Background Checks

Information on long-term care background check requirements, forms, fingerprinting, BCCU tools, processing times, and training resources.

All long-term care workers (both Medicaid AND private pay) hired on or after January 7, 2012 must have a fingerprint-based background check.

DSHS pays for background checks for all LTC workers.

The Background Check Process

The following are step-by-step background check procedures for:

Background Check Process

For Adult Family Home, Assisted Living Facilities, and Nursing Home

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Medicaid contracted Home Care Agencies

This information is intended for Medicaid Contracted home care agency that will be running a background check and or fingerprint check on one of their workers.  You are a Medicaid contracted home care agency if you have a contract with an Area Agency on Aging to provide in-home personal care services to eligible Medicaid clients.  The potential workers background check must be completed before working with eligible Medicaid clients.  The most up to date and accurate background check and fingerprint check information is in the current home care agency statement of work and or recent Home and Community Management Bulletin.

Requirements

  • Applicants are required to pass a background check prior to unsupervised access to eligible Medicaid clients and an FBI fingerprint background check within 120-days of hire. 
  • Applicants must also complete the Washington State name and date of birth background check every two years, as well as, the fingerprint check at any other time the department requests.

Application Form
Use the Background Check Authorization Form below.

Obtain the Applicant’s Confirmation Code

  • Instruct the applicant to provide an email address when completing the online BAF so that their confirmation code will be emailed to them. 
  • Remind the applicant to also WRITE DOWN THEIR CONFIRMATION CODE! 
  • They may also save/print the confirmation code, email it to the HCA, and email it to themselves. These options will be presented to the applicant on the online BAF before they exit.

The applicant may provide their confirmation code to the HCA by: phone, email, or in person. This is the only way the HCA can retrieve the completed BAF to submit it to BCCU. The applicant cannot obtain their confirmation code after exiting from the online form.

Get Applicant Results

  • The HCA will retrieve the applicant’s BAF by entering the applicant’s date of birth and confirmation code into BCS.
  • Once retrieved, review the BAF and submit it to BCCU using BCS.
  • Select fingerprint check if new hire and as needed (this includes both the Washington State name and date of birth check and the fingerprint check).
  • Obtain the results of the check in the BCS. The status of the submitted check will be available to the HCA in the working grid in BCS.
  • Once the check is completed, the HCA can access the results in BCS.

 

Provide Applicant a Copy of Results 

 

Background Check Authorization Form

Applicants can complete the form online through the DSHS portal, and Google Chrome is recommended if technical issues occur. The form0 includes built-in help tools and guidance resources. 

After completing, signing and saving the form, the system generates a confirmation code. Applicants are strongly encouraged to save, email or write down this code because it cannot be recovered later by the user or BCCU once the webpage is closed.

Tips:

  1. Before completing the background check authorization form, contact the entity who will be hiring you or the department if working for an in-home client/consumer.
  2. After signing and saving your Background Check Authorization form, the system will generate a confirmation code, which is a saved version of your authorization form. Please email, save, or write down the confirmation code so that you don't lose it. You will NOT be able to retrieve your confirmation code after closing/exiting the web page and BCCU does not have the ability to retrieve them for you.
  3. Provide your confirmation code and date of birth to the entity requesting your background check. The requesting entity might be a care facility (like an AFH, nursing home, etc), IP contracting office, Consumer Direct (CDWA), a potential employer, your case manager, your current employer, or something similar. You can provide your confirmation code and your date of birth to multiple requesting entities. Confirmation codes are only valid for 90 days from the date of submission.
Notification Letters

There are 4 different result notifications.

1. No Record

  • WHAT YOU WILL SEE: No background information reported.
  • WHAT THIS MEANS: None of the background check data sources reported criminal or negative action records that disqualify the applicant from having unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults and there are no background check records to review.
  • ACTION YOU MUST TAKE: Maintain a copy of the results notification and give a copy of the result notification to the applicant/employee within 10 days of receipt from the Background Check Central Unit. Document the results as required.

2. Review Required

  • WHAT YOU WILL SEE: Information reported by one or more background check sources that requires a Character, Competence, and Suitability review.
  • WHAT THIS MEANS: One or more of the background check data sources reported criminal or negative action records that are not listed on the oversight program’s list of disqualifying crimes and negative actions. The department or other entity must determine whether or not the applicant can work in a position that may have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults by:
  • ACTION YOU MUST TAKE: The department or entity is required to determine whether or not the individual can have unsupervised access to vulnerable adults or children. This is done via a Character, Competence, and Suitability review, per program regulations. The department or entity must provide the applicant a copy of their background check result within 10 days of receipt from BCCU. If the applicant wishes to dispute or clarify the information reported on this background check result, the applicant may contact the BCCU for additional information at (360) 902-0299 or bccuinquiry@dshs.wa.gov.

3. Disqualify

  • WHAT YOU WILL SEE: Disqualifying information reported by one or more background check data sources.
  • WHAT THIS MEANS: At least one disqualifying: conviction, pending charge, or negative action was found that is listed in Chapter WAC 388-113-0020: DISQUALIFYING CRIMES AND NEGATIVE ACTIONS. The applicant cannot have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults. If you allow the applicant to have unsupervised access you may be violating federal or state regulations.
  • ACTION YOU MUST TAKE: The applicant/employee cannot have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults unless a revised Notification from BCCU (No Record or Review Required) is received. The department or entity gives the applicant a copy of this background check result within 10 days of receipt from the BCCU. If the applicant wishes to dispute or clarify the information reported on this background check result, the applicant may contact the BCCU for additional information at (360) 902-0299 or bccuinquiry@dshs.wa.gov.

4. Additional Information Needed

  • WHAT YOU WILL SEE: Additional Information Needed.

  • WHAT THIS MEANS: The BCCU requires additional information before a determination about this applicant/employee background can be made. The applicant/employee will receive this notification if there is an unclear crime or negative action that was reported by any of the sources that BCCU researches. The letter will inform the department or requesting entity that the applicant needs to contact BCCU at (360) 902-0299 or bccuinquiry@dshs.wa.gov with their Inquiry ID # listed on the notice. BCCU will provide the applicant with instructions for completing the additional information request. 

    The background check will be pending until the additional information is provided. Entities should follow the program policies when an Additional Information Needed notification is received.

  • ACTION YOU MUST TAKE: The status of this background check is pending until additional information is received by BCCU and a new result notification (No Record or Review Required) is obtained.
Consumer Direct Care Network Washington Guide

Consumer Direct Care Network Washington is the Consumer Directed Employer for DSHS and employs Individual Providers who provide in-home personal care. Our CDWA Individual Provider/Caregiver Background Check Guide covers the background check process for CDWA Individual Providers.

Please note: that the Background Check Central Unit is NOT part of Consumer Direct Care Network Washington, so we cannot assist with anything within the DirectMyCare Portal; including (but not limited to) logging hours, payments, updating background check expiration dates, etc.

 

 

Additional Resources

Quick Links

For Background Policy Ouestions: