Applicant Support FAQs
Education Verifications are one of the most frequently requested services that we provide, so you are asking good questions. When we contact a school to verify your education, we ask very direct questions. We obtain education verifications through the school representative that is authorized to provide this information, such as the Registrar, or Records Office, so you don't have to worry about having a former teacher, or staff member ready for a reference. The questions are as follows:
- What credential was awarded (diploma, degree, certificate, etc.)?
- What was the major/minor course(s) of study? (if applicable)
- What were the candidate's dates of enrollment? Start- End
- Did they graduate? Was this enrollment only?
- What was the date of graduation? (if applicable)
- Do you have any additional comments?
Here are a few additional pieces of information that will help you in the background process:
- GED's and High School Diplomas are usually issued by different sources. It's ok to tell us that you received a GED and not a High School diploma.
- Similarly, if you completed your education while incarcerated or in a juvenile facility, you do not need to tell us that you were incarcerated at the time.
- The School name for all GED's should be entered as "State of _____" with the state that issued your GED entered. We are simply looking for where the records are located.
- As technology evolves many schools use electronic databases like the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to store records. These databases update records after each semester and can take up to 3 months to include recent graduates. Records from before 1980 are not all loaded in these databases. Different schools are at various stages of scanning and uploading records from before 1980 to these databases.
This is a very common question candidates ask us. We obtain employment verifications through the company representative that is authorized to provide this information, such as a Human Resource Representative, but it always helps to give your previous employer a heads up that we will be contacting them, and we thank you for your initiative!
Standard questions asked are the following:
- What was the Employee's Position held?
- What was their original hire date?
- What was their separation date (if applicable)?
- What is the reason employment ended?
- Do you have any additional comments?
A few things to keep in mind with these questions that should put your mind at ease:
- All information returned from previous employers will be made available to you as a candidate.
- Not all companies provide a response when asked if a candidate is eligible for rehire.
- Not all companies provide any additional comments
- Your personally identifiable information is all confirmed by the previous employer so we know that we are receiving information for the correct candidate.
- The more technology evolves, companies are moving towards electronic responses to these questions. This means that they provide responses through databases like The Work Number (TWN) that will only provide information like your most recent hire date, your most recent separation date, and the last position you held at the company.
- If you have left and then returned to that same company, this may impact results.
You are in luck! PlusOne works closely with both Quest Diagnostic and LabCorp locations across the country. If you cannot make it to the location listed on your donor pass you have choices.
- Call our customer service number and we are able to assist you in locating a new location you can visit.
- If our office is closed, you can take your donor pass to any quest diagnostic or LabCorp location on a walk-in basis.
Arrive at least one hour prior to closing to ensure you are able to provide a sample that day. Many collection facilities are walk-in locations, if they are by appointment only they will be clearly noted in their hours of operation. If you choose a location that is by appointment be sure to check your donor pass for the expiration date of your order. Your employer has the choice to not honor samples collected after the expiration date on your donor pass, even if they are negative results.
At PlusOne we help many candidates who have had their education or employment history outside of the US. If you were sent an applicant invitation to complete and you were only able to fill in States/Cities that are located in the United States, your order was placed for domestic only searches. This is very simple to resolve. We will first need approval from your future employer to add a new search to your order because international searches can become costly if they are not anticipated by the employer. Please contact your employer as soon as possible and let them know your employment or education was obtained outside of the US. Please see a helpful list of information below you will need to provide to your employer before we can proceed. Often times the employer can add this search to your order for you! So you won't need to wait for someone at PlusOne to respond to your email!
- For employers
- The name of the employer
- The position title you held
- Your start date with that employer- the end date of the employer
- The City, State, Country that this employer was located
- For education
- The name of the school
- The type of diploma received
- Your graduation date
- Your name as it is listed on the diploma
- The City, State, Country the school is located
- A copy of the diploma in its originally issued language (optional for most searches but highly encouraged)
This is a wonderful question!
The PlusOne customer service team fields multiple phone calls, emails, and chats, every day from candidates just like you to have us add searches to your orders. Each of these searches can cost your potential new employer more money to add. So we need approval from your new employer before they can be added.
