Vermont Caregiver Background Check: How to Vet a Home Care Aide

You've found a caregiver who seems kind, experienced, and available. Before they set foot in your parent's home, you need to vet them — and in Vermont, this responsibility falls squarely on you.

Vermont does not require a state license for non-medical home care agencies. Anyone can advertise personal care, companion, or homemaker services without passing a background check, carrying liability insurance, or completing any training certification. This makes Vermont an outlier among U.S. states and puts the burden of vetting entirely on families.

The Four Checks You Should Run

1. Vermont Adult Abuse Registry

The Division of Licensing and Protection (DLP) maintains a registry of individuals who have been substantiated for abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults. Licensed healthcare providers are legally prohibited from hiring anyone listed on this registry.

• How to check: Organizations can subscribe to the DLP's online screening system for automated checks. Individual employers (families hiring directly) must submit a paper or email search request form to the Division of Licensing and Protection.
• Cost and turnaround: Ask DLP for the current fee and processing time for an individual-employer request.

2. Child Protection Registry

If the caregiver will have any contact with grandchildren or other minors in the household, you should also check the Child Protection Registry maintained by the Department for Children and Families (DCF).

• How to check: Vermont employers submit a request through DCF. Individual family employers can contact DCF directly for the process.
• Cost and turnaround: Ask DCF for the current fee and processing time for an individual-employer request.

3. VCIC Criminal Background Check

The Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC) provides Vermont criminal-record searches. This is the standard in-state criminal background check.

• How to request: Submit a request through VCIC, either online or by mail
• Cost: $30 per check
• Turnaround: Varies — electronic submissions are generally faster

A VCIC check covers Vermont records only. If the caregiver has lived in other states, ask an authorized screening provider about a broader check.

4. Driving Record (DMV)

If the caregiver will be driving your parent to appointments, errands, or social activities, request their driving record through the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.

• Cost: Check the DMV's current fee schedule
• What it reveals: Moving violations, license suspensions, DUI history

What to Do with the Results

A clean background check is necessary but not sufficient. Also verify:

• References — call at least two prior employers or families they've worked with. Ask specifically about reliability, how they handled emergencies, and whether they left on good terms.
• CPR/First Aid certification — not required by law, but you want someone who can respond to a fall or choking incident.
• Insurance — ask whether they carry their own liability insurance. Most individual caregivers do not, which means your homeowner's policy is the backstop if they're injured on the job.

If You Hire Through ARIS Solutions

Families enrolled in Choices for Care or the Attendant Services Program who hire through the consumer-directed model use ARIS Solutions as the fiscal employer agent. ARIS handles mandatory background checks as part of the Employee Hiring Packet — every caregiver must clear the screenings before payroll begins.

This doesn't eliminate your own due diligence, but it does add a structured layer. ARIS also manages workers' compensation insurance, which protects both the caregiver and your family from liability if the caregiver is injured while working.

The Bigger Picture

Background checks are one piece of the caregiver hiring process. Our Vermont Home Care Navigator covers the full workflow — from finding candidates and running checks through employment agreements, ARIS enrollment, ongoing supervision, and the legal protections your family should have in place.

See more Vermont guides →