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Adult Day Care Center: Opening an Adult Day Care Center

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) includes the Division of Quality Assurance (DQA). DQA is responsible for regulating facilities that serve:

  • The frail elderly.
  • People with developmental and physical disabilities.
  • Those with mental health issues.
  • People with substance abuse problems.

DQA also administers Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 105.14. This code guides the certification of adult day care centers (ADCCs).

Adult day care center (ADCC) means an entity that provides services for part of a day in a group setting to adults who need an enriched health, supportive, or social experience. These adults may need help with activities of daily living, supervision, or protection.

Services may include:

  • Personal care.
  • Supervision.
  • Providing meals.
  • Health monitoring.
  • Giving medication.
  • Behavior management.
  • Transportation.
  • Activities designed to meet physical, social, and leisure time needs.

ADCC certification is voluntary unless you plan to serve people who receive Medicaid waiver funding from a county.

DQA doesn’t refer participants for enrollment in ADCCs. In addition, DQA doesn’t provide funding to ADCCs to care for participants. Participants may be eligible for waiver funding through county departments of health and human services or the Family Care managed care organization.

ADCC programs may be offered in:

  • Family homes.
  • Free standing centers.
  • Multi-use facilities, such as churches, schools, and senior centers.

ADCCs must meet federal, state, and local laws and codes.

Attestation prior to initial certification survey: The Bureau of Health Services will require every applicant to complete an applicant compliance statement. This must be done before scheduling an initial certification survey.

Fit and qualified application: Applicants also must submit a completed fit and qualified application.

Inactive application: If an application isn’t completed within six months of submission, it will be closed.

Incomplete application: If the application doesn’t include the required documents, we regret that we’ll have to return the application packet. The Bureau of Health Services will include a checklist identifying the missing item(s). The applicant may choose to resubmit the application and include the missing items. If the second submission isn’t successful, we won’t be able to accept applications from this applicant for the specified location for one year.

Before you apply for certification, please review Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 105.14.

When DQA finds the application is complete, they will schedule an initial certification survey. DQA has 70 days to approve or deny a license. This 70 days for processing begins after a complete application packet is received and DQA completes the initial certification survey.

Submit the following certification information:

To be eligible to receive Medicaid waiver funding, ADCCs must show they meet the settings rule belonging to the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Home and Community-based Services. For more information, review the Settings Rule: Compliance for Nonresidential Services Providers.

Applications not completed within six months of submission will be closed without further processing.

If the application doesn’t include the required documents, we regret that we will have to return the application packet. The Bureau of Health Services will include a checklist identifying the missing item(s). The applicant may choose to resubmit the application with the required documents. After a second unsuccessful revision, we won’t be able to accept another application from this applicant for the specified location for one year.

Once the application is deemed complete, the licensing section will send an Adult Day Care Center (ADCC) – Applicant Compliance Statement, F-02106 (Word) to the applicant. When the applicant is ready for an initial certification survey, they can return the completed compliance statement to licensing. After that, a surveyor will be assigned.

The surveyor will review the items listed on the Adult Day Care Center (ADCC) Initial Survey Checklist, F-02634 (Word) during the initial certification survey and tour of the facility.

A certification fee of $127 is charged every two years. Submit the fee, made payable to DQA, with the application.

Initial application fees and/or license/certification continuation fees are non-refundable.

Return the application, other materials, and the fee to:

Division of Quality Assurance
Bureau of Health Services Licensing and Certification
1 W. Wilson St., Room 450
Madison, WI 53703-3445

If you have questions, contact the licensing associates:

Find more information and help:

Contact us

For questions about the licensing process, contact the Bureau of Health Services Licensing and Certification.

Last revised August 3, 2023