How to start a home health agency in Illinois
Illinois requires a Home Health Agency license from Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Health Care Regulation to operate a home health agency. Fee: $1,500. Processing time: IDPH does an initial review within 30 days; the application must be completed and approved within 90 days or may be denied. Submission to provisional-license decision should take no more than 90 days.
- License required
- YesHome Health Agency license
- Application fee
- $1,500
- Processing time
- —
- Home health nurse visit (RN or LPN)
- $111.00per VST
- Organizations in the state
- 2,359NPPES, Sep 13, 2026
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Illinois home health agency license
Illinois requires a Home Health Agency license from Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Health Care Regulation to operate a home health agency. Fee: $1,500. Processing time: IDPH does an initial review within 30 days; the application must be completed and approved within 90 days or may be denied. Submission to provisional-license decision should take no more than 90 days.
- License required
- Yes
- License
- Home Health Agency license
- Fee
- $1,500
- Fee details
- $1,500 non-refundable fee for a two-year home health agency license (initial and renewal); certified local health departments are exempt. Each additional license type (home services, home nursing, placement) is a separate application and fee.
- Renewal
- Every 2 years · $1,500 per two-year license.
- Processing time
- IDPH does an initial review within 30 days; the application must be completed and approved within 90 days or may be denied. Submission to provisional-license decision should take no more than 90 days.
- Survey and inspection
- On-site licensure survey within 30 days before the 240-day provisional license expires.
- Medicare certification
- Medicare-certified agencies also file Medicare enrollment with their fiscal intermediary/MAC and use CMS-1572 when changing services.
- Regulation
- Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act (210 ILCS 55); 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245 (fee § 245.95, amended eff. 2025-09-02)
Steps to get licensed in Illinois
In order, as the licensing agency describes the process.
- Review 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245 to pick the right license type(s)
- Submit the initial licensing application with the fee
- Respond to IDPH revision requests (initial review within 30 days; approval needed within 90 days)
- Receive a provisional license valid for 240 days
- IDPH conducts an on-site licensure survey within the 30 days before the provisional license expires
Enrolling as a Illinois Medicaid provider
- Program
- Illinois Medical Assistance Program (Department of Healthcare and Family Services)
- Enrollment portal
- IMPACT (Illinois Medicaid Program Advanced Cloud Technology) provider enrollment system
- Fiscal agent
- None named — HFS runs provider enrollment itself through IMPACT Provider Enrollment Services
- Application fee
- Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.
- Fingerprinting
- IMPACT uses CMS's risk levels and sets its own for provider types CMS does not classify; high-risk providers must submit fingerprints and pass criminal background checks before enrollment. DMEPOS suppliers are high risk and must be licensed (or exempt) and accredited by a recognized body. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.
- Site visit
- IMPACT does onsite visits before and after enrollment for moderate- and high-risk providers, including at revalidation. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.
- Revalidation
- HFS restarted revalidation in IMPACT in rolling stages from September 3, 2024; providers revalidate through the 'Provider Revalidation List' in IMPACT and may be asked for more documents. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.
Does Illinois require a certificate of need?
- CON program
- Yes
- Program
- Certificate of Need permit (Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act)
- Services covered
- hospitals
- ambulatory surgical treatment centers
- skilled and intermediate long-term care facilities (nursing homes)
- ID/DD and MC/DD skilled and intermediate care facilities
- Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act facilities
- kidney disease treatment centers / freestanding hemodialysis
- state-operated hospitals, nursing homes, surgery and dialysis centers
Electronic visit verification in Illinois
- Model
- hybrid
- State vendor
- HHAeXchange
- Services in scope
- personal care
- home health
- Alternate EVV allowed
- Yes
Illinois wage floor
- State minimum wage
- $15.00 an hour
- Effective
- 2025-01-01
- Scheduled increases
- No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.
- Direct-care wage floor
- Department on Aging homemaker rates were raised to $30.80/hour from 2026-01-01 to sustain a minimum wage of $18.75/hour for direct service workers (after $17 in 2024 and $18 in 2025).
- Rate pass-through
- In-home service providers must certify they pay the mandated wage increase, and may not cut fringe benefits (paid time off, training pay, health insurance, travel) in response to the rate increases.
- HCBS 80/20 rule
- Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.
Illinois market size
Counts from federal public files: NPPES (active organization NPIs), CMS Care Compare and CMS Medicaid enrollment.
- Home health agencies — active organization NPIs (NPPES)
- 2,359 (as of Sep 13, 2026)
- Medicare-certified home health agencies (CMS Care Compare)
- 530 (as of May 27, 2026)
- Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)
- 2,932,625 (as of Jun 1, 2026)
What Illinois Medicaid pays
Home health: published Illinois fee-for-service rates, each linked to its source.
| Service | Code | Illinois rate | Per hour | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home health nurse visit (RN or LPN)Registered nurse | G0299 | $111.00per VST | — | — |
| Home health aide visitAide or attendant | T1004 | $25.00per hour | $25.00 | — |
| Home health physical therapyPhysical therapist | G0151 | $111.00per hour | $111.00 | 11 of 19 |
| Home health occupational therapyOccupational therapist | G0152 | $111.00per hour | $111.00 | 11 of 18 |
| Home health speech therapySpeech-language pathologist | G0153 | $111.00per VST | — | — |
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to start a home health agency in Illinois?
Illinois requires a Home Health Agency license from Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Health Care Regulation to operate a home health agency. Fee: $1,500. Processing time: IDPH does an initial review within 30 days; the application must be completed and approved within 90 days or may be denied. Submission to provisional-license decision should take no more than 90 days.
How much does a home health agency license cost in Illinois?
$1,500 Renewal: Every 2 years · $1,500 per two-year license..
How long does it take to get licensed in Illinois?
IDPH does an initial review within 30 days; the application must be completed and approved within 90 days or may be denied. Submission to provisional-license decision should take no more than 90 days.
Does Illinois require a certificate of need for a home health agency?
Illinois has a certificate of need program covering: hospitals, ambulatory surgical treatment centers, skilled and intermediate long-term care facilities (nursing homes), ID/DD and MC/DD skilled and intermediate care facilities, Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act facilities, kidney disease treatment centers / freestanding hemodialysis, state-operated hospitals, nursing homes, surgery and dialysis centers. Check whether your service is on that list.
How do you become a Medicaid provider in Illinois?
Enroll through IMPACT (Illinois Medicaid Program Advanced Cloud Technology) provider enrollment system (https://hfs.illinois.gov/impact.html), run by None named — HFS runs provider enrollment itself through IMPACT Provider Enrollment Services.
What does Illinois Medicaid pay a home health agency?
Illinois Medicaid pays $111.00 per VST for home health nurse visit (rn or lpn), effective Jan 1, 2026.