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Illinois · Home services agency · 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.100 to 245.150
IDPH surveys every new Illinois home services agency near the end of its 240-day provisional license, and can inspect and investigate licensed agencies as often as it deems necessary. Here is what the nurse surveyor asks for, what IDPH’s guidance says surveys commonly find, and what happens after: the 10-day plan of correction, fines and other enforcement.
Quick answer
A new Illinois home services agency gets a 240-day provisional license, and IDPH inspects the agency within the 30 days before it ends. If you substantially meet the requirements, IDPH issues a full license; if you have made significant progress but are not there yet, it may extend the provisional license once, by up to 90 days.
After that, IDPH inspects and investigates as it deems necessary, and investigates every complaint. An IDPH nurse surveyor reviews records against a 15-item checklist, may interview staff and, with consent, visit clients. If IDPH finds a violation, you file a plan of correction within 10 days of receiving the notice. IDPH may also fine up to $100 a day until a violation is corrected.
IDPH surveys
Checked against official sources on October 1, 2026.
The rule is short: "Within 30 days prior to the termination of the provisional license, the Department will inspect the agency and, if the applicant substantially meets the requirements for licensure, the Department will issue a license." 245.100(a)(3) IDPH’s FAQ puts it the same way: "IDPH must conduct an on-site survey to determine compliance within 30 days of the expiration of the provisional license." IDPH FAQ
The provisional license lasts 240 days unless it is suspended or revoked sooner, 245.100(a)(2) so by our arithmetic the survey window opens around day 210. IDPH’s FAQ says that with the provisional license it will "inform the operational requirements necessary for the licensure survey within the first six months of the provisional licensure". IDPH FAQ Keep whatever IDPH sends you with the license.
If you are not ready. If you do not yet substantially meet the requirements but have made significant progress, "the Department may renew the provisional license once for a period not to exceed 90 days from the expiration date of the initial provisional license". 245.100(a)(4) Without that progress, failing to meet the standards in Part 245 is one of the conditions under which IDPH considers adverse licensure action, which includes denying an initial license application. 245.130(a)-(b)
After you pass. The first full license expires one year from the end of the month in which the provisional license was first issued, and the initial license fee is applied to the provisional license. 245.100(a)(3)(A), (C) The renewal application is due 60 to 90 days before expiry, so by our arithmetic the first renewal falls due a few months after the survey. 245.90(b)(1)
The IDPH fee and every date from application to full license →
The rules are silent on this. Neither the Act, Part 245 nor IDPH’s FAQ says in so many words what a provisional license lets a new agency do, or whether you must already have clients by the survey.
Our reading, not IDPH’s, is that the provisional license is the license a new agency starts operating under. The evidence we rely on:
Because this is our reading, confirm with IDPH on 217-782-7412 before you take your first client. Form 445104, page 1 What is settled: no services and no advertising before a license is issued. 210 ILCS 55/3.3
"The Department will conduct such investigations and inspections of licensed agencies and of persons suspected of operating an agency without a license as it deems necessary to assess compliance with the Act and this Part." 245.110(a) That is the whole rule on timing. Neither the Act nor Part 245 sets a survey cycle, and neither says whether surveys are announced. IDPH’s FAQ refers to a "licensure renewal survey" and points agencies to its surveyor checklist to prepare for it, IDPH FAQ but we have not found an IDPH statement of how often those happen.
Complaints. Complaints about an agency go to IDPH’s Central Complaint Registry, in writing, by phone or electronically. 245.115(a) "The Department will conduct an investigation of all complaints received. An appropriate investigation may include but is not limited to record reviews and/or telephone interviews, on-site surveys or a combination of methods." 245.115(b) IDPH does not tell the agency who complained, and complaints can be anonymous. IDPH, File a Health Care Complaint
Your own complaint process runs alongside this: written complaint resolution policies for clients and their advocates, described in your client contract. 245.30(b)(3); 245.220(i) The complaint log is on the surveyor’s checklist.
