FAQ
1. How long does it take to get the results of a background check?
Normally, the process only takes a few days. If you have not received your results within five days, please contact your Licensing Consultant. Do not send applicants to be reprinted at this point.
2. When is a reprint necessary?
A reprint is required only when the original prints have been rejected. The Department will notify the agency and the applicant in writing if the prints have been rejected. If you receive a letter from the Department notifying you that your original prints have been rejected, you may get a free reprint by following the: Instructions for Scheduling a Reprint.
3. How do I get a duplicate “clear to work” letter?
If you need a duplicate “clear to work” letter for a current employee, please email your request to the following address: CC-Criminal-Background-Inquiries.DHS@tn.gov
4. What offenses exclude a person from an Adult Day Services agency?
Criminal offenses for which a person must be excluded from an adult day services center include physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect of an adult or child, crimes of violence, any offenses that present a threat to the health, safety or welfare of adults or children, and drug related offenses. Specific examples of excludable criminal offenses include aggravated assault, arson, child abuse, cruelty to animals, domestic assault, indecent exposure, reckless endangerment, robbery, stalking, vehicular assault, voluntary manslaughter, and weapons offenses. An expanded list of excludable offenses can be found in the Adult Day Services Standards 1240-07-10-.09.
5. Reporting Issues or Concerns with the Background Check Process
f you encounter an issue with the background check process, please report the problem by calling the Child and Adult Care Background Check helpline: (615) 253-4170
6. Do I need to submit any paperwork for an applicant who has not lived out of Tennessee in the last five years?
No. ADS applicants do not need to send paperwork to our office for applicants who have not lived outside Tennessee in the last five years. You are required to keep a copy of the fingerprint disclosure form on file.
7. If an applicant has recently had fingerprints completed through TDHS for a different adult day services center, can those fingerprints be transferred, or do they need to be fingerprinted again?
A criminal background check may be transferred if the employee has been fingerprinted within the last five years and the employee has worked for a Tennessee licensed Adult Day Services agency without a break in employment of more than one hundred and eighty (180) days. If both these conditions apply, please complete the Criminal Background Check Transfer Form to transfer their background check clearance to your agency.
8. Where do I send a transfer form?
Email the completed form to this address: cc-criminal-background-inquiries.dhs@tn.gov
9. Who do I contact about the status of a transfer form?
Please email: cc-criminal-background-inquiries.dhs@tn.gov or call 615-313-5147.
10. How do I change the method that I receive my conditional and final approval letters and communication from Child and Adult Care Licensing?
Complete a transmittal authorization form: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/hs/hs-2978.pdf and return the completed form as instructed at the bottom of page one. Please Note: exclusion letters may still come by mail.
11. If I have a DUI charge, can I still work at an Adult Day Services agency?
Yes, but you cannot drive.
12. Which Provider number should be used for my fingerprints, if the owner has more than one?
The Provider you will be working for the majority of the time is the one you need to fingerprint under. Then, if there are other locations with the same Provider number, but with a different three-digit suffix, you may work at the other locations when needed.
13. What if I am a student and work at the Adult Day Services Center during the summer only, but not the rest of the year? Am I required to re-fingerprint before working each summer at the same center?
Yes, because the time away from the center is more than 180 days each time.
14. Does a permanent maintenance worker need to be fingerprinted?
Yes, they do need to be fingerprinted if they are working as a full-time maintenance worker and have access to the participants.
15. Does a one-time repair person need to be fingerprinted?
No. If you utilize an outside repair person, who does not work permanently with the adult day services center, they do not have to be fingerprinted; however, they must always be supervised around the participants.
16. If I go on maternity leave for three – six months, do I need to fingerprint again when I return?
If your maternity leave has been documented in your file, no, you do not need to fingerprint again. If your maternity leave has not been documented in your file, then you do need to be fingerprinted when you return.
17. Who can complete and sign the fingerprint disclosure form?
Only the applicant can complete and sign the form for their information.
18. Does a copy of the fingerprint disclosure form need to be kept in the applicants file?
Yes. All applicants, even those that have only lived in Tennessee, must have a copy of their completed fingerprint disclosure form in their file at the Adult Day Services Center where they work.
19. Who pays for Adult Day Services applicants to be fingerprinted?
The adult day services center may require that the costs of the background check be a part of the application process by a prospective employee or volunteer, or it may pay the costs and recover the costs of the fingerprint-based background checks from the prospective employee following employment.
