Frequently Asked Questions

Gilgal is both. We are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 as a home care agency and a home care registry — which means you choose the arrangement that fits your family, rather than the one that fits our licence.

Under the agency model, the caregiver is our employee. We recruit, clear, train, supervise, and pay them, and we carry the payroll taxes, workers' compensation, and liability coverage. You are billed one hourly rate and never become anyone's employer.

Under the registry model — which we call Family-Led Care — we refer independent contractors from our cleared roster and you choose who you want. Every one has passed the same clearances and vetting as our own team. You and that contractor agree the hourly rate between yourselves, and you pay them directly. You hold more control over who comes into your home and when — and more of the day-to-day coordination.

Most agencies hold one licence and will tell you their model is the right one. We hold both, so the honest answer is that it depends on your situation. We will walk you through it on the free call. See how each model works →

They work differently, and it is worth understanding before you choose.

Gilgal Care Team (agency). One hourly rate, invoiced by Gilgal, covering everything — the caregiver's wages, payroll taxes, workers' compensation, insurance, and supervision. Rates start at $34 an hour for companion care and rise with the level of care. Four-hour minimum per visit. No setup fee and no separate placement charge.

Family-Led Care (registry). You pay the contractor directly, at the rate the two of you agree. Gilgal does not set that rate and does not collect it. What we charge is separate: a one-time $400 setup fee at placement, then $30 for each day your contractor provides care. If care pauses for travel or a hospital stay, the daily fee pauses with it. Other fee structures are available by mutual agreement — ask on your call.

Because registry contractors are paid by you rather than by us, the working relationship — scheduling, coverage when they are unavailable, and any tax reporting that applies — sits with you. We will tell you plainly what we know and point you to a tax professional for the rest. Full rate details →

Our services are organised across four pages, by what you need.

Home Care — caregiver placement through both our agency and our registry, home safety assessments, and senior move-in and move-out coordination.

Training & Workshops — live workshops for family caregivers, and career preparation for direct care workers.

Consulting — care planning, family care conferences, hospital-to-home transitions, appointment support and advocacy, benefits and Medicaid navigation, and home care business consulting.

Cancer Navigation — support through diagnosis, treatment, and everything after, from a stage 4 survivor.

We do not provide skilled nursing, physical therapy, medication administration, or any licensed medical service. If your loved one needs those, we will help you find the right provider.

Yes. Family-Led Care is our name for the registry model, because “registry” is a licensing word and it tells you very little about what actually happens.

You will still see “registry” on our Pennsylvania Department of Health licence, in our company name, and on the Consumer Notice you receive before services begin. That is the regulator’s language and we are required to use it. Family-Led Care is simply the plain-English version: you choose the caregiver, you set the rate, you pay them directly.

If it sounds like the self-directed arrangements some families know from Medicaid waiver programs, the spirit is similar — but Family-Led Care is private pay and is not a Medicaid program.

A professional room-by-room walk-through of your loved one’s home to find fall risks, accessibility barriers, and other hazards — before they cause an injury. Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults, and most happen at home.

The assessment covers fall risk factors like rugs, lighting, thresholds and stairs, bathroom and bedroom safety, mobility and pathway clearance, medication storage, and emergency readiness. You receive a written report within 48 hours listing every hazard found, ranked by risk, with an estimated cost for each correction.

We recommend one for any older adult or person with a disability living at home, and always after a significant health change, a hospitalization, or a move. $275. Schedule an assessment →

Yes, and it is one of the most useful things we do. Nobody retains a specialist’s instructions while frightened — a second person whose only job is listening changes what you walk away with.

Virtual Appointment Support, $55 per appointment. We join by phone or video, either a telehealth visit or an in-person visit with us on speakerphone. Includes a prep call to build your question list and a written summary the same day. Available anywhere in Pennsylvania.

In-Person Accompaniment & Care Summary, from $100. We meet you there. Two-hour minimum, covering the prep call, time with you at the appointment, notes taken throughout, and a written care summary. Beyond two hours, $50 per additional hour. Available across our five counties. See appointment support →

Pennsylvania has several Medicaid programs — including MAWD, OLTL, and ODP — that can fund in-home personal care. Whether Gilgal accepts your specific waiver depends on which program you are enrolled in, and our Medicaid enrollment is in progress.

Many families discover they do not qualify at all. The income limit is roughly $2,982 a month and countable assets must be under about $8,000 — which rules out a great many households in this county. If that is you, there are still real options: VA benefits, long-term care insurance, spend-down, and private pay for fewer hours than you probably imagine.

How to pay for home care in Pennsylvania when you don't qualify for Medicaid →

Every caregiver we place completes all required Pennsylvania background clearances before entering a client's home — whether they are employed by Gilgal under our agency model or rostered as an independent contractor under our registry. The standard does not change with the arrangement.

That includes a PA State Police Criminal Background Check, a PA Child Abuse History Clearance through ChildLine, and FBI fingerprint clearance where required. We also verify identity, review employment history, and assess each caregiver against our own standards before they are placed with anyone.

Every placement is reviewed and approved by our Administrator personally. Nobody is added to the roster or sent to a home without that review.

Gilgal is based in King of Prussia and serves families across Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties — including Wayne, Norristown, Malvern, Bryn Mawr, Ardmore, Conshohocken, Plymouth Meeting, Villanova, Radnor, Media, and Doylestown.

Virtual services, including appointment support and consultations, are available anywhere in Pennsylvania. Digital resources are available nationwide. Unsure whether we reach you? Email care@gilgalhomecare.org and we will tell you right away.

It depends on your care needs, location, and schedule. In many cases we can facilitate an introduction within a few days. We encourage families to reach out before care becomes urgent — the earlier we connect, the more options we can offer, and the better the match tends to be.

The right fit matters. If a match is not working, for any reason, tell us and we will find a better option. Your comfort and safety are not negotiable. We would rather take the time to find the right person than leave your family in an uncomfortable situation.

Say so. We offer a sliding scale with documentation of need, and it applies to consultations, advocacy, appointment support, assessments, and workshop registration.

Ask on your free intro call or email us before you book. A conversation about your situation always costs nothing, and no one has ever been made to feel small for asking.

It is also worth reading how families pay for home care in Pennsylvania — VA benefits, long-term care insurance, and other funding most people never hear about.

Start at our Careers page, or email care@gilgalhomecare.org with a brief introduction — your caregiving background, any certifications or training, your availability, and the counties you can work in.

Tell us which you are looking for: employment with Gilgal as a W-2 caregiver, or a place on our registry as an independent contractor. We bring people on both ways, and we will state in writing which applies to you before you start.

Three, and all must be current before you work with a client: a PA State Police Criminal Background Check, a PA Child Abuse History Clearance through ChildLine at compass.dhs.pa.gov, and an FBI Fingerprint Clearance if you have not lived in Pennsylvania for the past ten consecutive years.

Our DCW Career Prep Bootcamp walks through exactly what to get and in what order, along with everything else Pennsylvania requires of home care workers.

Prior experience helps but is not always required. What matters most is a genuine heart for serving others, professionalism, and willingness to learn. Every Gilgal caregiver must meet competency standards before placement. If you are new to the field, the DCW Career Prep Bootcamp is built exactly for you — no experience assumed.

The DCW Career Prep Bootcamp is a live three-hour virtual session covering all sixteen subject areas Pennsylvania requires under 28 Pa. Code § 611.55(b) — consumer rights, ADLs, safe transfers, infection control, emergencies, mandated reporting, boundaries, and documentation.

You leave with a participant packet, a skills checklist signed across all sixteen areas, and a certificate of completion. Cohorts are capped at twelve so every skills demonstration is actually watched. $125. See upcoming dates →

It depends which model you are brought on under. Gilgal operates both a licensed home care agency and a home care registry. Workers rostered through the registry are independent contractors — responsible for their own taxes, insurance, and scheduling, and paid directly by the family. Workers hired through the agency are W-2 employees, with taxes withheld and schedules assigned. We state clearly, in writing, which applies to you before you start.

Yes. Home care registries and agencies must be licensed by the PA Department of Health under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611. The license is required before you can legally place caregivers with clients. The application includes policy exhibits, staff documentation, and operational plans. Our How to Start a Home Care Business in PA guide ($57) walks through every step.

After a complete application, the Department typically takes two to four months to review and issue. Incomplete applications extend that considerably — and they do not get corrected, they get returned.

Using a professionally prepared, regulation-referenced policy package like the PA Chapter 611 Policy & Forms Package reduces the risk of delay from a missing or noncompliant exhibit.

A home care agency employs its caregivers directly and handles payroll, taxes, workers’ compensation, and scheduling. A home care registry connects clients with independent workers but does not employ them.

The registry model typically has lower overhead and fewer employer liabilities, but distinct compliance requirements under Chapter 611. Gilgal holds both licences, so the guidance you get here is not a pitch for whichever one we happen to have. Our startup guide ($57) covers both and how to decide.

Yes. The PA Chapter 611 Policy & Forms Package is a done-for-you service. You complete a short intake about your agency, and every policy exhibit, intake form, service agreement, and staff document is personally customized to your name, address, and operations before delivery. A kickoff call is included.

Every policy is referenced to the specific regulatory section it satisfies, so when a surveyor asks, you can point to the answer. $597 — consultants charge $3,000 and up for the same scope.

Yes, at any stage — from "I am thinking about starting" to "the Department sent me a deficiency letter and I do not understand it."

Sessions are $55 for 30 minutes and $100 for 60 minutes, and you leave with a written summary and a specific next-step list. Most consultants selling home care startup advice have never held a licence — this guidance comes from an application that went through, including the parts that came back for correction. Book a session →

Our business resources — startup guides, policy packages, and compliance documents — are written specifically for Pennsylvania’s Chapter 611 framework. They are not generic national templates with a state name swapped in. Our family-facing guides are also written with Pennsylvania’s landscape in mind. Outside PA, some content will not apply to your state’s regulations.

Instantly. Checkout runs through Gumroad and a download link lands in your email within seconds. Files are Word documents or PDFs and open on any device. Trouble accessing a download? Email care@gilgalhomecare.org and we will sort it quickly.

Because our products are digital and immediately accessible, we generally cannot refund once a file has been downloaded. If you bought the wrong product or hit a technical problem, contact us within 7 days and we will make it right. Not sure before buying? Ask first — we would rather point you elsewhere than sell you the wrong thing.

Send a note to care@gilgalhomecare.org describing your situation and what you are trying to figure out. We will point you to exactly what you need — or tell you honestly that we do not have it. You can also book a free 15-minute intro call and talk it through.