If you accidentally provided incorrect information and your order is still in progress or if you need to update or change a reference that was previously listed on your order, here are a few helpful steps you can follow so this can be added.
- Reach out directly to your recruiter/ potential new employer and let them know immediately.
- Send them an email that includes the following information:
- Which search was entered incorrectly by you
- What should be entered
- Why it was entered incorrectly
- That you give them authorization to reach out to the correct person/school/employer to obtain information about you.
- They can then forward this email to us with their approval to have the Answer Desk add the search or your recruiter oftentimes can add the search for you themselves!
- For international searches, ID’s must be government issued and not damaged.
- When submitting an ID copy, make sure all four corners of the ID are visible.
- Provide a clear image of the front and back of the ID.
- Color images are preferred
- If a passport copy is required, you do not need to provide an image of the back of the passport.
- Review the request and make sure you are providing a document that matches the Country, State, etc. that you are requesting on the order.
- The applicant name must match the name on the order.
- Only active ID’s are accepted. Expired passports, driver’s licenses, ID number cards, are not accepted for processing.
An “arrest-only” record is one where a subject may have been arrested but no case was filed for the offense.
While the reporting of arrest-only records is not prohibited by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) if within seven years, PlusOne will not report these types of records.
Arrest records may only appear on your report if they are associated with a pending court case, are within seven years, and there are no state reporting restrictions that prohibit the reporting of pending information. Arrests with a disposition of not guilty, dismissed, or similar will not appear on your PlusOne report.
Social Security Numbers (SSNs) are a key identifier to help us conduct a thorough background check. An SSN Trace will provide address history and potential AKAs tied to your SSN, which can be used to conduct criminal searches in the places where you may have lived, worked or gone to school. In addition, many schools or employers may require all or part of your SSN in order to help locate your records for verification purposes. The Social Security Number Trace report is not obtained from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and does not provide validation of a candidate’s SSN.
For SSN validation, please inquire into our Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) product.
Your privacy and security of your SSN and personal identifiers is our top priority and will never be shared with any unauthorized parties.
PlusOne complies with various data protection and privacy regulations, including GDPR. If you wish to have your records deleted from our system, we will provide you with the tools to request a data deletion of your own personal data (if your matching, personal identifiable information exists in our database).
Too initiate the deletion process, email support@plusonescreeing.com and our customer support team will assist you. We will review the information you provide against any matching personal identifiers in our database. We will send you a notification within 30 days of receipt of the original request to inform you that your data has been deleted or if no data for you has been found in our database. As a consumer reporting agency, we store your data only if we have previously conducted a background check on you at the permissible request of one of our clients. If you are requesting a generic deletion or to freeze your personal credit history from the credit bureaus, please contact Experian, Equifax and TransUnion directly.
Data deletion includes, but is not limited to:
- Deletion of your SSN
- Deletion of your Date of Birth
- Deletion of your Current and previous addresses
Contact us if you have any questions regarding the deletion process.
PlusOne is unable to assist in the expungement process. In order to expunge a record, you must go back to the court in question and follow their process for expungement.
If you receive a report that has an item marked as “review”, that means that this search may contain potentially adverse or discrepant information that should be reviewed carefully. The particular search may be reporting a criminal record, or we may have verified information that does not match what was provided by the applicant, such as a job title discrepancy on an employment verification.
Once a background report is complete, PlusOne provides a copy of the results to your potential employer. PlusOne does not make the hiring decision and does not have specific details on the hiring process. It is recommended that you contact your representative directly for additional details on next steps.
The length of time it takes to complete a background check will depend on the specific types of checks being conducted. If there are delays they are often a result of court closures, weather-related issues or unresponsiveness by past employers or academic institutions. International checks also generally take longer than the typical check in the United States. On average, PlusOne is able to provide employers a completed consumer report within 2-4 days.
Once initial testing is complete, if the result is 100% negative, the result will be reported back to PlusOne and your employer or potential employer will be notified. However, if any possible positive results were identified, your sample will go on for further, and much more specific, testing.
