Mo. Rev. Stat. § 192.2495 — MO Code / Chapter 192 / Section 192.2495
192.2495 Criminal background checks of employees, required when — persons with ...
Status: in_force

192.2495. Criminal background checks of employees, required when — persons with criminal history not to be hired, when, penalty — failure to disclose, penalty — improper hirings, penalty — definitions — rules to waive hiring restrictions. — 1. For the purposes of this section, the term "provider" means any person, corporation or association who:

(1) Is licensed as an operator pursuant to chapter 198 ;

(2) Provides in-home services under contract with the department of social services or its divisions;

(3) Employs health care providers as defined in section 376.1350 for temporary or intermittent placement in health care facilities;

(4) Is an entity licensed pursuant to chapter 197 ;

(5) Is a public or private facility, day program, residential facility or specialized service operated, funded or licensed by the department of mental health; or

(6) Is a licensed adult day care provider.

2. For the purpose of this section "patient or resident" has the same meaning as such term is defined in section 43.539 * .

3. Prior to allowing any person who has been hired as a full-time, part-time or temporary position to have contact with any patient or resident the provider shall, or in the case of temporary employees hired through or contracted for an employment agency, the employment agency shall prior to sending a temporary employee to a provider:

(1) Request a criminal background check as provided in section 43.540 . Completion of an inquiry to the highway patrol for criminal records that are available for disclosure to a provider for the purpose of conducting an employee criminal records background check shall be deemed to fulfill the provider's duty to conduct employee criminal background checks pursuant to this section; except that, completing the inquiries pursuant to this subsection shall not be construed to exempt a provider from further inquiry pursuant to common law requirements governing due diligence. If an applicant has not resided in this state for five consecutive years prior to the date of his or her application for employment, the provider shall request a nationwide check for the purpose of determining if the applicant has a prior criminal history in other states. The fingerprint cards and any required fees shall be sent to the highway patrol's central repository. The fingerprints shall be used for searching the state repository of criminal history information. If no identification is made, fingerprints shall be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the searching of the federal criminal history files. The patrol shall notify the submitting state agency of any criminal history information or lack of criminal history information discovered on the individual. The provisions relating to applicants for employment who have not resided in this state for five consecutive years shall apply only to persons who have no employment history with a licensed Missouri facility during that five-year period. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 610.120 , all records related to any criminal history information discovered shall be accessible and available to the provider making the record request; and

(2) Make an inquiry to the department of health and senior services whether the person is listed on the employee disqualification list as provided in section 192.2490 .

4. When the provider requests a criminal background check pursuant to section 43.540 , the requesting entity may require that the applicant reimburse the provider for the cost of such record check. When a provider requests a nationwide criminal background check pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection 3 of this section, the total cost to the provider of any background check required pursuant to this section shall not exceed five dollars which shall be paid to the state. State funding and the obligation of a provider to obtain a nationwide criminal background check shall be subject to the availability of appropriations.

5. An applicant for a position to have contact with patients or residents of a provider shall:

(1) Sign a consent form as required by section 43.540 so the provider may request a criminal records review;

(2) Disclose the applicant's criminal history. For the purposes of this subdivision "criminal history" includes any conviction or a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor or felony charge and shall include any suspended imposition of sentence, any suspended execution of sentence or any period of probation or parole;

(3) Disclose if the applicant is listed on the employee disqualification list as provided in section 192.2490 ; and

(4) Disclose if the applicant is listed on any of the background checks in the family care safety registry established under section 210.903 . A provider not otherwise prohibited from employing an individual listed on such background checks may deny employment to an individual listed on any of the background checks in such registry.

6. An applicant who knowingly fails to disclose his or her criminal history as required in subsection 5 of this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. A provider is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if the provider knowingly hires or retains a person to have contact with patients or residents and the person has been found guilty in this state or any other state or has been found guilty of a crime, which if committed in Missouri would be a class A or B felony violation of chapter 565 , 566 or 569 , or any violation of subsection 3 of section 198.070 or section 568.020 .

7. Any in-home services provider agency or home health agency shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor if such agency knowingly employs a person to provide in-home services or home health services to any in-home services client or home health patient and such person either refuses to register with the family care safety registry or if such person:

(1) Has any of the disqualifying factors listed in subsection 6 of this section;

(2) Has been found guilty of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to any felony offense under chapter ** 195 or 579;

(3) Has been found guilty of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to any felony offense under section 568.045 , 568.050 , 568.060 , 568.175 , 570.023 , 570.025 , 570.030 , 570.040 as it existed prior to January 1, 2017, 570.090 , 570.145 , 570.223 , 575.230 , or 576.080 ;

(4) Has been found guilty of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a violation of section 577.010 or 577.012 and who is alleged and found by the court to be an aggravated or chronic offender under section 577.023 ;

(5) Has been found guilty of or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to any offense requiring registration under section 589.400 ;

(6) Is listed on the department of health and senior services employee disqualification list under section 192.2490 ;

(7) Is listed on the department of mental health employee disqualification registry under section 630.170 ; or

(8) Has a finding on the child abuse and neglect registry under sections 210.109 to 210.183 .

8. The highway patrol shall examine whether protocols can be developed to allow a provider to request a statewide fingerprint criminal records review check through local law enforcement agencies.

9. A provider may use a private investigatory agency rather than the highway patrol to do a criminal history records review check, and alternatively, the applicant pays the private investigatory agency such fees as the provider and such agency shall agree.

10. Except for the hiring restriction based on the department of health and senior services employee disqualification list established pursuant to section 192.2490 , the department of health and senior services shall promulgate rules and regulations to waive the hiring restrictions pursuant to this section for good cause. For purposes of this section, "good cause" means the department has made a determination by examining the employee's prior work history and other relevant factors that such employee does not present a risk to the health or safety of residents.

(L. 1996 H.B. 1362, A.L. 1997 S.B. 358, A.L. 1998 H.B. 1046 merged with H.B. 1907, A.L. 2003 S.B. 556 & 311, A.L. 2003 2nd Ex. Sess. S.B. 4, A.L. 2014 H.B. 1299 Revision § 192.1110 merged with S.B. 491 § 197.1038, A.L. 2016 S.B. 635, A.L. 2018 H.B. 1350) *Statutory reference to section " 43.540 " changed to " 43.539 " in accordance with section 3.060 based on the transfer of the definition to section 43.539 in H.B. 694, 2019. **Word "chapters" appears in original rolls. Transferred 2014; formerly 660.317