State registration of every caregiver
Each caregiver must be listed on the California Home Care Aide Registry under their own registration number before entering a client's home. Families can look up a caregiver by name.
South Bay Home Health Care Agency Inc · Licensed California Home Care Organization HCO #[[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]] · Non-medical in-home care.
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Licensing & Safety · Carson, California
Licensed, bonded and background-checked — and easy to verify
You are about to give a stranger a key to your parent's house. You should be able to check us out first — and you shouldn't have to ask us for the number to do it.
California HCO Licence #[[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]]
Licensed by CDSS
Every caregiver on the HCA Registry
Bonded & insured
A California Home Care Organization (HCO) licence is a state licence issued by the California Department of Social Services, Home Care Services Branch, that permits an agency to send caregivers into private homes to provide non-medical care. To hold one, an agency must carry liability insurance and a surety bond, register every caregiver on the state Home Care Aide Registry, and clear each caregiver through a Department of Justice background check before their first shift.
South Bay Home Health Care Agency Inc holds HCO Licence #[[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]] and operates from 21109 Grace Ave, Carson, CA 90745. You can confirm that yourself in about two minutes — the steps are below.
What It Covers
What a licence actually guarantees — and what it doesn't
Licensure is the floor, not the ceiling. Here is exactly what the state requires of us, stated plainly, so you can hold every agency you're considering to the same standard.
Criminal background clearance
Live Scan fingerprinting submitted to the California Department of Justice and the FBI, with the clearance returned to the state before placement — not after.
Bond and liability insurance
The agency — not your family — carries the bond and the general liability policy. That is the practical difference between hiring an agency and hiring privately.
Required caregiver training
State-mandated orientation and annual continuing training on client rights, safety, infection control and recognising and reporting abuse.
What it does not cover
An HCO licence does not authorise skilled nursing, wound care, injections, physical therapy or anything a doctor must order. That requires a separately licensed home health agency.
What it can't promise
A licence proves compliance, not compassion. Supervision cadence, caregiver retention and how an agency handles a bad day are things you should still ask about — of us and of anyone else.
Verify Us Yourself
How to verify a California home care licence in two minutes
Do this for us. Then do it for every other agency on your list — including the ones with the biggest advertising budgets.
1
Open the state's Home Care Services search
Go to the California Department of Social Services Home Care Services Bureau search page at cdss.ca.gov and choose the Home Care Organization lookup.
2
Search by licence number or business name
Enter [[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]], or search "South Bay Home Health Care Agency" and filter to Los Angeles County. Searching by number is faster and avoids similarly named agencies.
3
Check the status, address and licence date
The record should read a current, active status at 21109 Grace Ave, Carson, CA 90745. If an agency's record shows a different address from the one on their website, ask why before you go further.
4
Look up the individual caregiver too
The same site has a Home Care Aide Registry search. You can confirm that the specific person coming to your home holds a current registration — ask us for the name and we will give it to you.
Links to state resources are provided for verification only. We are not affiliated with the California Department of Social Services, and the state does not endorse any agency.
Caregiver Screening
How caregivers are background checked in California
Six steps, in this order, every time. Nobody skips a step because we are short-staffed that week.
1 · Application and identity verification
Government-issued ID and right-to-work documentation confirmed before anything else proceeds.
2 · Live Scan fingerprinting
Fingerprints submitted to the California Department of Justice and the FBI. We wait for the clearance to return — a pending check is not a clearance.
3 · Home Care Aide Registry registration
The caregiver is registered with the state and issued their own HCA registration number, which you are entitled to see.
4 · Reference and work-history verification
Direct calls to prior employers and supervisors — not just a form emailed to a name on a page.
5 · Skills and scenario interview
Practical assessment of transfers, personal care technique, dementia response and what they do when something goes wrong at 2 a.m.
6 · Orientation, then ongoing supervision
State-required training, an introduction visit with a supervisor on day one, then scheduled check-ins for as long as the case runs.
| Responsibility | Licensed agency (us) | Hiring privately |
|---|---|---|
| Background check | DOJ and FBI clearance completed and verified before placement | The family arranges and pays for it, if at all |
| State registration | Every caregiver on the California HCA Registry | Usually none |
| Bond and liability insurance | Carried by the agency | Typically uninsured; exposure sits with the family |
| Payroll, taxes, workers' comp | Agency is the employer of record | The family becomes a household employer |
| Cover for illness or no-shows | Replacement caregiver arranged by the agency | The family covers the shift |
| Supervision and care plan | Written plan, supervisor visits, documented changes | Informal |
Hiring privately can cost less per hour. Whether that is cheaper overall depends on what happens if someone gets hurt. See how home care costs break down in Los Angeles County.
Our Credentials
Everything you'd need to check us out
No competitor in Carson publishes this on their website. We think that's backwards — this is the first thing a family should be able to find.
