Home health occupational therapist jobs: licensing, duties and settings

An occupational therapist (OT) in home health helps patients regain or build the skills they need for daily life, in their own home. OTs typically need a master's degree and a state license. Medicare-certified home health agencies must use OTs who meet a federal definition.

BLS does not publish a separate occupation for home health OTs. This page uses its profile of occupational therapists and the federal home health rules.

What home health occupational therapists do

BLS says occupational therapists evaluate and treat people who have injuries, illnesses or disabilities, and help clients develop, recover, improve and maintain the skills they need for daily living and working. In home health, that means working with the patient in their home.

Medicare.gov lists occupational therapy among the services Medicare home health covers, alongside part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care and physical and speech-language therapy, if you meet certain conditions. The patient must be homebound and need part-time or intermittent skilled services.

Where occupational therapists work

BLS counts about 169,600 occupational therapist jobs in 2025 and lists these largest employers:

Employer type	Share of OT jobs
Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists	28%
Hospitals	26%
Educational services	13%
Home healthcare services	8%
Nursing care facilities	7%

Browse home health agencies and nursing homes in your state to see who operates near you.

OTs also have a role in nursing home activity programs. 42 CFR 483.24 says a nursing facility's activities program must be directed by a qualified professional, and a qualified occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant is one of the ways to meet that standard. See activities director.

Training and licensing

BLS says occupational therapists typically need a master's degree in occupational therapy. All states require occupational therapists to be licensed. Licensing requires a degree from an accredited program that includes fieldwork and passing a qualifying exam.

For Medicare-certified home health agencies, 42 CFR 484.115 says an occupational therapist is a person who:

• is licensed or otherwise regulated, if applicable, as an occupational therapist by the state in which practicing, unless licensure does not apply;
• graduated after successfully completing an occupational therapist education program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association; and
• is eligible to take, or has successfully completed, the entry-level certification examination for occupational therapists.

The rule has transitional provisions for people who qualified under earlier standards, which Carevo does not summarize.

States add their own rules. Your state's occupational therapy board sets the license, exams, continuing education and scope of practice. Carevo does not guess at them. Ask your state board and each employer.

Home health occupational therapist pay

BLS publishes a national wage estimate for occupational therapists (SOC 29-1122) from its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, with a May 2025 reference period. Carevo does not type the figure here so it cannot go out of date. See the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook page for the current median. The figure covers occupational therapists in all settings, not only home health. It is a national wage paid to workers, so pay in your state and with your employer can be higher or lower. Ask each agency how it pays.

How to find home health OT jobs

Home health agencies and nursing homes hire occupational therapists. Browse home health agencies, in-home therapy providers and nursing homes in your state, then contact the ones near you. Ask whether the agency is Medicare-certified and whether the role is staff, per-visit or contract. For the related therapy role, see home care physical therapist.

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