Abuse investigations. When an employee is accused of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation, you investigate and send IDPH the written report within 24 hours of finishing. 245.250(a)(3), (b) The Department on Aging lists IDPH as the agency that investigates abuse and neglect by licensed home service programs. Department on Aging
From IDPH’s checklist and Part 245, in order. Tick steps off as you go; progress is saved in this browser only.
The agency manager or a designee must be available when an IDPH nurse surveyor arrives. IDPH’s checklist says failing to be available, or refusing a survey during normal business hours, may lead to a fine or other administrative proceeding.
The manager or designee must be able to show the surveyor the agency’s access to the Health Care Worker Registry through the IDPH web portal.
Make available all books, records, policies and procedures, and anything else requested. IDPH’s checklist lists 15 items; they are in the table below.
If records are electronic, one designated person opens them for the surveyor in a timely manner. The surveyor should be able to navigate them without interference; staff may sit and observe as long as that does not inhibit or delay the survey.
Surveys may include record review, interviews, phone interviews and client home visits. You help arrange any visits IDPH needs, and IDPH obtains the client’s consent before it watches care being given.
For a violation that does not pose a substantial risk to clients, IDPH may ask for a plan of correction first. Otherwise it serves a written notice of violation, in person or by certified mail.
File a written plan within 10 days of receiving the notice, stating how and by when each violation will be corrected.
Refusing to make materials available is grounds for license revocation or any other penalty in the Act. 210 ILCS 55/9.01 Background check files are also subject to inspection by IDPH. 955.220(a)
IDPH’s Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist for home services lists 15 "Required Materials for Surveyor Review". IDPH’s FAQ points agencies to it under the question "What information must I have ready/available for my agency's licensure renewal survey?" IDPH FAQ IDPH publishes no separate list for the first survey, so treat this one as the best guide to that survey too.
| # | On IDPH’s checklist | Where it lives in a CareRulebook manual |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Policy and procedure manuals | The whole manual |
| 2 | Bylaws | 1.1 Governing body, bylaws and policy adoption |
| 3 | Governing body meeting minutes | 1.1 Governing body, bylaws and policy adoption |
| 4 | List of current clients (private pay, private insurance, DSCC and VA only; not CCP or DHS clients), with start of care dates | 10.1 Client records |
| 5 | List of former clients from the previous year, with admission and discharge dates | 10.1 Client records |
| 6 | List of current employees, with position titles and dates of hire | 3.6 Personnel records |
| 7 | List of former employees from the previous year, with hire and termination dates | 3.6 Personnel records |
| 8 | Current certificate of liability insurance | 1.4 Liability insurance |
| 9 | Complaint log and process | 2.4 Complaint resolution |
| 10 | Employee training files | 4.1 Orientation, initial and annual training3.6 Personnel records |
| 11 | Agency job descriptions | 3.1 Job descriptions |
| 12 | Health Care Worker Registry verifications for staff | 3.5 Health care worker background checks and registry |
| 13 | Copy of the current IDPH license application (initial or renewal) | 1.5 License application, renewal and notices to IDPH |
| 14 | Client service plans | 5.1 Service plan |
| 15 | Alzheimer’s and dementia training curriculum, or a description of each class | 5.4 Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias services4.1 Orientation, initial and annual training |
IDPH, Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist (Home Services), Internet Archive copy of August 30, 2025. IDPH’s own site could not be reached when we checked, so we read the archived copy. The policy matches are ours. "DSCC", "CCP" and "DHS (DORS)" are the checklist’s own abbreviations.
IDPH publishes "Guidance for Common Deficiency Findings" for home services agencies. It does not rank them or say how often each is found; it names one common registry finding and, under "Common Survey Deficiencies", three areas. IDPH, Guidance for Common Deficiency Findings (archived March 21, 2026) Here they are with the rule behind each.
IDPH names this as a common registry survey finding. A new hire already shown as eligible on the registry needs no new background check, but you still run the six searches in the web portal and put the printout in the employee file: "The new hire or rehire does not need another background check, HOWEVER, you are required to check the six registries in the web portal."
