Status of State and Territory Participation in the National Background Check Program for Long-Term-Care Employees as of September 30, 2014

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides grants to States to implement background check programs for prospective employees who provide patient care in 10 types of long-term-care settings such as nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospices. Ensuring that these employees have undergone screenings helps protect patients in these settings. In an Interim Report, National Background Check Program for Long-Term Care Employees, OIG describes the status and results of the first 4 years of the grant program.

The map identifies those States and Territories that are participating or have participated in the grant program. It focuses on the following three key grant milestones related to initial and ongoing background checks:

• Obtaining enabling legislation to conduct background checks (i.e., checking State-based abuse and neglect registries and databases, State criminal history records, and FBI criminal history records);
• Collecting fingerprints; and
• Monitoring of criminal backgrounds after initial employment.

Beyond achieving these key milestones, States must conduct background checks in all 10 long-term-care settings, disqualify individuals for employment as appropriate, and report the results of their efforts quarterly to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Once Federal financial participation in the grant program has ended, it is up to the States to determine how to finance their respective programs.

Information is current as of September 30, 2014, and as reported by States in their quarterly progress reports.

Alaska

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 10/1/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

California

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 2/1/2011
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Connecticut

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 9/30/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks

Delaware

• Status: Federal financial participation for the grant ended on January 31, 2014
• Grant Start Date: 9/30/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

District of Columbia

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 1/1/2011
• State reported having:
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints

Florida

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 9/30/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Georgia

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 7/25/2012
• State reported having:
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints

Hawaii

• Status: Grant program in process
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Illinois

• Status: Federal financial participation for the grant ended on December 30, 2014
• Grant Start Date: 12/31/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Kansas

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 7/1/2015
• This report includes data on States that received grants as of September 30, 2014. Kansas received a grant after our data collection on program milestones ended.

Kentucky

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 5/20/2011
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Maine

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 10/3/2011
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Maryland

• Status: Grant program on hold
• Grant Start Date: 1/31/2013
• State reported having:
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Michigan

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 5/20/2013
• State reported having:
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Minnesota

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 8/30/2012
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Missouri

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 9/30/2010
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Nevada

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 9/1/2011
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints

New Mexico

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 12/31/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

North Carolina

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 7/13/2011
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Ohio

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 4/22/2013
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints

Oklahoma

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 4/6/2011
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

Oregon

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 7/29/2013
• State reported having:
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints

Rhode Island

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 9/30/2010
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks

Utah

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 7/11/2011
• State reported having:
  • Obtained enabling legislation to conduct background checks
  • Achieved the ability to collect fingerprints
  • Attained the ability to monitor criminal history information subsequent to initial background checks

West Virginia

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 1/1/2011
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Puerto Rico

• Status: Grant program in process
• Grant Start Date: 12/17/2012
• State reported having:
  • Made progress toward implementing the key grant milestones

Unlisted States and Territories do not participate in the voluntary grant program.