Following this second test, if a negative result is confirmed, the result will come back to PlusOne as negative and your employer or potential employer will receive the results. Conversely, if the second confirmation test shows a confirmed positive, the result will be sent to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) for review. The MRO will reach out to you for information on any potential prescription or over the counter medications you may be taking that could cause a positive result. It is important that you respond back to the MRO as quickly as possible in order to clear up any potential issues and not further delay your drug screening and hiring process.
Each employer has different requirements to meet for their background checks. Even inside of each organization, a background check may differ for candidates depending on the department placement or position. A typical background check could involve criminal record searches, verification of employment, driving history, a drug test, or many other searches and combinations of searches. Please feel free to visit our site here to see popular background check products. If you wish to know exactly what will be included in your background, please reach out to your contact with your potential employer.
Onboarding FAQs
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), employers must certify to the Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) that they have complied with the applicable disclosure and authorization, and will comply with adverse action requirements as imposed by the FCRA. Further, employers must certify that the information will not be used in violation of any applicable Federal or State equal employment opportunity law or regulation.
Disclosure and Authorization
In terms of the disclosure and authorization requirements found in Section 604 of the FCRA, the employer cannot procure a consumer report for employment purposes unless a “clear and conspicuous disclosure has been made in writing to the consumer” before requesting the consumer report “in a document that consists solely of the disclosure, that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes.” The consumer must also authorize in writing the procurement of the consumer report.
The term “solely” is one word currently being exploited by plaintiffs’ attorneys who are aggressively pursuing class-action lawsuits against private employers. One recent $6.8 million settlement with a national grocery chain involved allegations that the employer’s inclusion of a waiver of liability in its disclosure language violated the “solely” requirement of the FCRA. Other cases have alleged the inclusion of criminal history questions or other extraneous information also violates the FCRA requirements. Thus, given the litigious nature of the disclosure and authorization requirements, consultation with qualified legal counsel is highly recommended.
Employers may have additional disclosure and authorization requirements under applicable state laws.
Adverse Action
Another important obligation employers must comply with, when applicable, is the adverse action process. The adverse action process must be followed any time a decision is made in whole or in part based on information in a Consumer Report that adversely impacts an individual, such as denying employment, terminating an employee or deciding not to promote an individual.
Adverse action is a two-step process which consists of a Pre-Adverse Action notice and an Adverse Action notice (or Final Adverse Action notice). The Pre-Adverse Action notice should be sent by the employer to the individual before an adverse employment decision is made. The notice should include a copy of the background report, a copy of the “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” and any additional state notice requirements.
The letter should also specify the number of days the employer intends to wait before making a final decision. A common misconception is that the FCRA prescribes the amount of days an employer must wait. While the law itself is silent, the Federal Trade Commission has noted that the intent behind the adverse action process is to ensure an individual has a chance to dispute any inaccurate information on a background report before a final employment decision is made. Along that line, the FTC has previously opined that five business days is likely a reasonable time period. (See Advisory Opinion to Weisberg (06-27-97)). Regardless of how many days are specified, it is important the employer actually wait for that time period to elapse before sending the Final Adverse Action notice.
There may be some local and state law requirements that further impact the adverse action process.
Compliance Corner FAQs
While there are a lot of things that come into play (such as state and local laws and regulations), according to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), records that have resulted in a conviction may be reported indefinitely, while records that did not result in a conviction (such as arrests only), may only be reported for seven years.
There are many laws that apply to background checks and the reporting of criminal record information that it can often be very difficult to keep it all straight. One of the most common questions we receive as a CRA is regarding how long certain types of information can appear on a background check. Let’s dig through some of the common misconceptions that are out there on this topic and get to the truth.
Negative information can only be reported for seven years.
The FCRA states that adverse information that did not result in a conviction may only be reported for a seven-year period. This includes information such as dismissals, arrests only, civil judgments, etc.; however, this federal law does allow conviction information to be reported for an indefinite amount of time. While this is the law at the national level, there are state laws that must also be considered that dictate for how long certain information may be reported. For example, if you or your potential Employer live in California, non-convictions may not be reported, and pending cases, open warrants, and convictions may only be reported for 7 years. This time period is measured from the earliest date on record, usually the offense date or the file date.
