The legal floor for everything else.

The HCO license is the legal floor for Abeó's caregiver-placement business. Without it, Abeó cannot lawfully arrange for a caregiver to enter an Orange County home for compensation. Every other track — Saddleback, MBE/WBE, advisors — is gated on this license being filed, in motion, or issued.

Authority: CDSS Home Care Services Bureau
Statute: H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.
Timeline: 60–120 days to issuance

abeo.health Confidential

Section 1

What must already exist.

Entity & identity

CA LLC in good standing — confirm with SoS, print SI-LLC (required attachment)
EIN letter from IRS (CP 575) on file
City of Laguna Niguel business license — active & current
County health permit — confirm in writing none required (HCO is state-licensed)

Address & administrator

Business address verified: 28100 Cabot Rd. Suite 232, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 — lease on file, must match every form
Designated administrator named: Brittany Solomon — background-check eligibility confirmed

Section 2 — the financial floor

Non-negotiable. No application without all three.

Coverage	Minimum	Notes
Surety bond	$10,000	Required by H&S §1796.19. Issued same-week. ~$100–$300/yr.
General liability	$1M / occurrence	COI listing CDSS as certificate holder
Professional liability	$1M / occurrence	Specific to home care services
Workers' compensation	CA state minimum	Required for W-2 caregivers — confirm with payroll provider
Commercial auto	If owned vehicles	Phase 2 wheelchair fleet only — not for initial filing

Recommended HCO-familiar brokers: Hub International (SoCal), World Insurance Associates (healthcare specialty), USI Insurance (Orange County). Get three quotes — broker HCO-compliance familiarity matters more than premium delta.

Section 3 — Live Scan

Live Scan for administrator and every caregiver.

Administrator & operator

Brittany Solomon — administrator Live Scan completed (BCIA 8016), receipt retained
Live Scan operator identified — OC operator processing CDSS submissions (UPS Stores, FedEx Office, Sheriff service centers)
Live Scan protocol documented in policies — every caregiver completes Live Scan before first placement, no exceptions

Clearance tracking

BCB clearance number tracked for administrator + each caregiver (required on every personnel file)
Sex Offender Registry check at hire — Megan's Law database, document check date in file

Section 4

The written manual.

CDSS requires a written manual covering specific operational domains. The Abeó draft is at cdss-application/B5-program-description.pdf — verify each domain is covered and close gaps before submission.

Service & people

Mission statement & scope of services (what Abeó does / does not do)
Caregiver hiring criteria & procedures
Caregiver training plan (orientation + ≥5hr annual per §1796.43 + competency verification)
Caregiver supervision protocol (visit cadence, reviews)

Client & safety

Client intake & assessment; care-plan documentation (template, cadence, family review)
Incident reporting & grievance procedures (escalation paths)
Confidentiality & HIPAA compliance
Termination of services (voluntary + involuntary)
Emergency procedures (caregiver response, family notify, 911/hospital escalation)

Sections 5–6

Team docs and client-facing materials.

Section 5 — Personnel infrastructure (drafted)

Org chart — B2-org-chart.pdf (reflects Phase 1 structure)
Job descriptions — B2 (Administrator, Care Coordinator, Caregiver: quals, duties, supervision)
Personnel policies — B3 (EEO, harassment, discipline, termination, leave, benefits)
Training plan — B4 (initial + annual CE meeting §1796.43)

Section 6 — Client services materials

Client services package — client-services-package.pdf
Service agreement template (plain-English, signable)
Client rights statement (per §1796.10) — provided at intake
Fee schedule (per §1796.16) — written, at/before service start
Notice of privacy practices (HIPAA) — first contact + annually

Section 7

Final package assembly.

Forms & fee

HCS 281 — completed, signed by Brittany Solomon as administrator
HCS 281A — Administrator Information Form
HCS 281B — Officer/Director/Owner Form (every owner 10%+ equity)
Application fee ~$1,000 (verify current CDSS fee schedule at filing) — check/money order to CDSS

Assemble & file

All Section 1–6 attachments compiled in CDSS-listed order
Cover letter (optional, recommended)
Submit to CDSS Home Care Services Bureau, 744 P Street MS 9-12-90, Sacramento CA 95814 (verify current address)
Retain full PDF copy + certified-mail tracking number

Sections 8–9

After filing — and the day the license issues.

Section 8 — Post-submission tracking

Confirm receipt with CDSS within 14 days
Respond within 5 business days to any deficiency notice (speed affects timeline)
Track BCB clearance (issues 30–60 days after Live Scan)
Prepare for site inspection (office presentable, signage/postings compliant)
License issuance — display original, add # to materials/website/Saddleback proposal

Section 9 — Day-the-license-issues launch sequence

Website footer: "HCS 281, pending" → "license #[NUMBER]"
Update Saddleback pilot proposal §6 + founder bio + brand guide with license #
Email Saddleback Director of Care Coordination — request kickoff
Email Bobby John — activate Mission Hospital + Hoag warm intros
Press release / LinkedIn: license received
Plant mythOS memory card: license #, issuance date, activation events

Sections 10 + risk flags

Don't let the window be idle time.

Section 10 — Run in parallel (no license dependency)

NMSDC MBE certification (partnership-roadmap Track 02)
WBENC WBE certification (Track 03)
Bobby John advisor agreement signed
Saddleback target list compiled (Director Care Coordination, VP Discharge, case managers)
Saddleback pilot proposal personalized, ready to send day-of
Caregiver bench recruited + pre-credentialed (Live Scan can start pre-license)

Risk flags

Download the most current HCS 281 immediately before filing (fees/forms revise)
$10K surety bond renews annually — track in ops calendar (lapse jeopardizes license)
Every caregiver: ≥5 hrs annual CE (§1796.43) — build tracking before issuance
Report any address change to CDSS within 10 days — file from the durable address

Maintained at marketing/hcs-281-prep-checklist. Update status as items complete. Pair with partnership-roadmap (Track 01).