Important: This page is general educational guidance only. Background screening requirements vary by jurisdiction and situation. Always consult a qualified employment attorney for advice specific to your agency and compliance obligations.
Connecticut House Bill 6100 establishes mandatory background screening requirements for homemaker-companion service agencies operating in the state. If your agency places workers in clients’ homes — providing personal care, companionship, or household assistance — this law applies to you. The requirements are specific, and the screening company you use must meet defined standards.
Here is what the law requires and how Research Services helps agencies stay compliant.
PBSA
Accredited — required by CT law
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Required searches — local, national, sex offender, multi-state
1996
CT’s trusted screening partner
Who does HB 6100 apply to?
HB 6100 applies to licensed homemaker-companion service agencies in Connecticut. This includes agencies that employ or refer individuals to provide services such as personal care, meal preparation, companionship, housekeeping, and similar in-home support to clients. If your agency is licensed under Connecticut’s homemaker-companion statutes and you are hiring or placing workers, this law governs your background screening process.
Required screening components
The legislation specifies five distinct screening requirements. Each one must be satisfied — a standard background check from a general provider will typically not cover all of them.
Local Criminal History
A criminal history examination within the applicant’s immediate community, capturing records at the county or local jurisdiction level.
National Criminal Background Check
Covers state repositories, Department of Corrections records, and Office of Inspector General data across the country.
Sex Offender Registry Verification
A search through national sex offender databases to confirm the applicant does not appear on any registry.
Three-Year Address History Coverage
Criminal history checks must be run in every state where the applicant has resided during the preceding three years — not just Connecticut.
PBSA Accreditation Required: HB 6100 mandates that the screening company you use must hold accreditation from the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA). Research Services is a PBSA-accredited provider.
Why the three-year address history requirement matters
This is the requirement that catches agencies off guard most often. It is not enough to run a Connecticut criminal search. If an applicant lived in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts over the past three years, you need criminal history checks in all three of those states as well.
A provider that only runs a single-state or even a basic national database search may miss convictions from states where the applicant previously resided. HB 6100 closes that gap explicitly.
Why PBSA accreditation is required
The law does not just tell you what to search — it tells you who can run the search. Only a PBSA-accredited consumer reporting agency satisfies this requirement. PBSA accreditation means the screening company has undergone an independent audit of its policies, procedures, data accuracy, and compliance practices. It is the industry’s highest standard.
Research Services is a PBSA-accredited consumer reporting agency. Many general background check providers and online instant-check services are not PBSA-accredited and cannot legally satisfy this requirement under HB 6100.
The Research Services advantage
In addition to PBSA accreditation, Research Services maintains a Connecticut criminal records database spanning 35 years — significantly broader than the 7- to 10-year coverage most providers offer. This matters for homemaker-companion agencies because older convictions, particularly those involving crimes against vulnerable adults or children, may be highly relevant to your placement decisions even if they fall outside a standard lookback window.
Agency compliance checklist
Before placing any worker, confirm your screening package includes:
Local criminal history search in the applicant’s current community
National criminal background check including state repositories, DOC records, and OIG data
National sex offender registry search
Criminal history searches for every state of residence over the past three years
Screening conducted through a PBSA-accredited consumer reporting agency
FCRA-compliant authorization and disclosure obtained from the applicant before screening
Adverse action process followed if a background check result influences a hiring decision
Common questions
Does HB 6100 apply if we use independent contractors rather than employees?
The law applies to homemaker-companion service agencies broadly. Whether your workers are classified as employees or contractors does not necessarily exempt you. Consult a Connecticut employment attorney for guidance specific to your agency structure.
Can we use an online instant background check service to satisfy HB 6100?
Almost certainly not. Most instant-check services are not PBSA-accredited, do not conduct multi-state address history searches, and do not provide FCRA-compliant reports. HB 6100 requires a PBSA-accredited provider. Using a non-compliant vendor creates liability for your agency.
Do we need to re-screen existing workers?
The law governs employment candidates. Whether and how often you must re-screen current placements is a question for your compliance counsel and may depend on your agency’s licensing conditions. We recommend consulting with an attorney and reviewing your licensing agreement.
What happens if a background check reveals a criminal record?
You must follow the FCRA adverse action process before making any decision based on the report. This means providing the applicant with a pre-adverse notice, a copy of the report, and a Summary of Rights, then giving them time to respond before sending a final adverse action letter. See our
Adverse Action guide for the full process.
Reminder: This page is educational only. HB 6100 compliance requirements may be interpreted differently based on your agency type, licensing conditions, and jurisdiction. Always consult a qualified employment attorney to confirm your obligations.
Rich Dunn
Research Services
