What is a competency check, and who has to sign it?
A competency check is when a supervisor watches a caregiver do a task and writes down that she did it right. In Georgia private home care, a supervisor must personally observe it. For Medicare home health aides, a registered nurse does the evaluation. Nobody should be assigned a task they have not been checked on.
A competency check is simple. A trained supervisor watches your caregiver do a real task, like helping someone move from a bed to a chair, then writes down whether she did it safely and correctly.
Who signs, by rule type:
- Georgia private home care (Rule 111-8-65-.09): a written evaluation must show that a supervisor personally observed the employee doing the required tasks and found her competent. No personal care aide may be assigned a task for which training has not been completed.
- Medicare home health aides (42 CFR 484.80): a registered nurse does the evaluation, and some tasks, such as personal hygiene and safe transfers, must be seen with a real or practice patient. A rating of "unsatisfactory" on a task means she may not do it without an RN watching until she is retrained and passes.
Good practice:
- List every task a caregiver will do for a client.
- Check each one before her first shift with that client.
- Write the date, the task, the result and the supervisor’s name.
- If a client has special needs, such as a feeding tube or a lift, check that specific skill.
The nurse signs every clinical field. A competency check is not a form to rush. It is the proof that she is ready.
Sources
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-65-.09 Administration and Organization (Private Home Care Providers) · Cornell Legal Information Institute (Georgia DCH rule text)
- 42 CFR 484.80 Home health aide services (training, competency, in-service, supervision) · U.S. Government Publishing Office (Code of Federal Regulations)
Reviewed by Beth Bledsoe, Care Business Advisor®, 28 Oct 2026. Rules change. Confirm with your state Medicaid agency before you act.
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