EXHIBIT 31.1


CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

I, Kevin J. McNamara, certify that:

         1. I have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on Form  10-Q  of  Chemed
         Corporation ("registrant");

         2. Based on my  knowledge,  this  report  does not  contain  any untrue
         statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
         to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which
         such  statements  were made, not misleading  with respect to the period
         covered by this report;

         3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
         information  included in this quarterly  report,  fairly present in all
         material respects the financial condition,  results of operations,  and
         cash flows of the  registrant as of, and for, the periods  presented in
         this report;

         4. The registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for
         establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as
         defined in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  and internal
         control  over  financial  reporting  (as defined in  Exchange  Act Rule
         13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

                  a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
                  such  disclosure  controls and procedures to be designed under
                  our supervision,  to ensure that material information relating
                  to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
                  made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
                  during the period in which this report is being prepared;

                  b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or
                  caused  such  internal  control  over  financial  report to be
                  designed  under  our   supervision,   to  provide   reasonable
                  assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and
                  the preparation of financial  statements for external purposes
                  in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

                  c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's  disclosure
                  controls  and  procedures  and  presented  in this  report our
                  conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                  and  procedures,  as of the end of the period  covered by this
                  report based on such evaluation; and

                  d)  disclosed  in this  report any change in the  registrant's
                  internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
                  the   registrant's   most  recent  fiscal   quarter  that  has
                  materially  affected,  or is  reasonably  likely to materially
                  affect,  the  registrant's  internal  control  over  financial
                  reporting.

         5. The registrant's  other certifying  officers and  I  have disclosed,
         based  on   our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over
         financial  reporting,   to  the registrant's  auditors  and  the  audit
         committee of the registrant's board of directors

                  a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                  design  or  operation  of  internal   control  over  financial
                  reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the
                  registrant's ability to record, process,  summarize and report
                  financial information; and

                  b)  any  fraud,   whether  or  not  material,   that  involves
                  management or other  employees who have a significant  role in
                  the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.



Date:    July 30, 2008                               /s/ Kevin J. McNamara
         ----------------------                      ---------------------
                                                     Kevin J. McNamara
                                                     (President and Chief
                                                     Executive Officer)


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