CNA vs. HHA: What Families Need to Know Before Hiring Home Care in Florida

Publication date: October 23, 2026
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Regional focus: Central Florida
By the Medical Health Reports Editorial Team

Does your parent need a CNA or an HHA for help at home?

Watch: CNA vs. HHA home care in Florida

Open the video in a separate window, or continue reading below.

Our Family Care Starter Guide can help organize your questions; details are at the end.

Start with your parent’s daily routine

This is a fictional educational example. A daughter in DeLand wants help for her mother, who needs assistance showering and dressing. One provider offers a CNA; another offers an HHA.

She writes down the tasks and preferred times with Mom, then asks: “Who will assess her needs and confirm the caregiver can safely help?” That assessment should address the bathroom setup and any transfer assistance. Comparing those answers gives her more useful information than comparing initials.

CNA vs. HHA: what should families verify?

Check a CNA using Florida’s credential verification search. For an HHA, ask the provider which qualification requirements apply and how the worker meets them.

At Medicare-certified home health agencies, the federal training-and-competency route includes at least 75 hours of classroom and supervised practical training, plus a competency evaluation. Federal rules also recognize other qualification routes, including a qualifying competency-evaluation program. It would be inaccurate to say every HHA must take the same 75-hour course. Ask for documented qualifications, not just a school certificate.

Match the services to the needs

Personal care may include bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility assistance. “Help getting ready” could mean choosing clothes or transferring someone using equipment; describe the actual task. Confirm meals, errands, transportation, and additional charges separately.

For wound treatment, injections, or changes in a medical condition, ask the clinician or home health RN what requires licensed nursing and what, if anything, may be delegated.

Also check the business. Florida homemaker-and-companion providers register with AHCA; that registration is not a home health agency license and does not authorize personal care or nursing. Hands-on bathing needs require an appropriately authorized arrangement.

Home health agencies and nurse registries have different responsibilities. Ask whether the worker is an employee or independent contractor and who handles supervision, insurance, payroll, and missed visits. Verify the business and authorized services through FloridaHealthFinder.

Six questions to take to each provider

1. Who assesses our needs and writes the plan? Include daily tasks, mobility, memory concerns, and medications.
2. Who will visit, and how are qualifications checked? Ask about certification or training, background screening, references, and relevant experience.
3. What is included—and what requires another professional? Request written tasks and responsibilities.
4. Who handles changes, concerns, and absences? Ask about after-hours contact, family updates, and backup care.
5. What is the complete price? Include minimum shifts, holiday rates, cancellation terms, and extras.
6. How are my parent’s preferences respected? Discuss privacy, language, routines, and changing caregivers.

Frequently asked questions

Is a CNA better than an HHA?

Neither title alone establishes the best fit. Compare current qualifications, demonstrated skills, experience with your parent’s needs, and the support behind the worker.

Can an HHA give medication?

Sometimes, under specific conditions. Reminders, assistance with self-administration, and administering medicine are different responsibilities. Florida allows certain medication administration by qualified aides under RN delegation, required training, and competency checks; this is not blanket permission for every worker, medication, or setting.

Ask the agency’s RN: “What medication help is authorized for my parent, who approved it, and where is it documented?” The current provisions are linked in Sources below.

Does Medicare pay for a home health aide?

It may, only alongside qualifying skilled services, such as covered nursing or therapy, and when all home health eligibility requirements are met. An eligible clinician must order care through a Medicare-certified agency.

“Homebound” generally means illness or injury makes leaving unsafe or requires help, and leaving normally takes considerable effort; it does not mean you can never leave. “Part-time or intermittent” means limited hours or visits under Medicare’s rules, not continuous care.

Medicare does not cover personal care when that is the only help needed, or 24-hour care at home. Confirm eligibility, the approved schedule, and costs before starting. Read What Does Medicare Actually Cover If You Need Help at Home?.

Your next step: prepare a needs list

Write down tasks, preferred times, and what your family can realistically cover. Our DeLand daughter can now compare written care plans, verify qualifications, and arrange backup support. Once visits begin, she checks with Mom about comfort and whether the plan is working.

Explore local Home Care providers or Home Health Care services. A directory listing is not an endorsement; confirm current services, availability, and suitability directly. Still deciding whether to hire help? Read When Is the Right Time to Hire Home Care?.

Sources

Checked October 23, 2026:

• Florida Board of Nursing: CNA certification
• AHCA: Home health aide qualifications
• 42 CFR 484.80: Federal aide qualifications and training
• AHCA: Homemaker-and-companion registration
• AHCA: Nurse registries
• Florida Statutes 400.489: HHA medication administration
• Florida Statutes 464.0156: RN delegation
• Medicare: Home health coverage

General education, not individualized medical, legal, or insurance advice. Review status: source-checked; no independent clinical review has been completed.

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