses should confirm which employees are covered, which are exempt, and how the agency will document those determinations consistently.
Recommended Action Steps for Agencies
- Track the Department of Consumer Protection’s approved training list, expected by October 1, 2026.
- Identify covered and exempt employee populations and document the basis for each classification.
- Update onboarding procedures so new covered employees complete required training within 90 days of hire.
- Create a recurring continuing-education calendar to ensure employees complete required courses at least once every two years.
- Revise timekeeping and payroll procedures to ensure all required training time is paid and properly recorded.
- Develop standardized forms for training attestations, supervisor certifications, and prior-training documentation.
- Train supervisors and schedulers on the new requirements so compliance does not depend solely on human resources or compliance personnel.
- Review advertising and consumer-facing materials before making any statement that the agency complies with state-mandated training requirements.
Bottom Line
Connecticut’s new homemaker-companion agency training requirement creates a meaningful operational and employment-law compliance obligation. Agencies should not wait until January 2027 to respond. By building compliant onboarding, training, payroll, and recordkeeping systems now, employers can reduce regulatory risk, improve consistency across their workforce, and be better positioned to demonstrate compliance once the new requirements take effect.
Brody and Associates regularly advises management on compliance with the latest local, state and federal employment laws. If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.com or 203.454.0560.