IDPH deficiency guidance955.165(c)Manual: Policy 3.5
Verify each employee in the Health Care Worker Registry at least once a year, and enter hire and separation dates within 30 days. Failing to comply is a licensing violation, and a fine of up to $500 may be imposed for failing to maintain these records.
955.145IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 3.5
At least 10 hours of training each year, covering the required annual topics. IDPH’s guidance: "After the first 365 days of employment, each employee will be required to minimally cover the required annual topics, but still meet the 10 total hours of training." Staff with direct access to clients with dementia also receive 3 hours of advanced dementia training each year.
245.71(f); 973.140(f)IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 4.1
Five hours of training before the first assignment and five more within 30 days, with a competency evaluation passed before the first assignment and another after the second five hours. Proof of training at another licensed home services agency in the past 365 days can stand in for the training, but not for the competency evaluation. Staff with direct access to clients with dementia complete at least 6 hours of dementia training in their first 60 days.
245.71(c); 973.140(c)IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 4.2
IDPH’s guidance asks for the date, the time spent on each topic, the instructors and their qualifications, a short description of the content and the worker’s signature. The rule also accepts a time-stamped electronic certificate in place of the signature.
IDPH deficiency guidance245.71(i)Manual: Policy 4.1
A plan for each client, made with the client and family or representative, reviewed and revised as needed and at least once a year. IDPH’s guidance reads "annually" strictly: "The plan must be reviewed and updated as necessary, but not less than once annually (at least once every 365 days)".
245.210(e), (g)IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 5.1
Registry questions go to dph.hcwr@illinois.gov or 844-789-3676. IDPH deficiency guidance
When IDPH finds a violation, it serves a written notice of violation on the licensee, in person or by certified mail. 245.120(a)(1) The notice describes the violation, cites the rule, says a plan of correction is required, describes what else IDPH may do, and explains your right to a hearing. 245.120(a)(3)
For a violation that does not pose a substantial risk to clients, IDPH may ask for a plan of correction first. If you do not send an acceptable plan, or do not carry out the approved plan, in the time IDPH gives, it then issues the notice of violation. 245.120(a)(2)
The plan is written and has three requirements: it is filed within 10 days after you receive the notice; it must "State with particularity the method by which the agency intends to correct each violation specified in the notice of violation"; and it must "Contain a stated date by which each violation will be corrected." 245.120(b)(1)
| What | Deadline | Counted from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan of correction | 10 days | Your receipt of the notice of violation | 245.120(b)(1)(A) |
| Modified plan, if IDPH rejects yours | 10 days | Your receipt of the notice of rejection | 245.120(b)(3) |
| Request a hearing to contest | 10 days | Your receipt of the notice you are contesting | 245.120(c)(1) |
| A plan IDPH asks for before any notice | The time IDPH gives | IDPH’s request | 245.120(a)(2) |
If IDPH rejects the plan, it tells you why, and you have 10 days after receiving the rejection to send a modified plan. 245.120(b)(2)-(3) If the modified plan is late, does not resolve the reasons for rejection, or lacks the method or the date for each violation, IDPH rejects it and imposes its own plan of correction, which you must follow. 245.120(b)(4)
Contesting. You can contest a notice of violation or a plan decision by sending IDPH a written request for a hearing within 10 days after receiving the notice. 245.120(c)(1) Our suggestion: speak to a lawyer before you do.
Our suggestion for writing it: one line per violation, with the rule IDPH cited, what you will change, who will do it and the date. Send it by a method that shows when it was sent, keep a copy, and check some weeks later that the change has held.
CareRulebook
CareRulebook’s Illinois manual includes Policy 1.6, inspections, surveys and plans of correction: who receives the surveyor, registry access, the 15 checklist items and where each lives, electronic records, home visits and consent, and the 10-day plan of correction, with a record to fill in for each violation.
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Illinois agencies, then $249. Not an IDPH fee.
The plan of correction is the usual answer to a violation. For completeness, here is what the Act and Part 245 allow beyond it.