My court case is pending, and I have not been convicted. This charge cannot appear on my background check.
Unless there is a state law that prohibits the reporting of pending records, the FCRA states that this information may legally be reported for seven years as it counts as adverse information that did not result in a conviction.
My Bankruptcy was filed seven years ago so should not appear on my background check.
No one ever said the FCRA was black and white! While it is true that the FCRA states that adverse information that did not result in a conviction is limited to 7 years, section 605(a) of the FCRA states that bankruptcy information may be reported for 10 years from the file or dismissal date.
Only the State of residence matters when applying state laws to background check reporting.
When determining which state laws to apply to background check reporting, CRA’s should consider the following:
1) location of Employer
2) location of Candidate
3) State of Record.
All three of these locations are equally important and should be considered when determining which state laws may apply. When multiple states come into play, the state with the strictest employment screening laws are applied. For states with no background check laws, only the FCRA is followed.
If you have any questions about what is included in your background check, PlusOne’s Client Service Ninjas are here to help. Our staff members maintain FCRA-Certification through the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) so are well-equipped to help you with any questions or concerns you may have.
Not only does PlusOne follow the reporting restrictions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the State analogues (the states’ versions of the FCRA), we also apply our own internal reporting restrictions based on best practice guidelines established by Industry experts, and recent litigation trends, as well as published guidance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
While the FCRA can be complex, the section on reporting restrictions is actually quite simple. Section 605 of the FCRA states that criminal convictions may be reported indefinitely, and adverse information (such as civil suits, civil judgments, and arrest-only records) that did not result in a conviction may be reported for a period of seven years. State analogues may have their own reporting restrictions, and may limit the number of years convictions can be reported, as well as for how long pending cases and non-convictions (such as arrest-only records) can be reported (See our State Background Check Laws page for detail on state reporting restrictions).
While non-convictions, such as dismissals and findings of Not Guilty, etc. can be reported for a period of 7 years in most states, PlusOne chooses not to report this information. Arrest records on the other hand may appear on a consumer report if they are associated with a pending court case, are within seven years, and there are no state reporting restrictions that prohibit the reporting of pending information. Arrests with a final disposition of not guilty, dismissed, or similar will not appear on your PlusOne report.
Additionally, PlusOne chooses to limit the reporting of conviction information as well. Felony conviction records are limited to a period of 15 years, and Misdemeanor conviction records are limited to a period of 10 years.
PlusOne reviews our reporting restrictions regularly to ensure that all State and Federal restrictions are applied and that best practice guidance is followed.
If you would like to limit the number of years records are reported, or change the scope in which county, state and federal locations are developed, please reach out to the PlusOne Customer Service Team.
At PlusOne, our data retention policy is a five (5) year time frame in order to comply with all provisions of the federal FCRA, state laws and all legal and regulatory requirements identified in the Professional Background Screeners Association’s accreditation standards. This retention period applies to information maintained in hard copy and electronic form.
On an annual basis, PlusOne permanently and securely deletes all consumer information that is older than five (5) years after notifying impacted customers. The data will be inaccessible following the secure deletion. PlusOne will also delete any information on its own internal servers or maintained as hard copy that is beyond five (5) years.
Any paper documents that contain personal identifying information (PII), such as date of birth, SSN and/or driver’s license number, shall be destroyed via a secure shred bin no later than the end of each workday unless there is a legitimate need to retain that information. If that is the case, the information must be locked in a secure cabinet and retained for only as long as necessary to fulfill the business purpose.
If hard copy information must be retained for the entire five (5) year period, it should be scanned and uploaded to pertinent order. The hard copy should then be securely destroyed.
PlusOne takes accuracy very seriously and are proud of the level of quality and accuracy of the services we provide.
All searches where a record is found, or information discrepant to what the applicant provided is verified, go to our internal Quality Assurance staff for review before they can be released to the client. During this QA process, the search is reviewed to ensure that the information being reported is accurate and up to date, matches the applicant, and that all applicable restrictions, regulations, and requirements are followed and applied.
