What Is an RSA — and Why Licensing Matters

Anyone can call themselves a caregiver. Not everyone answers to the State of Maryland.

In Maryland, a company providing home care must be licensed as a Residential Service Agency — an RSA — through the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Quality. That license means the agency meets state standards: background checks, caregiver training, nurse oversight, written care plans, and real accountability if something goes wrong. Hiring an unlicensed caregiver from a flyer or a Facebook group can look cheaper — right up until there’s an injury, a theft, a tax problem, or a no-show with no backup. A licensed agency carries insurance, supervision, and a substitute caregiver when yours is sick.

You are inviting someone into your parent’s home, alone. The license is the difference between a professional service and a stranger. Always ask one question first: are you a licensed RSA?

This has been Care Without Crisis Explains, presented by Vanguard Care Solutions.

For more free videos and family resources — or when you’re ready to talk about care at home — visit vanguardcaresolutions.com or call 301-327-1444.