11/30/23, 1:05 PM National Service Criminal History Check General and Vendor Updates

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Office of Monitoring

Nov. 30, 2023

National Service Criminal History Check General and Vendor Updates

AmeriCorps sent this bulletin at 11/30/2023 12:17 PM EST

National Service Criminal History Checks

General and Vendor Updates

General Updates and Reminders

Grant Recipients Who Are Prohibited by State Law from

Sharing Results

The National Service Criminal History Check rule, specifically 45 CFR § 2540.206 (a)(5),

requires you to maintain documentation of the checks as grant records. You must be able

to share grant records with AmeriCorps following 2 CFR § 200.337.

If you are unable to provide check results because of state law and the check was

conducted prior to Jan. 1, 2020: AmeriCorps’ previously issued blanket an Alternative

Search Procedure covering grantees that were prohibited by state law from maintaining or

sharing criminal history results of the state and/or FBI check, which expired on Dec. 31,

2019.

If you are unable to provide check results because of state law and the check was

conducted on or after Jan. 1, 2020, you have two options:

1. You can use the AmeriCorps approved vendors, Truescreen and Fieldprint,

whose results can be shared with AmeriCorps. Instructions for setting up accounts

with the approved vendors is detailed in the “Using AmeriCorps Approved Vendors

Truescreen and Fieldprint Manual” on our webpage.

2. In cases where use of the approved vendors would create a burden on the

program, you can request a waiver for the documentation requirement under 45

CFR § 2540.206 (a)(5) to establish alternative documentation arrangements while

continuing to use the state repository. Please review the “NSCHC Manual” on the

website for information about submitting a waiver request or email

NSCHCWaiverRequest@americorps.gov. Note that waivers are not granted

retroactively.

Any checks conducted on or after Jan. 1, 2020 cannot be deemed compliant if you

are unable to share the results with AmeriCorps under state law and do not follow

either of the options above.

We have updated FAQ # 6.6 and the “Using National Sex Offender Public Website and

State Repositories Manual,” both found on the website, to further clarify the requirements

and options for being compliant.
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Use of Unapproved Third-Party Vendors

The Office of Monitoring is observing new grant recipients using unapproved third-party

vendors to conduct parts of the National Service Criminal History Check, such as the state

or sex offender check. Use of these third-party vendors often results in a noncompliant

check and cost-based disallowance.

Per 45 CFR § 2540.204, there are two approved options to conduct each of the three

check components:

National Sex Offender Public Website check: NSOPW.gov or AmeriCorps

approved vendor Truescreen

State check: AmeriCorps identified state repository or AmeriCorps approved

vendor Truescreen

FBI fingerprint check: AmeriCorps identified state repository or AmeriCorps

approved vendor Fieldprint

Use of any other source is not compliant with the regulation. If you are not using the

approved vendors, Truescreen and Fieldprint, you should go directly to the

NSOPW.gov website and the designated state repository.

AmeriCorps provides separate manuals specific to each approved source: "Using

AmeriCorps Approved Vendors Truescreen and Fieldprint Manual" and "Using NSOPW

and State Repositories Manual." Please follow the instructions in these manuals and go

directly to approved sources to ensure your checks are in compliance with regulations.

See also FAQ # 7.6 about using other vendors. All manuals and FAQs are found on

our website.

Review Resources

Approved Vendor Updates

New Single Vendor Contract

AmeriCorps currently contracts with two vendors, Truescreen and Fieldprint, to support

grant recipients in completing compliant National Service Criminal History Checks. We are

pursuing a new contract for one vendor to provide all three check components through

one system. A single vendor system will further streamline the check process for

AmeriCorps recipients, their applicants, and AmeriCorps. We will provide additional

information about the awarded contract, written guidance updates, and training

opportunities after the new contract is awarded in January.

Current Vendor User Feedback Survey

As we prepare for a combined vendor option, we are seeking feedback from current

approved vendor users through the National Service Criminal History Check

Combined Vendor Survey. This survey is intended for staff who use Truescreen and/or

Fieldprint to conduct any of the required criminal history check components. State

commissions and direct grantees whose programs conduct their own checks are

encouraged to pass this survey to their sub-grantees. This survey is anonymous. We are

not requesting your name or the name of your organization in the survey. This survey will

take approximately five minutes to complete.

The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, Dec. 15. Thank you in advance for

providing your feedback.

Take the Survey

If you have questions about this survey, you may contact chc@americorps.gov and copy

your portfolio manager.
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Training Resources

Training Opportunity for New Recipient Staff

We are pleased to announce a new, recurring training opportunity! Whether you are a firsttime grant recipient or simply a new staff member on an existing project, we encourage

you attend the first "NSCHC Tour" session in January. This session will be repeated each

quarter to walk new staff through available resources and common noncompliance issues.

You must complete the NSCHC Annual Required eCourse in Litmos prior to attending this

session.

Quarterly NSCHC Tour for New Recipient Staff

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2-3 p.m. ET

Register

Annual E-Course: New Spanish Version

A new version of the annual required e-course is now available with Spanish text and

captioning. The course, titled "Verificaciones de Antecedents Penales del Servicio

Nacional," has been added to the learning path in Litmos.

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