HCO Licence#[[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]]
Licensing bodyCDSS, Home Care Services Branch
Licensed address21109 Grace Ave, Carson, CA 90745
Licensed Home Care OrganizationNon-medical in-home care, licensed by the State of California.
Registered Home Care AidesEvery caregiver holds a current HCA Registry registration.
Bonded & insuredSurety bond and general liability carried by the agency, not the family.
Supervised careA supervisor introduces the caregiver on day one, then keeps checking in.
Written care planTasks, schedule and cost in writing before the first shift — and updated as needs change.
Not a home health agencyWe provide non-medical care only, and we'll say so plainly when you need a skilled agency instead.
An Important Distinction
We are a home care organization, not a home health agency
Our name contains "Home Health Care," and California uses that phrase for a different kind of licence. Here is the difference, in the plainest terms we can manage.
| Home care (what we do) | Home health (what we do not) | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed by | California Dept. of Social Services | California Dept. of Public Health |
| Type of care | Bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders, mobility, companionship, supervision | Skilled nursing, wound care, injections, physical and occupational therapy |
| Doctor's order needed | No | Yes |
| Who provides it | Registered Home Care Aides | RNs, LVNs, therapists |
| Typically paid by | Private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits | Medicare or health insurance, when criteria are met |
| How long it lasts | As long as the family wants it, from a few hours a week upward | Short-term and episode-based |
Many families use both at once — a nurse visiting twice a week for wound care while our caregiver handles the other 166 hours. We coordinate with your medical providers. Read the full comparison.
Before You Sign Anything
Seven things that should make you pause
These apply to us as much as anyone. If we ever do one of them, hold us to it.
They won't give you a licence numberAn active HCO licence is public information. Reluctance to share it is the answer to your question.
Nobody will quote a ratePricing varies legitimately, but a refusal to give any range at all usually means the number is set after they've read the room.
The office address is a mailboxLook up the licensed address. A virtual office serving "all of Los Angeles" cannot get to your mother in fifteen minutes.
They describe caregivers as contractorsIf the caregiver is a 1099 contractor, the liability, taxes and workers' compensation exposure may land on your family.
They offer medical tasks without a home health licenceAn HCO cannot provide wound care, injections or therapy. An agency that offers them anyway is telling you how it handles rules.
Long contracts with early-termination feesCare needs change quickly. You should be able to reduce, pause or end service with reasonable notice.
Reviews that all sound the sameIdentical phrasing, same week, no specifics. Real reviews mention a caregiver's name and something oddly particular.
Working through this list for the first time? Our full guide to choosing a home care agency walks through the questions to ask on the phone, and here's how we work in Carson specifically.
Licensing Questions, Answered
Licensing & safety FAQs
Don't see yours? Call (310) 999-3228 and ask a real person.
How do I verify a California home care licence?
Search the California Department of Social Services Home Care Services Bureau lookup at cdss.ca.gov using the agency's licence number or business name. Confirm the status is active and that the licensed address matches the address on their website. Our licence number is [[HCO-LICENSE-NUMBER]].
What is an HCO licence?
A Home Care Organization licence is issued by the California Department of Social Services and permits an agency to provide non-medical in-home care. It requires liability insurance, a surety bond, and background-cleared caregivers registered on the state Home Care Aide Registry.
Are your caregivers background checked?
Yes. Every caregiver completes Live Scan fingerprinting submitted to the California Department of Justice and the FBI, and we wait for the clearance to return before placement. Each is registered on the California Home Care Aide Registry, reference-verified and skills-screened.
Can I look up the specific caregiver coming to my home?
Yes. The California Home Care Aide Registry is publicly searchable by name. Ask us for the caregiver's name before the first shift and we will give it to you so you can confirm their registration is current.
What does bonded and insured actually mean?
Bonded means a surety bond protects the client against theft by an employee. Insured means the agency carries general liability coverage for accidents in the home. Both are held by the agency, so your family is not the employer of record and does not carry that exposure.
Is this the same as a home health agency?
No. We are a licensed Home Care Organization providing non-medical care, licensed by the California Department of Social Services. A home health agency provides skilled nursing and therapy ordered by a doctor and is licensed by the Department of Public Health. Many families use both at once.
What should I ask an agency before hiring them?
Ask for the HCO licence number, whether caregivers are employees or contractors, who carries workers' compensation, how often a supervisor visits, what happens when a caregiver calls out, and what the hourly rate and minimum shift are. Any agency should answer all seven without hesitating.
What happens if something goes wrong?
Call our office and a supervisor will respond directly. Concerns about caregiver conduct are investigated, documented and, where warranted, reported to the state. Families may also file a complaint with the California Department of Social Services Home Care Services Bureau at any time, about any agency.
Check us out, then let's talk
A free consultation, an honest answer about whether home care fits, and a written plan if it does. No pressure, no obligation.
Or email
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