15670-15675
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 15670-15675
15670. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Instances of elder and dependent adult abuse are on the rise, with the majority of the abuse occurring in the home of elderly or dependent person by noncertified caregivers. (b) This state has a responsibility to protect these persons and to see that they are safeguarded from individuals who may pose a threat to their well-being. (c) Criminal background checks of individuals who provide personal care services to elder and dependent adults, while not ending all occurrences of abuse, will serve as a factor in reducing some of these occurrences and giving senior citizens, dependent adults, and their families a sense of security that care is not being administered by individuals with dangerous criminal backgrounds. (d) An effective background check program will be timely, affordable, and encompass caregivers in domestic and institutional settings. (e) Individuals providing personal care services to elder and dependent adults should be well trained and appropriately compensated for their services to foster the creation of a long-term, professional work force. (f) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article that certified nurse assistants and certified home health aides shall be subject to a criminal background check. (g) It is the intent of the Legislature that the State Department of Social Services prepare a plan by January 1, 1996, to implement a program of criminal background checks for in-home care providers employed under the In-Home Supportive Services program (Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3). The plan shall be made available to the Legislature upon request. 15671. (a) All initial certified nurse assistant and certified home health aide applicants, shall as a requirement for certification, undergo a criminal background check pursuant to Section 1338.5 of the Health and Safety Code. (b) Nurse assistants certified prior to July 1, 1998, shall, as a condition of renewal of their certificates, undergo a criminal background check pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1337.6 and Section 1338.5 of the Health and Safety Code. Commencing July 1, 1998, pursuant to Section 1338.5 of the Health and Safety Code, nurse assistant applicants whose applications were submitted on or after July 1, 1998, shall undergo a criminal background check. 15673. Home health aides certified prior to July 1, 1998, shall, as a condition of renewal of their certificates, undergo a criminal background check pursuant to Section 1736.6 of the Health and Safety Code. Commencing July 1, 1998, pursuant to Section 1736.6 of the Health and Safety Code, home health aide applicants whose applications are submitted on or after July 1, 1998, shall undergo a criminal background check. 15675. (a) Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the Department of Justice shall make available to the State Department of Health Services, at no cost, access to the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System as established pursuant to Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 15150) of Part 6 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (b) (1) As an alternative to the requirement of subdivision (a), the Department of Justice and the State Department of Health Services may negotiate and enter into a contract that specifies the method and terms upon which the cost of the Department of Justice to access the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System for purposes of the State Department of Health Services are allocated between the respective departments. (2) During the operation of this contract, subdivision (a) shall not apply. However, subdivision (a) shall apply upon the termination, for any reason, of the contract and the contract shall not contain provisions to the contrary. (3) The contract shall not contain provisions inconsistent with any law that prescribes the extent to which an applicant for licensure, a permit, or certification, or employees, or volunteers shall or shall not pay for a criminal record background check.