Frequently Asked Questions

There are many reasons to choose PlusOne Solutions over other compliance options. We have worked hard to be a hands-on, service first organization rather than a data supplier. We understand compliance in the contractor/vendor world and the need to efficiently process all of your compliance documentation with speed and accuracy to ensure that your contractors/vendors are compliant when providing services and/or products.

It comes down to the following areas:

Experience
PlusOne Solutions provides certainty to businesses in the Contractor engagement process through a comprehensive selection of background checks, drug testing, and compliance management solutions. Founded in 2005 and supported by an Executive Team with decades of experience in operations and contractor and vendor networks, PlusOne Solutions® is accredited by the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program of the Professional Background Screening Association.

Customer Success
Your success is our goal. Our culture promotes partnering with our customers to develop solutions that fit their needs. While many Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) are trying to limit the customization of their services we strive to make sure our solutions fit your needs. We know our customers are our best advocates and their referrals have been part of our growing success. We have found building strong, long-lasting relationships with our customers, designing a solution that fits their needs and being responsive are the keys to retention and customer success.

Quality
We understand that both timely reports and accurate information are integral to your business. We take the time to ensure that the information follows our rigorous quality assurance standards and that all final reports are audited to ensure accuracy. We leverage automation where possible but when it comes to the accuracy of the information, we provide within a consumer report we take additional steps to ensure its quality.

Security
As a responsible CRA, we are aware of the sensitivity of the data our customers entrust us with each time they process a background screen. In addition to industry-standard requirements for security, we are also PCI-DSS Level 1 Certified, ensuring the safe handling of all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) at every step in the process. Our web-based platforms provide a user-friendly, easy to navigate interface and are accessible on all types of devices. Whether you are submitting the information on behalf of the individual or having the individual submit their information themselves, we’ve made sure the design is user-friendly yet built to prevent common entry errors.

PlusOne takes its role protecting our Customers and application information very seriously and we optimize electronic security technologies, procedures and organizational measures to help safeguard consumer information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Using appropriate data encryption when data is transmitted, strong password protocols and user permissions and layered firewalls and other security technologies maintain a secure environment.

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was enacted in 1971 as the first federal regulation of the consumer reporting industry citing “a need to ensure that consumer reporting agencies exercise their grave responsibilities with fairness, impartiality and a respect for the consumer’s right to privacy.”

Yes, whether screening an individual for employment or contracting purposes, when using PlusOne Solutions, the FCRA will apply. We work with our Customers to improve compliance with all applicable legal standards. PlusOne Solutions partners with our Customers to ensure the appropriate forms, notices and guidance on such matters is in place. Although we are not able to provide legal advice, the compliance of the process is a joint effort.

We believe in making our solutions as easy as possible. We typically bundle the court fees into the base pricing, so you can benefit from predictive pricing.

Yes, we will apply Customer specific requirements and use a pre-determined Risk Relevancy Matrix to review the specific results and flag those that require additional review for possible adverse action.

We can customize your screening based on your specific needs, but our most commonly requested package consists of the following components:

• 7-year address history search to identify the locations where the person has lived, worked or attended school
• Social Security Number Verification
• US County Criminal search to include misdemeanor and felony records
• US Federal Criminal Court search
• US national database search, including criminal record, state Sex Offender Registries, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) and other government watches and sanctions
• Department of Justice Sex Offender Registry search
• State Motor Vehicle Search
• Drug Testing
• Canada Provincial Criminal Record Search

In many cases, the screening requirement is embedded in the contract requirements for the company and although our experience shows about 5 percent of the network may refuse screenings, the vast majority of the companies will comply with the program. Historically, if the contract requirements we not enforced, the contracted company has been able to elude the screening requirements, which would put customers and others at great risk. An important consideration with the contractor screening program is that a criminal record alone will not make someone ineligible to work on that contract. All decisions are based on the relevant level of risk a criminal or driving record may bring and the goal is not to eliminate people through the screening process who might be skilled and competent contractors.