In addition to these standard QA processes, PlusOne performs monthly tracking and testing on all Researchers and Vendors to ensure that they meet all our accuracy requirements. Our Quality Control Auditor also performs monthly Full-File Quality Checks to further check the quality of the performance of internal staff as well as the accuracy of all information reported. Errors are documented each month and processes are reviewed to prevent recurrences. Our strict adherence to our Quality Management System processes allows us to provide you with the most accurate information possible.
Yes. In addition to the reporting restrictions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), many states have their own laws in place regarding what type of information can be reported in a consumer report. These restrictions can be in regard to the length of time information may be reported, whether non-conviction information may be reported, whether pending cases may be reported, as well as what levels of offense are allowed to be reported in a consumer report. For example, Washington state prohibits the reporting of conviction information older than 7 years from the date of disposition, end of incarceration, or beginning of parole, and does not allow the reporting of any charges that did not ultimately result in a conviction. Some states, such as California and Nevada, do not allow the reporting of Sex Offender Registry information unless the Employer is in a regulated industry that requires them to receive Sex Offender Registry information.
Adverse action is a two-step process which consists of a Pre-Adverse (or Preliminary Adverse) Action notice and an Adverse Action (or Final Adverse Action) notice. The Pre-Adverse Action notice must be sent to the individual before an adverse employment decision is made. This Pre-Adverse Action notice must include a copy of the background report, a copy of the “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” and any additional state notice requirements. The notice must also specify the number of days the employer intends to wait before making a final decision. While the FCRA has no requirements as to how many days this should be, certain locations do have minimum waiting period requirements, so it is important for you to check with your legal counsel when creating your Pre-Adverse Action notice.
The Final Adverse Action Notice must include the adverse decision made, contact information of the CRA that compiled the report, a statement that the CRA did not make and cannot explain the decision, a Federal Summary of Rights, and a statement outlining the consumer’s right to another free copy of their background report, and their continuing right to dispute the information.
PlusOne offers Adverse Action services where we handle the issuing of the Pre-Adverse and Final Adverse Action letters once a client has ordered it. This process cannot be automated based on results as the potential or current employer must make the hiring decision. Please contact us for more details.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that Employers who use background screening reports to make employment decisions provide a written disclosure to applicants that their background information will be obtained for employment purposes. Furthermore, the FCRA requires that employers also receive written authorization before a background check can be conducted.
In terms of the disclosure and authorization requirements found in Section 604 of the FCRA, the employer cannot procure a consumer report for employment purposes unless a “clear and conspicuous disclosure has been made in writing to the consumer” before requesting the consumer report “in a document that consists solely of the disclosure, that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes.” The consumer must also authorize in writing the procurement of the consumer report. The disclosure and authorization may appear on the same document.
The term “solely” is one word currently being exploited by plaintiffs’ attorneys who are aggressively pursuing class action lawsuits against private employers. One recent $6.8 million settlement with a national grocery chain involved allegations that the employer’s inclusion of a waiver of liability in its disclosure language violated the “solely” requirement of the FCRA. Other cases have alleged the inclusion of criminal history questions or other extraneous information also violates the FCRA requirements. Thus, given the litigious nature of the disclosure and authorization requirements, consultation with qualified legal counsel is highly recommended.
Employers may have additional disclosure and authorization requirements under applicable state laws.
Below are some best-practice guidelines regarding disclosure and authorization forms compiled by industry experts as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and recent court decisions:
- Don’t include language that claims to release you from liability for conducting, obtaining, or using the background screening report.
- Don’t include a certification by the prospective employee that all information in his or her job application is accurate.
- Delete any wording that purports to require the prospective employee to acknowledge that your hiring decisions are based on legitimate non-discriminatory reasons.
- Get rid of overly broad authorizations that permit the release of information that the FCRA doesn’t allow to be included in a background screening report – for example, bankruptcies that are more than 10 years old. · Best practice suggests that the disclosure be kept separate from the authorization form by having separate documents for each.
- Use stand-alone documents. Do not include the disclosure and authorization forms in employment applications, or documents that contain information on other topics. Do not include information related to any other topic, such as benefit information, etc., in the disclosure or authorization forms.