IDPH may fine up to $100 a day from the day a violation was identified until it is corrected, or until IDPH acts to suspend, revoke or deny renewal, whichever comes first. These are IDPH penalties, not CareRulebook charges.
The gravity of the violation (including how likely and how severe harm is), how far the rules were broken, your diligence and efforts to correct, previous violations, and any financial benefit from the violation.
An uncontested fine is paid within 10 days of the notice of assessment. If it is still unpaid 30 days after IDPH’s written demand, the Director orders one of four steps: certifying the debt to the State Comptroller or the Social Security Administration, adding it to your license fee, or a circuit court action. Refusing to pay fines added to the fee at renewal means the renewal is denied.
An operating agency that does not substantially comply can be put on a provisional license of up to 120 days, if clients will be protected and the violations are not serious enough for adverse licensure action, with a written notice of what to correct and by when. IDPH may extend it by another 120 days for substantial progress.
Adverse licensure actions are denial of an initial or renewal application, revocation, suspension and a fine. IDPH considers them when, among other conditions, an agency fails the standards in Part 245, refuses to make records available, violates the Act or Part 245, or acts in a way detrimental to clients’ health, safety or welfare.
If continued operation poses an immediate and serious danger to public health, safety or welfare, the Director orders an emergency suspension, which takes effect when the order is issued; IDPH then moves to revoke the license.
Notice and hearings. Before denying, refusing to renew, suspending or revoking a license, or levying a fine, IDPH notifies the agency, which can request a hearing in writing within 10 days of receiving the notice. 210 ILCS 55/10 A notice of denial, non-renewal or revocation gives the reasons and an effective date at least 15 days after it is mailed or served, unless you appeal. 245.130(f) IDPH’s decisions can then be reviewed by the courts. 245.150(c)
A renewal application and fee not filed at least 60 days before expiry may be fined.
245.90(b)(1)Breaking the branch and drop-site rules can bring fines of up to $100 a day, or a separate license for the second location.
245.80(l)Up to $500 for failing to keep the annual employment verification records.
955.145(b)A fine of $500 under Part 955 (the Act says up to $500) for failing to keep the background check files: criminal records requests for 5 years, and the disclosure, authorization and livescan forms and notifications for the length of employment.
955.220(a); 225 ILCS 46/50Every fine on this page is a penalty set in the Act or IDPH’s rules, not a CareRulebook charge.
Our practical suggestions, not rule text. Each card links the source it helps you meet and the manual policy that covers it.
The manager or a designee must be available when the surveyor arrives. Write down who that is when the manager is out, and make sure whoever answers the office phone knows to call them.
IDPH checklistManual: Policy 1.6
Keep the 15 checklist items together, on paper or in one electronic folder, and update it monthly. For a new agency, some items (last year’s former clients and employees) will be short or empty.
IDPH checklistManual: Policy 1.6
Make sure both the manager and the designee can log in to the IDPH web portal and show the Health Care Worker Registry, before the day you need it.
IDPH checklistManual: Policy 3.5
For each worker: the six searches printed, the annual registry verification, training hours with complete records, and competency evaluations. These are the areas IDPH’s guidance names.
IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 3.6
Track each client’s last service plan review so none goes past 365 days, the way IDPH’s guidance reads the yearly review.
IDPH deficiency guidanceManual: Policy 5.1
A short explanation staff can give: IDPH may ask to visit, it will ask the client’s consent before watching care, and saying no does not change the client’s services.
245.110(b)Manual: Policy 1.6
Part 245 already asks for a quarterly review of active and closed client records. Use it as a rehearsal: the same records a surveyor will read.
245.240(b)Manual: Policy 9.1
Walk through IDPH’s checklist with a colleague playing the surveyor, and fix what you find before IDPH does.
IDPH checklistManual: Policy 1.6
Want every step to the license in order, including the survey? Use the free Illinois license checklist →
No. IDPH inspects the agency within the 30 days before the provisional license ends, and issues a full license only if the agency substantially meets the requirements. If it does not, but has made significant progress, IDPH may renew the provisional license once, for up to 90 days.
