Selling a home care agency in Virginia

How Virginia licenses home care

VDH's Office of Licensure and Certification licenses home care organizations under 12VAC5-381. The license covers the services the organization provides, such as personal care, nursing, or pharmaceutical services, and non-medical agencies are licensed in the personal care category.

Under the regulations, licenses are not transferred or assigned. On a transfer of ownership the license must be returned, and the organization must notify OLC in writing 30 days before changes that affect it, including ownership. The buyer applies for its own license, so the licensing timeline and the closing date have to be planned together.

Payer mix: Cardinal Care and private pay

Virginia Medicaid, branded Cardinal Care, funds personal care through home and community-based waivers delivered by managed care plans. Agencies with contracts across plans and steady authorizations carry less risk than those tied to a single plan, and Northern Virginia's private pay market supports margin for many agencies.

Buyers look at payer concentration, authorization stability, and caregiver supply, particularly in markets where wages compete with nearby Maryland and DC.

What moves value for a Virginia agency

The items buyers price most heavily in Virginia:

Licensing path

OLC notice and the buyer's own license application.

Cardinal Care contracts

Managed care plan contracts and authorization history.

Caregiver supply

Fill rate, turnover, and wage competitiveness.

Inspection history

OLC inspection results and plans of correction.