- Ensure that the disclosure and authorization are clear and conspicuous. Plain language and legible fonts are best to ensure that prospective employees are able to understand the information. Do not use fine print, or small, or illegible type.
- Include the name of the company that will be preparing the background report (the CRA). Include the CRA’s contact information, such as address, toll-free telephone number and website.
- Reference the “Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” document in the acknowledgement form and provide the document separately.
- Clearly define the scope of the background report. Disclose each type of information that will be included in the report, such as work and education history, criminal history, etc.
- Have the employee acknowledge receipt of both the disclosure and authorization by requiring a signature on each form.
- Ensure compliance with state-specific requirements regarding disclosures and authorizations and use a separate form to provide state-required notices.
- Do not include statements regarding the consumer's rights to find out more regarding the "nature and scope" of the investigative consumer report or their right to access the screening company's files (also known as a "copy request").
While the above information can be helpful in assisting you with creating your own disclosure and authorization forms, always check with your legal counsel to ensure that you are accurately following all regulations and meeting all applicable requirements.
It is legally permissible to conduct background checks on individuals under the age of 18; however, please be aware that there may not be a lot of information returned. Here are some highlights as to different searches and consent forms.
- Education: Odds are the individual is still in high school, not currently enrolled or working towards a GED. There may not be education experience to verify.
- Employment: Likely a minor candidate hasn’t had any prior employment experience that is likely relevant/necessary for the job being filled.
- MVR: There is likely minimal MVR history, although this is one search that may make the most sense if the minor will be driving such as if he/she is applying to deliver food.
- Criminal: Juvenile records are not reportable. There may be an instance where a minor has committed a crime and been tried as an adult, and in this situation it would be reportable. However, if that is the case, it’s likely for a serious offense that would require a period of incarceration, meaning the minor is not out applying for a job. Given the importance of workplace safety and protection from negligent hiring, a criminal search may still be a good idea even taking the above into consideration.
- References: This could be useful depending on the position.
Credit Reports
As for credit history, we will not process a credit report on individuals under the age of 18. Typically individuals under 18 only have credit history if a parent/guardian lists them as a joint account holder or authorized user. Another way an individual under 18 would have a credit report is due to identity theft. There have been instances where individuals will use the minor’s information to open accounts, run up debts, etc. without the minor or the parent/guardian ever knowing since minors do not really ever apply for credit (usually you have to be 18+ to apply for loans, open a credit card, etc.). The credit bureaus differ slightly on process, but they will accommodate security freeze requests from parents to help prevent this matter from happening. However, if no file is created in the first place for the minor the credit bureaus typically do not create a file unless required to do so under state law. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a helpful article on the topic: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1271/should-i-request-credit-reports-my-children.html.
Consent
In order to process a background check on a minor, a copy of the applicant's authorization also signed by the minor’s parent or guardian must be provided, as minors are not typically thought of as capable of providing consent.
As always, when reviewing screening practices for candidates of any age, we recommend discussing with your legal counsel before taking action.
For international background checks purposes, each country is different, with unique laws and regulations, particularly with regard to data privacy. There may also be specific consent language requirements depending on the searches ordered.
A common theme among several data privacy laws is that the data subject (i.e., the candidate) must be informed as to who is receiving, collecting and/or processing the personal data and why. Additionally, in many countries within the European Union, consent must be provided that is specific, freely given and informed. Many experts believe that consent as it relates to employment can never truly be “freely given” which may mean a candidate could refuse consent to a background check without being adversely impacted.