"Within 30 days prior to the termination of the provisional license, the Department will inspect the agency and, if the applicant substantially meets the requirements for licensure, the Department will issue a license."
No. The written plan of correction is due within 10 days after the agency receives the notice of violation, and must say how and by when each violation will be corrected. If IDPH rejects it, you have 10 days after receiving the rejection to send a modified plan; if that is late or still falls short, IDPH imposes its own plan.
"Be filed with the Department within 10 days after the agency's receipt of the notice of violation."
No. Your agency must help arrange the home visits IDPH needs during a survey or investigation, but IDPH obtains the client's consent before it directly observes home services in the home.
"The Department will obtain consent from the patient or client prior to conducting direct observation of patient care or the provision of home services in the home during an investigation or inspection."
No. A home services agency license lasts one year and costs $1,500. The two-year, $1,500 license is for home health agencies. File each renewal 60 to 90 days before the license expires.
"Each license shall be for a term of one year and shall expire one year from the date of issuance."
Within the 30 days before the 240-day provisional license ends. IDPH inspects the agency and issues a full license if it substantially meets the requirements. IDPH’s FAQ says that with the provisional license it will "inform the operational requirements necessary for the licensure survey within the first six months of the provisional licensure".
The rules and IDPH’s FAQ do not say in so many words what a provisional license lets you do. Our reading is that it is the license a new agency starts operating under: the Act lists it as a type of license, IDPH tells you which operational requirements must be in place for the survey, IDPH’s surveyor checklist asks for a list of current clients, and you must show client activity before your second renewal. Confirm with IDPH on 217-782-7412 before you take your first client.
Neither the Act nor Part 245 sets a schedule. IDPH conducts the investigations and inspections it deems necessary to assess compliance. IDPH’s FAQ refers to a "licensure renewal survey" and points agencies to its surveyor checklist for it, but we have not found an IDPH statement of how often renewal surveys happen.
Neither the Act nor Part 245 says. IDPH’s checklist is written for a surveyor who arrives at your office: the agency manager or a designee must be available when the nurse surveyor arrives, and refusing a survey during normal business hours may lead to a fine. So be ready on any business day.
IDPH’s Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist lists 15 items: policy and procedure manuals, bylaws, governing body minutes, lists of current and former clients and employees, the liability insurance certificate, the complaint log and process, training files, job descriptions, Health Care Worker Registry verifications, a copy of your current license application, client service plans and the dementia training curriculum. IDPH’s FAQ ties the checklist to the licensure renewal survey; there is no separate list for the first survey, so it is the best guide to that one too.
Ten days after you receive the notice of violation. The plan must state how you will correct each violation and the date by which each will be corrected. If IDPH rejects it, you have 10 days after receiving the rejection to send a modified plan; if that is late or still falls short, IDPH imposes a plan of correction you must follow.
If you do not substantially meet the requirements but have made significant progress, IDPH may renew the provisional license once, for up to 90 days. Otherwise, failing to meet the standards in Part 245 is one of the conditions under which IDPH considers adverse licensure action, which includes denying an initial license application. IDPH must give written notice first, with the reasons, and you can request a hearing in writing within 10 days of receiving it.
Yes. IDPH may fine up to $100 a day from the day a violation is identified until it is corrected or IDPH acts on the license. An uncontested fine is paid within 10 days of the notice of assessment. Unpaid fines can be added to your license fee, and IDPH denies a renewal when the licensee refuses to pay them at renewal.
Yes. Policy 1.6, inspections, surveys and plans of correction, covers who receives the surveyor, registry access, the checklist materials, electronic records, home visits, plans of correction, hearings and fines, with a plan of correction record to fill in.
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The $1,500 IDPH fee, the 240-day provisional license and renewal.
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Including Policy 1.6 on surveys and plans of correction.
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How Texas does it: Form 2020 and the ten most-cited violations.
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The desk review, inspections at least every 3 years and plans of correction.
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Unannounced OLC inspections at least every two years.