A caregiver can be hurt in the house. A lamp can be broken. A wallet can go missing. Before you commit, find out who receives each report and whose insurance may respond.

This is not a request for a salesperson to say, “We are fully insured.” It is a document check. Use the same steps with every agency or independent caregiver you are considering.

1. Ask who employs the caregiver

Ask: “Who will be the caregiver’s employer while this person is working in the house?”

Write down:

Employer’s full legal name: ______________________________

Employer’s mailing address: ______________________________

Name shown on the service agreement: ______________________________

Do not accept only a brand name. The name on the agreement should be compared with the name on the insurance documents.

If the provider says the caregiver is an independent contractor, ask: “Who is responsible if the caregiver is injured during a shift?” Write the answer exactly as given. Do not fill in the gap for them.

2. Request evidence of liability coverage

Ask: “Please send the certificate or other document showing the liability coverage that applies to work performed in a client’s home.”

On the document, check:

Named insured: ______________________________

Insurance company: ______________________________

Policy status for the planned start: ______________________________

Type of coverage shown: ______________________________

A certificate is evidence supplied by an insurer or insurance representative. It is not the policy itself and does not explain every exclusion. If the business name on the certificate differs from the name on the agreement, ask for a written explanation before signing.

Ask one more question: “Does this coverage apply to the caregiver and the work described in our service plan?”

Answer: ______________________________

3. Ask separately about an injury to the caregiver

Liability coverage and workers’ compensation are not the same question. The Missouri Department of Labor explains that workers’ compensation covers qualifying workplace injuries and that coverage requirements depend on the employer and the work arrangement.

Ask: “If this caregiver is injured in the house, what is the reporting process, and what coverage does the employer use?”

Write down:

Person to call: ______________________________

Phone number: ______________________________

Who completes the injury report: ______________________________

Coverage named by the provider: ______________________________

If the provider says workers’ compensation does not apply, ask for that position in writing. Do not treat a verbal exemption claim as proof that another policy will cover the injury.

4. Ask how theft and property damage are handled

Ask these as separate questions:

“What do I do if property is damaged during a shift?”

“What do I do if money, medication, jewelry, or another item cannot be found?”

“Is employee dishonesty or theft addressed by insurance, a bond, or another written process?”

Write down:

Reporting contact: ______________________________

Required report or form: ______________________________

Deadline stated by the provider: ______________________________

Document that describes the process: ______________________________

“Bonded” is not a complete answer. Ask what the bond covers, whose conduct it covers, and how a family starts a claim.

5. Confirm the answer with the insurer or issuing office

Use the contact information printed on the insurance document, not a number supplied in a separate sales email. Ask whether the document was issued for the named business and whether the stated coverage remains active.

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance maintains a public company lookup for insurers authorized in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Labor also publishes workers’ compensation coverage rules and verification resources. The public-page trail is collected on this site’s Sources page.

Record the result:

Name matched: Yes / No

Coverage confirmed active: Yes / No / Not confirmed

Person or public record used: ______________________________

Question still open: ______________________________

6. Compare the written record before choosing

Put one page from each provider side by side. Compare only what you can document:

Employer identified: Yes / No

Agreement name matches insurance name: Yes / No

Liability coverage supplied: Yes / No

Caregiver injury process supplied: Yes / No

Property damage process supplied: Yes / No

Theft or dishonesty process supplied: Yes / No

Coverage independently confirmed: Yes / No

Signs to stop before signing

Stop when the provider will not identify the caregiver’s employer, refuses to supply insurance evidence, sends a document under an unexplained different business name, or cannot name the person who receives an injury or property report.

Also stop when every answer is verbal. The next move is simple: ask for the missing item in writing and leave the start unconfirmed until it arrives.