The Customer holding the contract will make the eligibility determination. The contracted network company, working for the Customer, still maintains the responsibility for the hire and termination of the actual employee (or contractor) but the Customer will establish the criteria for who can work on their contracts. The contractor screening is this model will only determine if someone is eligible to work on the Customer contract, not actual employment.

This varies by Customer, but an expiration period of two years is common across many network programs.

However, if you need to monitor a network more closely or want updates in-between the two-year periodic background checks, then our Continuous Criminal Monitoring program may work for your business. This ongoing monitoring service that takes a proactive approach to in-between screening dates. Depending on the industry, type of positions being screened for, and the role of background checks within the organization, a process for ongoing or periodic screening may be a suitable approach.

Yes, we can customize screening requirements, so you can accommodate the requirements that your customer may require (i.e.: drug tests, recertification, etc.).

Our background check program is unique in that our contractor program works directly with the Customer, as well as the contract holder (i.e. network company), to ensure that the Customer needs are met.

This is different than an employee screening program because the company still maintains the responsibility for the hire and termination of the actual employee (or contractor) but the Customer will establish the criteria for who can work on their contracts. By working for our Customers, with the contract holder, we ensure that the contract requirements related to screening, insurance, and other needs are met and that companies are compliant with those requirements. Additionally, the program generally includes a two-year background rescreen schedule to ensure that compliance is maintained over time. Typical employment decisions may be based on different factors, may not include a rescreen component and may include different search types.

Yes, there is a difference between background screening for a contractor rather than an employee.

The PlusOne Solutions screening program is unique in that our contractor program works directly with the Customer, as well as the contract holder (i.e. network company) to ensure that the Customer needs are met.

This is different than an employee screening program in that the company still maintains the responsibility for the hire and termination of the actual employee (or contractor) but the Customer will establish the criteria for who can work on their contracts. The contractor screening is this model will only determine if someone is eligible to work on the Customer contract, not actual employment. All employment decisions remain the responsibility of the network company.

This is a decision that will be made during the onboarding stage but may include prospective employees, contracted employees and/or current employees undergoing a promotion or responsibility change.

Yes, we can integrate with any ATS or HRIS system. Background checks can be initiated through this process as well as passing results back to the ATS to eliminate multiple data entry points.

• County searches are very detailed and specific felony and misdemeanor searches in a courthouse of the county where the applicant currently, or previously, resided. While a national criminal database can be “an inch deep and a mile wide”, a county courthouse search is “a mile deep and an inch wide.”
• A federal criminal search covers federal crimes that are federally prosecuted and typically not included in either county or statewide criminal checks. This search identifies possible convictions heard in the US District Courts, Bankruptcy Courts and Courts of Appeals, as well as Supreme Court and three National Courts. Federal conviction records are often returned with limited identifiers such as “Name Match Only” so it may be more difficult to match to the applicant when date of birth, address, or SSN are not reported.
• State repository databases are meant to serve as an aggregation of county-level records within a given state. Unfortunately, these are normally less complete and not all states offer a comprehensive search. By comprehensive, we are looking for all felony and misdemeanor information for at least a seven-year period. The state repositories rely on the various agencies to report information and may not include as much detail as the county level searches as not all courts participate and not all information from participating counties is reported in real-time.

There are some proprietary databases of criminal histories which collect information on a nationwide basis from many different sources and these are often called a “national criminal database.” These databases contain criminal, arrest, warrant, sex offender and other global watches, sanctions and government listings. These are not considered primary source records and the content of such databases vary across consumer reporting agencies. There is no actual publicly maintained “national” criminal database that covers all jurisdictions. Further, their content is often known to be incomplete or not as up to date as a primary record search. In compliance with the FCRA, we do send notices when information is being reported from such a database and we also verify the information at the primary source before reporting any details to Customers.

A background check is the process of investigating an individual’s background based on criteria determined by their employer (prospective or current) or Customer contracted partner. This check may include employment, criminal records, motor vehicle and license record checks. Each organization requesting the background should understand what specific searches are being requested and share that effectively with their applicants.

No, we can conduct background screening for organizations in nearly every industry. What’s more important is that we always take the time to understand your needs before proposing a solution. Background screens can be quite different from company to company and we want you to know exactly what you are getting so you will have the confidence that the program is working as you expect.

