Background Screening Basics

The background screening industry is an ever-changing landscape. With new regulations, legislation, and laws created on a consistent basis, it's hard to keep up. We've complied the basics to help you streamline and remain compliant.

Accurate Applicant Information

When running background checks, each piece of applicant information is valuable to our researchers. Courts differ in which identifiers they use; so the more information you provide, the better your background check results will be. Typos are the number one reason that criminal records are missed or incomplete and also impact turnaround time of the background screen.

• Use full legal name, including middle name and hyphenations
• Provide SSN when necessary
• Provide DOB
• Provide current address
• Use alias names including those uncovered in SSN Verifications

Background Check the Position, Not the Individual

Different positions often times require different background check services. For example, a sex offender search is appropriate for a church volunteer, whereas a medical registry search is appropriate for a travel nurse. Select background check services based on what pertains to the job; as long as you run the same services for every applicant interviewing for that same job.

Please note: if you run alias name searches on female applicants (because of maiden names), you must run alias names on all male applicants. Click here for more information on avoiding discrimination when selecting and background checking applicants.

Comprehensive Check

The most comprehensive criminal background screening includes broad and narrow jurisdiction searches, are based on address history and an alias name search. It also adheres to local and federal compliance regulations, includes customized searches for job position as well as industry. Generally, a comprehensive background check consists of three primary areas:

• Identity, SSN verification, and address history.
• Public record searches including: criminal records, civil records, MVR, Sex Offender Registry, and more.
• Professional qualifications such as: employment verification, education verification, professional licenseand professional references.

Stay In-The-Know!

Easily maintain your background screening product knowledge with Choice Screening. We know that over time, specifics about your background screening services can get lost in the mix.  We have the answers you need so you know what you’re running, why, and what results you can expect. 

• Read your emails! From time to time, we will send an email with important industry updates.
• Subscribe to our blog. Industry specific blogs as well as Choice Screening news will be posted.
• Follow us on Social Media. We update social daily with a host of information, including industry specific articles, blog alerts, entertaining content, and more!

Consent Form

Choice Screening provides a FCRA-compliant, general-use purpose Consent Form, complimentary to our clients. The applicant enters their own information which automatically prepopulates the background check. This reduces the number of error submissions, as well as, increasing efficiency for the employer. Another benefit, is the consent form is kept in the background report and is readily available to our research team while performing the background check. Our form is maintained by our Compliance Manager; however, limitations do exist. A Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) supplied Consent Form cannot cover every single law throughout the US. In doing so, it would inadvertently make employers vulnerable to violations.

• Check local regulations for background check consent forms.
• Contact an employment attorney for confirmation of a compliant consent form.

Adverse Action Process

The FCRA specifically outlines three goals for the adverse action process:

• Inform the applicant of their rights under the FCRA.
• Ensure the applicant knows adverse action was taken based all or in part on the results of a background report
• Allow the applicant to review the background report and dispute any inaccuracies

The Adverse Action Process has three stages:

• Pre-Adverse Action Letter
• Waiting
• Post-Adverse Action Letter

Applicant Report Requests

According to the FCRA, your applicant is entitled to a copy of their background report when requested. Withholding or refusing to provide someone a copy of their background results not only violates this law but prohibits them from having the ability to file a dispute, another FCRA right.

Disputes

Here’s a summary of the Dispute and Reinvestigation process:

• Your applicant informs you about a discrepancy on their report.  
• Provide your applicant with the Dispute Form and tell them to be as detailed as possible and provide documentation if available.
• Your applicant will send Choice Screening their completed and signed Dispute Form, initiating the dispute process. 
• Once received, Choice Screening’s researchers will begin investigating the items identified as incorrect by the applicant. Reinvestigation research can take approximately 1-4 weeks.
• After our researchers complete their reinvestigation, we send you and your applicant a copy of the report.

Do you still have questions? Contact Us or Subscribe to our Blog and stay informed!

This communication is intended for Choice Screening's current or prospective clients and partners and may not be forwarded outside of Choice Screening, posted online, or otherwise reprinted in whole or in part. 

The information contained in this newsletter is not all encompassing and is meant to be informative only, nor contains legal advice, expressed or implied. Consult with qualified legal counsel in all matters of employment, business, and background screening law.