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Website Launched:  12/26/1994
Last Update:  2/14/2013
The Integrity Center, Inc.

(972) 484-6140
[ Since 1984 ]
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What is actually done for us ?


When you purchase some or all of your background checks from us, what you are buying is expertise, knowledge, automation, and investigative experience.   We only perform background checks when the subject has signed the necessary Authorization & Release in compliance with the FCRA.   Remember, if a background check is performed on a person who has not signed a Release, that background check has been done illegally.

Comments on the major areas:

CRIMINAL CONVICTION HISTORIES:

Most employers want one or more County Criminal Conviction History checks on an individual.   When we receive your work order we immediately set a person in that county into motion to pull any records from the relevant Courthouse.   Normally, the last seven years are searched because the courts have been set up to do that time span for 25+ years.   You can pull the records back to when the person became "of age" (usually 17 or 18, depending upon state).    Courthouse records are pulled fresh every day.   We do not use purchased magnetic tape, CD, or subscription records.   We always go to the courthouse containing felony records which we then report along with any warrants.   We also obtain misdemeanor records and any additional warrants if they are anywhere in the same physical courthouse.   We can run a separate search for misdemeanor records in a second court house if you request it.

State-wide criminal conviction history checks are available in 41 states.   Occasionally, additional items must be submitted, depending on the state.   6 states further require a set of fingerprint cards to be submitted.    5 states further require a notarized release form to be submitted.   7 states further require a regular release form to be submitted.    Complete state-wide checks from the other 21 states can be obtained in a reasonable time frame.    Of course, the FCRA requires that all requests be based on an Authorization signed by the person who is being checked.

For county criminal conviction history checks we advertise a 1-3 day response.   The current actual response time is 29 hours, with larger more automated counties being faster, and smaller more manual counties being slower.

The response time for state-wide checks varies widely.

CIVIL LITIGATION HISTORIES:

Many employers have found that civil litigation records reflect personal interaction capabilities and financial responsibility attitudes that help them considerably when considering candidates.   They are also finding that things such as child abuse and spousal abuse, where criminal charges have been refused in order to maintain the person as a wage-earner, are now showing up more frequently.   These are indicative of certain self-control problems.

DRUG TESTS:

We use urine samples, not blood samples, for drug tests. It is possible to purchase drug tests that look at anywhere from 5 to 10 categories (or Panels) of drugs.   We only provide an 11 Panel test, which covers illegal drugs, as well as the illegal use of controlled substances (taking a legal drug without having your own prescription for it).   This test also includes a panel to check for adulteration (tampering) of the specimen.   We have collection sites in any U.S. city populated with over 40,000 people.   All samples are tested in one of 7 national NIDA certified drug testing laboratories.   Our computer network is tied in to all 7 labs.   Normally, the results of a sample collected today will be available in your interface the next morning if the test is negative.   Add an extra 24 hours for the GC/MS verification if the preliminary test is positive in any way.   The drug testing charges shown in the Service Menu include the cost for the verification of any positives.

Every drug test form has a unique eight digit path variable, and a unique seven digit specimen variable.   We supply you with a quantity of pre-printed Forensic Drug Testing Custody and Control Forms.   When you give a form to a candidate, you give us the seven digit specimen number from the form when you send us the work request via either fax or our computer gateway.   As soon as the test results arrive here, they are correspondingly either sent to you via fax, or they are made available to you fully encrypted in your client interface.

DRIVER'S LICENSE HISTORIES:

Driver's License History data are obtained fresh from the states on a daily basis.   We do not use magnetic tape or CDROM records, nor do we subscribe to an online service of stored data.   You can see how the D.L. Turn-Around Times vary from state to state.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER VERIFICATION:

The social security number, the person's name, and their date of birth are submitted to see if that number was issued to that name on an exact match basis.    Also, the number is compared by the national credit system to that quarter's master tape from the Social Security Administration to see if it is a good number, or has never been issued, or belongs to a deceased person, or belongs to a retired person, or has been used in fraud, etc.

I.D. VERIFICATION:

The name, address, DOB, and SSN are submitted to obtain as much data as is in the credit bureau file on that person.   If a file exists, what you receive is: the person's full name, their full address, the SSN with any fraud WARNINGS, their age or DOB, any known aliases, trade lines with their reporting dates, and a chronology of past inquiries --- but NO financial information.

PERSONAL CREDIT HISTORY:

Personal credit histories are retrieved from providers fresh as they are requested.   Turn-around time is about 15 minutes.   The provider automatically sends notification to each of your job candidates.

EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION:

Prior employer verification consists of:

   Prior employer's name
   Prior employer's address
   Prior employer's phone number
   Candidate's Start Date:
   Candidate's End Date:
   Candidate's Last Job Title:

This check does not provide you with any subjective data such as attendance, attitude, re-hireability, etc.

EDUCATION VERIFICATION:

We verify, or find as incorrect, the following which you provide:

   Educational Institution Name and Location
   Diploma or Degree
   Date of Graduation
   Major or Specialty

The cost is per campus.   This check does not return grade point average, attendance, or other data.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSE VERIFICATION:

We verify, or find as incorrect, the professional license information that you provide to us.


BACKGROUND
CHECKING
FAQs
What is the Fair
   Credit Reporting
   Act (FCRA) ?

Do I need a
   Candidate's written
   permission ?

What is a
   pre-employment
   screening tool ?

What is a
   Background Check ?

What are
   Employee Crimes ?

Why check Civil
   Litigation Records ?

Why should we
   do Security
   Interviews ?

What is
   SSN Validation vs.
   SSN Verification ?

Why should we
   Background Check ?

Where should we
   actually check ?

What are the turn-
   around times ?

What is actually
   done for us ?

How do I cost
   justify Checking ?

Why should I use
   a Hiring Checklist ?

Why not use
   a hair drug test ?

Why not use
   database services ?

Why is The Examiner
   so accurate ?

What are the
   Key Words ?