What licenses might a Brightstar Care franchisee need to investigate?
Brightstar_Care Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
up to three people.
NOTE 8. Business Licenses and Other Required Licenses. State rules vary on medical and staffing licensure and other associated licenses, e.g., CLIA waiver. As noted in Item 1, you are responsible for investigating the availability of and requirements for obtaining all necessary licenses in your state. You should conduct this investigation before acquiring our franchise because you cannot operate as a franchisee without all required licenses. A Home Health Agency License ("HHA") to perform skilled services is not required until you achieve $15,000 in weekly revenue. Some states will still require personal care or staffing licenses and costs will vary depending on your state. The high end of this range ($8,603) is for California, which requires a $3,000 surety bond for Nurse Registry application and $5,165 for the HCO license. The HCO license in California enables you to perform companion and personal care services. If you are not able to obtain a newly-issued home health agency or other required license in your state because of a state-imposed or other moratorium or because of a requirement to show a certificate of need, you might be able to acquire
a previously-issued license from an existing provider in the state that no longer needs its license and is interested in selling its license to a third party. However, the cost of buying a previously issued license from an existing provider might be significantly greater than the estimate provided in the table above for a newly-issued license. We do not control that cost. You should consider the availability and cost of required licenses before acquiring our franchise.
NOTE 9. Local Consumer Marketing.
Source: Item 7 — ESTIMATED INITIAL INVESTMENT (FDD pages 34–41)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Brightstar Care's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are responsible for investigating the necessary licenses required to operate in their state. These licenses can include medical and staffing licensure, as well as other associated licenses such as a Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA) waiver. A Home Health Agency License (HHA) to perform skilled services is not required until the franchisee achieves $15,000 in weekly revenue. However, some states may still require personal care or staffing licenses.
The cost of these licenses can vary significantly by state. For example, California requires a $3,000 surety bond for a Nurse Registry application and $5,165 for the HCO license, which enables franchisees to perform companion and personal care services. The document advises that if a newly-issued home health agency or other required license cannot be obtained due to a state-imposed moratorium or a certificate of need requirement, it might be possible to acquire a previously-issued license from an existing provider. However, the cost of such a license could be significantly higher than the estimated cost for a newly-issued license.
Brightstar Care emphasizes that franchisees should consider the availability and cost of required licenses before acquiring the franchise. The initial investment table includes an estimate for business licenses and other required licenses, but the actual cost can vary widely. Franchisees are urged to conduct thorough due diligence to understand the specific licensing requirements and associated costs in their state to ensure compliance and avoid unexpected expenses.