Which health care workers must go through Connecticut's background search?

Connecticut's criminal history and patient abuse background search program covers long-term care facilities, a category that specifically includes home health care agencies, home health aide agencies, and hospice agencies. A covered facility must put an individual through the search before extending a job offer, signing a long-term care services contract with them, or letting certain regular volunteers begin.

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What counts as a covered facility

State law defines a long-term care facility broadly for this program, naming nursing homes, residential care homes, assisted living services agencies, and both types of home health agency recognized under Connecticut law. If you are applying to work with any of these, expect the search to apply to you.

What triggers the requirement

The requirement attaches before three specific moments: before a job offer goes out, before a long-term care services contract is signed, and before certain volunteers who would do work substantially similar to an employee's begin.

• Covered entities include home health care agencies, home health aide agencies, and hospice agencies.
• Triggered before a job offer, a services contract, or certain volunteer roles begin.
• Applies regardless of whether the role is full staff or a similar volunteer position.

Why 'long-term care facility' is the key phrase

If a job posting or application does not use the words home health aide, that does not mean the search is skipped. The requirement rides on whether the employer fits the statute's long-term care facility definition, so it is worth asking directly whenever you are not sure a particular employer falls under that umbrella.

What the process looks like once it starts

In practice, the search involves being fingerprinted in person at a designated State Police location, using an authorization form generated for the applicant. That in-person step is the same regardless of which specific type of covered facility you are applying to.

More questions

Does this apply to volunteers as well as paid staff?

Yes, if the long-term care facility reasonably expects the volunteer to regularly perform duties substantially similar to an employee with direct access.

Does the search happen before or after I am offered a job?

Before; the facility must require the search prior to extending the offer.

What if a job posting does not mention the background search at all?

Ask directly, since the requirement depends on whether the employer fits the statute's long-term care facility definition, not on whether the posting mentions it.

Sources

1. Public Act No. 25-16 (Substitute House Bill No. 6771), Connecticut General Assembly
2. Connecticut Long-Term Care Criminal History and Patient Abuse Background Search Program — Frequently Asked Questions (ABCMS FAQs), Connecticut Department of Public Health

Checked against these sources on November 6, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the source before you rely on a detail. This page is general information, not legal advice.