Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to your common questions about home care careers and applications.  Have additional questions? Feel free to reach out.

 

Pay and benefits

Category: Pay and benefits

Home care jobs pay more than minimum wage, starting at $20 per hour. Workers can earn extra through certifications, experience and hours worked.

Certifications that increase pay include:

  • CPR/1st Aid: Adds $0.25 per hour.
  • Professional Development Certification (PDC): Adds $0.75 per hour.
  • Ventilator-Dependent Quadriplegia (VDQ) Certification: Adds $3 per hour.
  • Enhanced Certification: Adds $1 per hour (stacks with PDC for a total of $1.75 per hour and stacks with VDQ for a total of $4 per hour).
  • Exceptional Certification: Adds $3 per hour.

Training for these certifications is free through the Oregon Home Care Commission, and some trainings even offer a stipend for attending. These jobs are unionized, which helps improve pay, benefits, and working conditions. Base pay can increase every two years through collective bargaining.

Category: Pay and benefits

People who work in home care get benefits when they meet certain requirements. Benefits include:

  • paid time off
  • pay when you work overtime
  • health care options
  • dental and vision coverage
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • OregonSaves retirement savings account
Category: Pay and benefits

Yes! In any of the four home care roles, you pick who you want to support. You use an online tool, Carina, to find people who need support based on the hours, type of care and work environment you want. You can work for people who want full-time or part-time support.