Two agency agreements can look alike and still give different people different powers. Before you rank providers, compare the signature page itself. The questions below can be checked from the document without outside help. Where the wording is unclear, take the question to a family attorney or to the county's aging services office. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
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Who signs and who is bound
Look for the names of the people who sign for the older adult and for the agency. If a family member signs, confirm whether that person has the legal standing to act for the older adult, and write that standing in plain words next to the signature line. Check whether the agreement names the older adult as the person receiving service, and whether the family is a separate party to the contract.
Who gets told and what is shared
Find the clause about sharing information. It should say who the agency may contact, how it will report changes, and whether the older adult's details are shared with anyone outside the agency. Compare that clause across two agreements. If one lists a general contact and the other names specific people, the difference matters the first time a visit goes wrong.
Who can speak for the family
Check for a line that defines the family contact. Confirm whether that person can approve schedule changes, approve changes to the task list, or receive visit notes. Mark each permission as granted, not granted, or unclear. An unclear line is a question to settle before signing.
Side by side
Put the signature pages of two agencies in two columns. Use these rows: who signs for the agency, who signs for the family, who is the named contact, what information is shared and with whom, who may change the schedule, and who receives notice of a problem. Any row that is blank or says only as needed is a row to ask about in writing.
What to bring to the agency
Ask for an explanation of each row in plain language, and ask for the answer in writing. Ask whether the agency will sign a separate contact authorization if the family wants one. Ask which person on the agency side is accountable for the agreement and how to reach that person. Keep the marked-up copies with the household papers, and compare them with the way the ranking was built in How We Rate: Methodology before you choose.