One element of Connecticut's sprawling home care industry is homemaker companion agencies (HCAs), which are overseen by the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Unlike nursing home employees and home health aides, who must be licensed by the state Department of Public Health, there is no licensing process for HCA workers. Instead, homemaker companion agencies must register annually with DCP.

Over the last 10 years, the number of HCAs in Connecticut has grown from 308 to 903, and “we’re still dealing with minimal staffing and in statutory and regulatory frameworks that are much different from when this started,” said Anne Foley, co-chairwoman of the Homemaker Companion Task Force.

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