Federal Credit Reporting Act for Senior Caregiver Background Checks

FCRA for Senior Caregiver Background Checks         Buy Background Check Now

FCRA Regulates Background Checks for Senior Caregivers

The Federal Credit Reporting Act, referred to as the FCRA, actually governs both credit reports and background checks. However, senior care companies usually purchase a criminal background check report for caregiver employees. Why? Because professional senior care companies protect both the caregiver and the senior client by making sure no money exchanges hands and by implementing systems to allow management to take care of any expenses. This means credit checks are not relevant, even though the FCRA has the word “credit” instead of “background check” in it’s name, it does regulate the information that can be shared in background checks. Separately, state laws may over-ride the FCRA or specifically prevent employers from reviewing credit information as a basis for employment

FCRA Compliance Guidelines:

1. Employers of caregivers must disclose they will be conducting a criminal background check, in writing. Most senior care companies will state this in the Caregiver Job Application.
2. The Caregiver Job Applicant must provide authorization, in writing, granting permission (this is also part of the job application usually).
3. Employers must follow the FCRA guidelines are be subject to legal consequences. The FCRA also requires following the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations.
4. You may have a right to a copy of the background check information received by the employer. Currently California, Minnesota and Oklahoma allow for this but state laws do change so check your state’s current background check legal requirements for employers.
5. Healthcare Worker Background Checks: special background check requirements are also required in some states which include fingerprinting and a higher level of background screening. The state of Illinois and Florida maintain a caregiver healthcare worker registry, for example.

Criminals will always target the senior care industry, for the obvious reasons (lonely seniors with memory loss can be an easier target for fraudulent activity and there are hire-direct caregiver networks who train their team to conduct fraud - even securing estates and bank accounts while working as hire-direct caregivers). This is why families should only hire licensed senior home care agencies to provide caregiving services and keep an eye on their credit score."

Review state background check laws
Review an Example Background Check Disclosure and Authorization Form

Find a Certified Nursing Aide School near you to apply to become a C.N.A. once you have verified your background check information, as all C.N.A. schools require a clean background check report.

Apply to be a Professional Senior Caregiver Job in Your Area (1 Job Application Reaches Multiple Companies)