Background Checks - Medicaid-contracted Home Care Agencies (HCA)

Who is the information intended for?

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.

Acronyms or other definitions

  • Applicant: The long term care worker that completes the Background Check Authorization form.  
  • BCCU: The Background Check Central Unit processes background checks for DSHS programs.
  • BCS: The automated Background Check System used by the HCA to submit checks and receive results.
  • Long Term Care Worker: include all persons who provide paid, hands-on personal care services for the elderly or persons with disabilities.

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.

Online Background Check Authorization form (BAF)

Instruct the applicant to complete the online BAF using Google Chrome:  https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/bcs/

  • For applicants who cannot access the online BAF or need the BAF in another language they may complete a paper BAF. The applicant will complete and sign the paper form and give it back to the HCA to enter the applicant’s information into the BCS. 

Resource: BCS Online Authorization Form Guide - Instructions for applicants using the online Background Check Authorization form.  Applicants do not need a SAW account to complete the online form.

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.

Entity Resource:

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 

Send the applicant a copy of their results. The applicant may also receive a copy of their results from BCCU if records found. The applicant should KEEP THESE RESULTS IN A SAFE PLACE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

The applicant should review their results and verify the information is correct.

If the applicant believes any information is incorrect, they may contact BCCU at (360) 902-0299, bccuinquiry@dshs.wa.gov, or the agency that reported the information directly.

  • WA State Patrol (360) 534-2000
  • Department of Corrections (360) 725-8888
  • Department of Health (360) 236-4700
  • WA Courts- Contact the court that made the decision.

Sometimes the applicant will be able to provide written information to BCCU via an affidavit to clarify a self-disclosure or to send information from the courts or another entity to clarify or correct results. Please contact BCCU if you have questions.

If BCCU receives updated or corrected information, they may issue a corrected or updated Background Check Result. The updated result will be available in BCS to the HCA who submitted the background check.

The HCA will review the applicant’s results and determine if the applicant can have unsupervised access to Medicaid clients. If the HCA decides to hire the applicant to work with Medicaid clients, they can be hired for a 120-day provisional hire period pending fingerprint results.

Fingerprint Information

After reviewing the Interim (Washington State Name and Date of Birth) , the HCA will determine if the applicant is able to move forward with the fingerprinting process and will provide the applicant with the fingerprint appointment and fingerprint notification forms printed out of BCS.

The applicant or the HCA should make a fingerprint appointment RIGHT AWAY. The applicant must bring their fingerprint appointment form and valid picture ID to the nearest IdentoGO site for fingerprinting.

Applicants have the option of using law enforcement to complete fingerprints instead of using DSHS's fingerprint contractor, IdentoGO. Instructions on Submitting Fingerprint Hard Cards to BCCU. There may be a cost associated with this option.

Once the applicant’s fingerprints have been taken, they are sent to the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The HCA will receive a copy of the results in BCS when the process is completed. Check the status in the working grid in BCS for the status of the fingerprint results.

Based on the information in the Background Check Result you receive for the applicant, you must determine whether they are qualified, disqualified, or require a Character, Competence and Suitability review.

The law prohibits BCCU from including FBI criminal history results (RAP sheets) to non-governmental entities. To complete a Character Competence, and Suitability review when you receive a Review required result letter, the HCA may request the RAP sheet from the LTC worker. If a LTC worker does not wish to share FBI results, you may not have enough information to hire them to work with Medicaid clients.

Send the applicant a copy of their results. The applicant will also receive a copy of their results from BCCU, unless they have a No-Record letter. The applicant should KEEP THESE RESULTS IN A SAFE PLACE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Fingerprint Rejects

The WSP may reject fingerprints for a number of reasons. They will notify BCCU and BCCU will notify the HCA (via BCS) when WSP or FBI rejects the applicant’s fingerprints.

If an applicant’s fingerprints are rejected, they should schedule an appointment for reprinting with fingerprint vendor, IdentoGO, RIGHT AWAY.

Note: WSP may reject fingerprints multiple times before they determine that they have the best prints they can get.

The applicant can go to the WSP office in Olympia to be printed and they will not reject fingerprints they take in-house.

Once prints are accepted by WSP, they will submit the best fingerprints to the FBI.

The FBI may reject fingerprints two times before they decide that they can only do a national name and date of birth check.

Resources

Visit the Background Check Central Unit website for any of the following information:

  • Access to BCS
  • Link to online Background Check Authorization form
  • Training materials for BCS
  • Turnaround times
  • Request a copy of your background check
  • FAQs

List of Disqualifying Convictions and Pending Charges WAC 388-113-0020