Delaware · personal care aide (PCA)
Delaware does not set a number of training hours for direct care workers. Instead, workers at licensed personal assistance services agencies finish an agency orientation and must pass a competency test before giving care and again every year. Self-directed care lets members hire relatives and friends.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Direct care worker, personal assistance services worker, attendant, self-directed attendant |
| Training | Agency orientation before you serve clients, with no set hours. Covers client rights, infection control, body mechanics, nutrition, daily living tasks, and communication. |
| Exam | Competency test before providing care and every year after |
| Certification | No state certificate or registry found in state sources |
| Background check | State Bureau of Identification (SBI) and FBI fingerprint check, drug screening, and abuse registry checks through the state Background Check Center |
| Yearly training | Yearly competency test. Agencies serving people with dementia also require yearly dementia training. |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed for agency workers; self-directed attendants must be 18 |
| Agency licensing | Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Health Care Quality (Personal Assistance Services Agency license) |
Training
Before serving clients, agency workers complete an orientation on client rights, infection control, body mechanics, nutrition, activities of daily living, communication, the needs of older and disabled people, and state rules. Delaware’s rules do not set a number of hours for orientation or yearly training.
Agencies that serve people with dementia must add dementia-specific content to orientation and provide dementia training every year.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes. Through Self-Directed Attendant Care (SDAC) in the Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP Plus) program, members can hire relatives and friends. Attendants must be 18 or older.
Parents and guardians of children in pediatric SDAC (for Medicaid members up to age 21) can be paid up to 40 hours a week each, but the same parent cannot both direct the care and be the paid attendant. For adults, the rules on paying a spouse or other legally responsible family member are unclear, so ask the health plan.
Read our full guide: how to get paid to care for a family member.
Compare
All three help people with daily care. Training, tasks, and pay differ.
| Personal care aide | Home health aide | CNA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training | No set hours; yearly competency test | 75 hours federal minimum, including 16 hands-on | State-approved program, 75 hours or more |
| Medical tasks | Mostly not. Help with daily living, like bathing, dressing, meals, and housework | Some, like vital signs, under nurse supervision | Yes, under nurse supervision |
| Where you work | Clients' homes, group homes, assisted living | Clients' homes, through home health agencies | Nursing homes and hospitals |
| Median pay (DE) | $16.50 an hour* | $16.50 an hour* | $20.21 an hour |
*Federal pay data groups personal care aides with home health aides. Many PCAs later become CNAs, which opens more jobs and higher pay.
FAQ
Short answers to what people ask most.
No state certificate was found in state sources, but agency workers must complete orientation and pass a competency test before giving care and every year after.
Yes. Workers in private homes need a state and FBI fingerprint check before employment, plus drug screening and registry checks.
Yes, if she is enrolled in DSHP Plus and uses Self-Directed Attendant Care. Members can hire relatives, and you must be 18 or older.
Yes. In pediatric Self-Directed Attendant Care, parents and guardians can be paid up to 40 hours a week each. The parent who directs the care cannot also be the paid attendant.
Home health and personal care aides in Delaware earn a median of $16.50 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.