A background screen is valid for two years and we recommend re-screening afterward. However, we also offer Continuous Criminal Monitoring, which is an ongoing monitoring service that takes a proactive approach in-between screening dates. Depending on the industry, type of positions being screened for, and the role of background checks within the organization, a process for ongoing or periodic screening may be a suitable approach.

To start a renewal screen you will need to go to a URL that would have been sent to the email you have on file with us. If you do not go specifically to this URL, then you may not purchase the correct type of background screen that is required for your specific service agreement. If you are unsure if you received the email or need help in obtaining the URL, please call us 877-943-0100 and we will help you through the process.

Please note, that you will want to complete the renewal screenings application in advance of the expiration of your current screen to avoid a gap in compliance and reporting.

Yes, we do. Typically, our Customers choose a 9 panel (Cocaine, Marijuana, Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, Methadone, Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates, and Propoxyphene) drug screen, but there are other options available. We have a collection site network of almost 15,000 locations to ensure a secure, efficient and professional chain of custody and processing for any collections.

This will depend on the test required, when the collection appointment is set and the results. Most often tests are scheduled by the donor within a few days of the order submission and results are returned within several days from that time. A negative result is normally returned within 48 hours of collection. If there is any need for additional information, or there is a non-negative result, the donor may be contacted by the Medical Review Officer which takes additional time.

Legalization of recreational and medical use of marijuana varies from state to state and this is constantly changing. Since marijuana is still a prohibited Schedule I substance at the federal level, employers can enforce a zero-tolerance standard and still prohibit marijuana use, possession, and impairment in the workplace, on job sites, during working hours or when employees are on call in order to ensure a safe work environment. Some states may be building employee and employer protections into their legislation and PlusOne will amend its processes as laws dictate.

CBS is typically used for medical purposes and is one of the components found in cannabis. It is not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration. Pure CBD does not cause positive test results, however, many products which contain CBD may be contaminated by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)  which could lead to variable results. Another cannabis compound is cannabinol (CBN) and is a THC variant so if this is in the cannabis used, it may also yield a positive test result.

Yes, they can check if the badge is active at www.checkmybadge.com and confirm the badge holder’s identity with an actual picture of the individual. You can also provide the information in advance, so the customer could see who is coming to assist them.

Yes. You can disassociate an employee from your company through the portal, but you will need to notify us directly by either calling us or emailing checkmybadge@www.plusonesolutions.net so we can deactivate the badge completely.

It can take four to 14 business days to receive your hard badge in the mail, but you are able to print a temporary paper badge from the portal immediately upon uploading a photo.

PlusOne understands compliance in the contractor/vendor world and the need to efficiently process all of your compliance documentation with speed and accuracy to ensure that your contractors/vendors are compliant when providing services and/or products. The need to minimize the disruption in operations due to compliance is critical to your business.  As such, we use specialized processors who understand insurance and licensing as well as automated processes to ensure that insurance and licenses are received in a timely and accurate manner. In addition, we take extra steps to verify throughout the year that insurance coverage and licenses are active and in good standing. Our goal is to allow you to focus on your core business needs and for your contractor/network to focus on providing their services and/or products for you. We minimize the effort not just for you but for your contractors/vendors by working directly with insurance agents and online verification of licenses for renewals and any missing items for compliance

Yes, this information is available to you through our online portal that is accessible 24/7. You can download, print, or simply view the documents whenever you need.

Yes, our application can manage a variety of requirements such as effective dates, coverage levels, additional insured for a variety of insurance types, endorsements, waiver of subrogation, etc. with built in notifications if the requirements you set aren’t reached.

That’s okay! We’ve helped many of our clients start up a new compliance program or make changes to that program when they implement it with us. Our experience with contractor networks can help you know what to expect and how to avoid some of the pitfalls. We also provide guidance on industry best practices.

Our reporting provides you the visibility to know when a license is required specific to a state, county or city level and whether the license has been received, is missing or expired. You can also see if there are multiple states or jurisdictions required.