We do have a sample international consent form that can help start you in the right direction. Given the complexities involved with international screening, particularly with regard to consent issues, we always recommend consultation with a qualified legal expert to ensure your background screening program remains in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Yes. PlusOne is fully FCRA-Compliant. As a consumer reporting agency, PlusOne abides by all the requirements of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act as well as any applicable state restrictions and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA). This accreditation shows our commitment to upholding and delivering the highest level of industry standards in areas such as legal compliance. In addition, PlusOne's staff have received individual FCRA Certifications from the PBSA and are available to help to ensure that your organization always remains fully FCRA-Compliant. Furthermore, whenever there are any changes to the FCRA, PlusOne keeps our clients abreast of these changes by newsletter so our clients can screen their employees with the utmost confidence.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act, which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), provides the guidelines employers need to follow when performing employment screening. The FCRA requirements apply whenever an employer requests a "consumer report" or "investigative consumer report" from an agency such as PlusOne. A "consumer report" includes any written, oral or other communication of any information by a consumer-reporting agency regarding an individual's credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics or mode of living which is used as a factor to establish eligibility for employment. The FCRA requires that employers must comply with certain reporting requirements when using an agency to screen employees or applicants. To obtain a report for employment purposes, the employer must first provide certification to the consumer-reporting agency that they:
- Have provided the required disclosure to the applicant or employee.
- Have obtained the necessary written authorization to request the report.
- Will comply with all Adverse Action requirements before taking any adverse action based in whole or in part on the report.
- Will not use the information from the report in a manner that violates federal or state equal opportunity laws.
A copy of "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act" must also be provided to the consumer.
The FCRA requires any employer intending to obtain a consumer report to first make a clear and conspicuous written disclosure to the applicant or employee that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes. The disclosure cannot be included in an employment application or other document that contains additional information.
Products FAQs
There are a few basic reasons this may happen and they all revolve around the information that was provided when the order was entered.
When the name of a college or university is entered, the first source we check is the National Student Clearinghouse (NSCH). This is the largest nationwide database that major universities use to house their records. In order for the NSCH to return accurate results, all information on the order must be entered exactly as it appears on your candidate's diploma. Campus Location or the City and State are very important.
Often candidates can short-hand information that would seem obvious to them but could cause a few issues on our end. If the wrong campus name is listed, that campus may not house the records and would not return a result. However, if the candidate lists the exact campus they attended, the likelihood of returning accurate results is much higher! If your candidate graduated through an online program, their records are often stored in a different location than the main campus.
An example of this is here in Colorado, we have a very well-known CSU campus in Fort Collins that also has an equally well known CSU Global campus where diplomas are issued to students who take courses strictly online. These records, if not requested for the correct campus, Global vs. Fort Collins, will not return accurate results unless the correct campus name is entered.
To ensure timely processing of your background report, below are some helpful tips for submitting documents to PlusOne:
- Review all documents to make sure they are complete, signed, and dated.
- This includes ensuring that all pages of multi-page documents are returned.
- Make sure document copies are clean, clear, and legible.
- High quality images of the documents are acceptable, provided the document can be easily read.
- Documents should be centered in the image (not titled).
- The Document Title at the top and the Version Number at the bottom of the document must be clearly visible.
- Documents that are cut off, missing pages, or low-quality images will not be processed.
- When submitting an ID copy, make sure all four corners of the ID are visible. Providing both a front and back picture of the ID is most helpful for our team.
PlusOne works closely with a thoroughly vetted and reliable network that allows us to provide robust coverage around the globe in the most cost-effective and timely manner possible. Our staff closely monitors all applicable regulations and requirements in order to ensure that your global screening goes smoothly.
While costs, requirements and turnaround times vary depending on the search type and country in question, international background checks are handled very similarly to domestic background checks. Candidates must provide the information and/or documentation required for the particular search/country. When all the required information/documentation is received, the request is sent to the sent to the Researcher assigned to that jurisdiction. Results are then received and, after being reviewed by our internal Quality Assurance staff, are reported back to the client.
Yes. We do offer criminal search scopes that will automatically search all jurisdictions for criminal records wherever an applicant worked and attended school within a defined timeframe. We can use Education and/or Employment history provided by the applicant to develop searches in those jurisdictions so long as those services are included in the order. During our onboarding process, our Implementation Specialist assigned to your account will set up the search scopes based on your screening policy to automate the process.
Motor Vehicle Reports are available outside of the United States in certain countries. Please note, information returned and cost varies by country.
Generally, yes. Traffic convictions concerning drugs or alcohol will be reported within a criminal search as long as they fall within all federal and state reporting time frames, have not been expunged or sealed, and the court reporting the information includes convictions of this level. These types of convictions may also be reported through a Motor Vehicle Reports as they are related to driving offenses. However, if the conviction occurred in a state other than the issuing state of the current license, this information may not be captured.
