California Background Clearance for Home Health Staff
California home health agencies run criminal record clearances through the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Fingerprints are taken by Live Scan, and the clearance must be on file before the person works with patients.
Who needs clearance
CDPH's clearance form lists home health agency licensees, administrators and direct care staff among the positions it covers. Licensed nurses also go through fingerprinting with their own licensing board when they're licensed, but the agency's own clearance rules still apply to its staff.
How it works
- The agency submits CDPH's criminal record clearance transmittal (form CDPH 322) for the person.
- The person is fingerprinted by a Live Scan operator.
- CDPH's Licensing and Certification Program reviews the results and issues a clearance.
- CDPH mails the clearance to the licensee, and a copy must be kept at the agency for surveyors.
Background clearance is not exclusion screening
A criminal record clearance doesn't tell you whether someone is excluded from Medicare or suspended from Medi-Cal. Those are separate lists that most agencies check every month. See the exclusion screening guide.
Common questions
Do California home health aides need a background check?
Where is the clearance kept?
Screen your California staff every month
StaffScreen, our sister service, checks your whole team against the federal OIG and SAM.gov exclusion lists every month and emails you a dated certificate for your compliance file. California customers hear first when the California License Directory roster opens.
Start screening