20. If I receive a waiver for an Adult Day Services Center, is it good for other Adult Day Services Centers?
No, a waiver is only good for the Adult Day Services Center it was given under. However, you can call and the Department will review the file to determine if we can extend the waiver or not.
21. Is the waiver I received good for my whole life?
No, if there is a law or policy change your waiver can be revoked. Or, if you receive a new charge, the waiver may be revoked.
22. Can applicants receive a copy of their fingerprint results?
No, fingerprint results are only to be used for the State of Tennessee Department of Human Services.
23. Can I print the disclosure form to use later? Do these forms get updates?
Forms are regularly updated; the current form can be found here: Adult Day Care Criminal/Juvenile History & State Registry Review Disclosure (HS-2680)
24. What do I need to do if I have a charge and it has been dismissed or expunged?
Please send the court documents that show the charge information, including the date of the charge and the charge status being dismissed or expunged to our office email: ccbackground.dhs@tn.gov or fax: 615-532-9956.
25. If I get arrested, do I need to notify TDHS?
Yes. All Adult Day Services providers and household members who have incurred any pending charges, indictments or convictions (other than minor traffic offenses), since the last qualification letter was issued by the TDHS Criminal Background Check Unit must notify the Owner/ Director of such charges within two business days or before returning to work, whichever comes first. The operator must notify the Criminal Background Check Unit within one business day of being notified.
Any new charges or convictions could result in a disqualification. In addition, if the individual has been placed on the Vulnerable Persons Registry, Child Abuse Registry (DCS), or the Sex Offender Registry (SOR), this will result in a disqualification.
26. If you recently received approval and were arrested after your fingerprints were completed, do you need to notify TDHS of this arrest?
Yes. All Adult Day Service providers and household members who have incurred any pending charges, indictments or convictions (other than minor traffic offenses), since the last fingerprinting was completed, must notify the Owner/ Director of such charges within two business days or before returning to work, whichever comes first. The operator must notify the Criminal Background Check Unit within one business day of being notified.
Any new charges or convictions could result in a disqualification. In addition, if the individual has been placed on the Vulnerable Persons Registry, Child Abuse Registry (DCS), or the Sex Offender Registry (SOR), this will result in a disqualification.
27. What should I do if I sell my Adult Day Services business?
Please allow two weeks to transfer employees that were fingerprinted within the last 180 days, and reprint employees to the new Provider ID (FEIN #).
28. Do volunteers need to be fingerprinted and complete applicable paperwork?
Any person who will volunteer in an adult day services center for more than thirty-six (36) hours in a calendar year and who is counted in the staff: participant ratio must be fingerprinted and complete applicable paperwork. Any volunteer who has unsupervised access to the adult participants in adult day services centers and who will volunteer in the center for more than thirty-six (36) hours must be fingerprinted and complete applicable paperwork.
29. Do substitutes need to be fingerprinted and complete applicable paperwork?
Any person who will serve as a substitute in an adult day services center for more than thirty-six (36) hours in a calendar year and who is counted in the staff: participant ratio must be fingerprinted and complete applicable paperwork.
30. If I own multiple adult day services centers at different locations, do I need to be fingerprinted for each location?
No, you will just need to be fingerprinted one time if the only difference in the Provider ID (FEIN #) for the locations is the three-digit suffix.
31. Does the Pastor of a church that contains an Adult Day Services agency need to be fingerprinted?
Yes, if the building for the ADS agency is connected to the church or the Pastor has access to participants.
32. If I go to the Clerk of Court and they give me a document that shows “No Record” of my charge, will I be able to work?
No, “No Record” does not mean a charge was expunged or dismissed. It only indicates the charge is not found, which could be due to the age and time-period of the charge.
33. If I am a CEO or Owner of a Tennessee Adult Day Services agency, but I live in another State, do I need to be fingerprinted?
Yes, if you are going to have access to the participants.
34. How often do I have to be fingerprinted to work for an Adult Day Services Center?
One time. Re-prints are not required for Adult Day Service Centers at this time.
35. Do Adult Day Services applicants need to complete out of State paperwork for background checks in other States that they lived, worked or went to school in the last five years?
No. Out of State checks are not required for Adult Day Services applicants at this time.
36. What do I do if my fingerprints are rejected?
The vendors, IDEMIA (via IdentoGO Centers) and TBI, will advise applicants when their fingerprints are rejected and provide them with instructions on how to be re-fingerprinted.
37. What does an applicant need to submit to request a waiver hearing?
A letter stating why you would like a hearing, the fingerprint disclosure form, and any recommendation letter(s) that you may have.