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QUESTION: In the past, when doing limited criminal history checks through Indiana State Police, we have gotten results back in a very short time (typically under 24 hours). Since June 1, 2019, the process and format, as well as response time has changed dramatically. Of the last 3 that we ran, one has been pending for over a week, one processed within a couple of hours, and one came back stating that the applicant needed to go to one of their facilities to get fingerprints done – to the tune of $21.95. Not only is this costly, but the onboarding process will be considerably delayed. Has anyone else experienced this change? Are you paying for the fingerprint charge? Is your onboarding process delayed because of this? The following was sent from the State of Indiana on Friday, June 28, 2019: On May 31, 2019, IN.gov deployed a new and improved system for Limited History Checks. The new system is enhanced to provide better outcomes by including additional data fields to provide more accurate results. Most of the changes will not be noticed by the user; however, all will greatly improve the overall LCH process. Instead of two responses as seen on the old system, there will now be the possibility of one of four responses/statuses received. The results that you get from this new system will be the following: 1. Indiana Criminal History Transcript o A criminal history record is available based upon the information provided 2. No Record o This indicates that based on the data provided there is no criminal history present in Indiana 3. Additional Information Needed o Asks for additional information or it is suggested that for the most accurate results a Fingerprint-based National Background check is obtained 4. Under Manual Review o Further research by Indiana State Police will need to be conducted to determine LCH status As with the previous LCH system, the search is for Indiana records using name and date of birth only. For a more complete criminal history record it is recommended that a full national fingerprint-based background check be conducted to ensure the most accurate results. As a reminder, and per the IN.gov Agreement, each person must have their own IN.gov assigned “Username” that the person will use to access the IN.gov services. If you do not currently have your own Username, you must contact your Account Administrator to be assigned your unique Username. Other Available Resources: Indiana Limited Criminal History Request Service Portal How-to video: https://youtu.be/PdDDb_kKNy4 We have a meeting scheduled with INARF Associate Member Safe Hiring Solutions LLC, Mike McCarty, soon to see what they can offer. We have only had one so far that came back with the fingerprint requirement. And yes, we will cover that cost. We haven’t had any delay with others. I think we have probably submitted about 5 since this changed. We have not had the issue of significant delays in the response time. We have had issues with no results being returned just the recommendation to do the finger printing for additional charges. We are not implementing fingerprinting at this time. It is clear that the process has changed and we were not notified of it. We are currently looking into it, because my team has faced all three scenarios, within the last week. One thing we are clear of, is that as it stands, we are not required to do finger printing for our Direct Service Professionals; so we are going to forego that expense, until we hear differently that the State Requirements have changed. We are experiencing the same delay. We have not come across the request for fingerprints, but have been asked for additional information (social security number). My feeling is that it is the candidate that most provide a clear record, so if an additional cost is incurred, the organization could make the determination to require the candidate to bear the cost. You would just have to be consistent with all candidates, if you pay for one, you must pay for all. If you make one pay for the additional cost, then you must make all potential hires bare the cost. We are experiencing a delay. Sometimes only by a few minutes or hours. To my knowledge, we have not been billed for fingerprint charges. We have noticed changes also to our account and the processing time. We have not had any reports delayed more than 1 day or had any referenced to go to a facility for fingerprints. Despite the change and the hiccup of the new system, it is not holding up our onboarding process as we also do a full 10-year background check and it includes Indiana. We only do the ISP check to ensure compliance and that we have checked everything that we can to ensure client safety. We have also experienced this change. Previously, the background checks from ISP came back immediately however that is no longer the case. Our checks are also taking longer than 24 hours to receive for certain applicants, not all. Although I have no had anything come back stating someone needed to obtain a fingerprint, I have heard this concern from others. If employers are receiving a notification that an applicant needs to obtain a fingerprint are they charging the applicant? This is will cause a significant expense and delay to our onboarding process. They are usually back the same day. It may take an additional day depending on how many states, cities, counties the person has resided in. We use a vendor called “Checkr” to conduct our background checks. They are a third party vendor that works though our HRIS with Paylocity. You are billed monthly based on the number of checks you conduct per new employee. The change in process is going to slow down hiring during a time our industry is having hardships hiring staff, and thus delays in providing services. A potential employee will find other employment over the 15 days. The additional cost is a second concern as well. This information is a compilation of suggestions, ideas, and opinions shared by INARF Members in response to the featured question. This information should not be considered official interpretation or guidance of State or Federal Policy. Additionally, statements within this document do not necessarily reflect an official position or opinion of INARF.
QUESTION: In the past, when doing limited criminal history checks through Indiana State Police, we have gotten results back in a very short time (typically under 24 hours). Since June 1, 2019, the process and format, as well as response time has changed dramatically. Of the last 3 that we ran, one has been pending for over a week, one processed within a couple of hours, and one came back stating that the applicant needed to go to one of their facilities to get fingerprints done – to the tune of $21.95. Not only is this costly, but the onboarding process will be considerably delayed. Has anyone else experienced this change? Are you paying for the fingerprint charge? Is your onboarding process delayed because of this?