New Jersey Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide (CHHA) · Certification Requirements
Background Screening
On this page 6 sections
In 30 seconds
A criminal history background check is a prerequisite for certification, which means it has to be done before the Board will certify you. You start it by completing the Criminal History Certification of Authorization, a form that gives permission for the check. Next you follow the fingerprinting instructions you receive and keep every piece of application correspondence that comes with them. If the results show something, they may go to the Board for review. When that happens, applicants may get a chance to correct information that is wrong or to provide rehabilitation information showing how their life has changed.
Why this matters
CHHAs work alone inside the homes of people who depend on them, so New Jersey requires a criminal history background check before certification, and knowing each step keeps your application from stalling.
The college version
In normal terms
- The background check comes first; certification cannot be issued until it is done.
- Sign the Criminal History Certification of Authorization, then follow the fingerprinting instructions and save all the letters and messages you get.
- If something turns up, the Board may review it, and you may be able to fix inaccurate records or share rehabilitation information when that applies.
Concepts in this outline
- Criminal history background check is a prerequisite for certification. — The check must be completed before the Board can certify you.
- Criminal History Certification of Authorization. — The form you complete to give written permission for the background check to be run.
- Fingerprinting instructions and application correspondence. — The directions for getting fingerprinted plus the letters and notices about your application, all of which you follow and keep.
- Criminal-history results may require Board review. — When the check turns something up, the Board looks at the results and decides how they affect your application.
- Applicants may have an opportunity to address the accuracy of background information or provide rehabilitation information when applicable. — You may be able to correct wrong records or show how you have changed since a past offense, when that applies.
Eli explains
The same idea, in plain words
Explain it like I’m 10
Think about a school field trip that needs parent chaperones. Before any grown-up rides the bus, the school runs a check to make sure the kids will be safe. The parent signs a permission slip, gets a quick check done, and waits for the school to say okay. It is not about distrust. It is about protecting the children. Becoming a CHHA has the same kind of check, because clients are trusting you inside their homes.
The check is called a criminal history background check. It looks at official records to see whether an applicant has a criminal past. It is a prerequisite for certification. A prerequisite is something that must happen before something else can. So the Board will not certify you until this check is finished.
The first step is the permission slip. You complete the Criminal History Certification of Authorization. This form is your written okay for the check to be run. Fill it in carefully, because a mistake here can slow everything down.
The next step is fingerprinting. Your fingerprints are the surest way to match records to the right person. You will receive fingerprinting instructions that tell you exactly what to do. Follow them exactly, in order and without skipping a step. Along the way you will get application correspondence. Correspondence means letters, emails, and notices about your application. Keep every one of them in a folder. They tell you what has been received and what is still needed.
Sometimes the check finds something. Then the criminal-history results may need Board review. That means the New Jersey Board of Nursing looks at what was found. It decides what that means for your application. A result on the report does not automatically end things. It means real people will take a careful look.
The last part is your chance to speak. Applicants may have an opportunity to address the accuracy of the information. Accuracy means whether the record is correct, and records can contain mistakes. If something is wrong, you may be able to show that. Applicants may also be able to provide rehabilitation information when it applies. Rehabilitation means the ways a person has changed and rebuilt their life since a past mistake. Sharing that helps the Board see the whole person, not just a line on a report.
Like the field trip, the goal is a safe experience for the people being cared for. Sign the form, get fingerprinted as instructed, keep your papers, and respond honestly if the Board asks. That is the whole path through the background check.
Worked example
Marcus finishes his CHHA training and starts the background screening step. He completes the Criminal History Certification of Authorization, reads the fingerprinting instructions twice, and gets his fingerprints taken exactly as directed. Every letter and email about his application goes into a labeled folder on his desk.
Several weeks later, Marcus receives correspondence saying his criminal-history results have gone to the Board for review because of an old record that is listed under his name. The record is not his, so he responds with proof of the mistake. His agency has a client, Mr. Feld, waiting for an aide, so Marcus wants no delays. He uses the opportunity to address accuracy that the process allows and keeps a copy of everything he sends.
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