No. The Social Security Number Trace reviews the historical and logical connection between a candidate and the candidate’s Social Security Number (SSN) and provides an indication of a name match along with information on the candidate’s address history, issuing state, year issued, and any alias names associated with the number. The SSN Trace Report is not obtained from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and does not provide validation of a candidate’s SSN. For SSN validation, please inquire into our Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) .
In general, a statewide criminal search uses the state's repository or database to discover criminal records. In some cases, not all counties will report information to the state repository.
However, some states such as New York, Colorado, etc. have a repository where they house all the county records for the entire state. These repositories are generally handled by the state law enforcement agencies, the office of court administration, or a cooperative effort by all counties. For example New York's Office of Court Administration (OCA) state database includes records from all counties by law, but California's does not.
Statewide searches will also only search for local criminal information and will not include crimes tried at the federal level.
Please contact us if you'd like more information on which states are available and recommended by our Research Department.
No, PlusOne's Federal Criminal product searches the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) System, which is completely separate from the FBI or Department of Justice searches.
PACER is an electronic public access service provided by the Federal Judiciary that allows registered users to obtain case and docket information online from federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. The source for this search does not include the FBI or DOJ databases, though there are other available searches that would include some of the information housed by those government entities. Employers in certain industries can be authorized by the FBI to obtain FBI records through fingerprints.
Federal and National criminal database searches are not the same. PlusOne's national search, the US Criminal Record Locator (USCRL) covers over 800+ million records nationwide, while a Federal search specifically finds Federal level records in Federal jurisdictions.
While Federal records may be located using the US Criminal Record Locator (USCRL), Federal criminal searches will only return records of federal convictions for a particular federal district within a state.
US Criminal Record Locator
- PlusOne’s nationwide database search, the US Criminal Record Locator (USCRL), includes information from over 2,030 diverse sources and over 900 million records, such as statewide repositories, local county information, federal entities, Department of Corrections, and Administration of Courts records. This national search includes sources from all US states, the national sex offender database, and information from some US territories.
- The records returned from the USCRL can be incomplete, lacking identifying information, and missing the final disposition. Therefore, we offer the USCRL as a “locator” product used to identify potential records to be verified directly at the source.
- Statewide searches locate records for the entire state in question, while county searches take it a step further and search only for records in a specific county within a state. Generally, as the search area gets smaller, the information returned is better, more accurate, up to date and comprehensive.
Federal Criminal Searches
- Federal Searches are processed at either the state or federal district level and include cases that are entirely separate from the information you will find in a statewide or county search. Federal cases generally involve the government, a violation of the Constitution or a cases that crosses state lines. Examples of Federal cases are interstate drug trafficking, arms violations, kidnapping, stock fraud, tax fraud, embezzlement, etc.
The length of time it takes to complete a background check will depend on the specific types of searches being conducted, and even the location the source is in. For example, a criminal search in one state may be faster or slower than the next, Employment and Education Verifications tend to vary based on the size of the organization, and database driven products can be extremely quick, if not instant.
If there are delays they are often a result of court closures, weather-related issues, or unresponsiveness by past employers or academic institutions. International checks also generally take longer than the typical check in the United States. On average, PlusOne is able to provide employers a completed consumer report within 2-4 days.
Many companies and schools use third-party verification services who charge additional fees (such as The Work Number, The National Student Clearinghouse, VerifyJob Systems, etc.) for their services. Because these fees are over and above the normal amount PlusOne charges our clients for verifications, they are added on to an order as a third party fee. When this occurs the fee is noted on your invoice. Unfortunately, this is the only method of obtaining verifications from certain employers and schools. Once a business or academic institution enrolls with a verification service, they are no longer able to provide the initial verification directly to a Consumer Reporting Agency or potential employer.
Still have questions?
We’re here for you. Fill out the form below and our team of experts will contact you soon. .
Boise Office: 2404 Bank Drive, Ste 206 Boise, ID 83705
(833-447-5871)