Off-Cycle Revalidation Background Studies for High-Risk Providers

Effective immediately, all provider types and services in the following list are designated as high risk and are subject to enhanced screening requirements:

• Adult Day Care
• Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Community First Services and Supports agencies and Personal Care Provider Organizations
• Companion Care
• Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention agencies
• Individualized Home Supports
• Integrated Community Supports
• Intensive Residential Treatment Services
• Night Supervision
• Non-emergency Medical Transportation
• Peer Recovery – Recovery Community Organizations
• Substance Use Disorder providers delivering Peer Recovery services
• Recuperative Care

Provider/Service Types already in NETStudy 2.0

The provider types below must complete a fingerprint-based background study through NETStudy 2.0 for every direct or indirect owner with an ownership interest of 5% or more prior to submitting a revalidation request. Owners who already have a valid fingerprint-based background study in NETStudy 2.0 with either an "eligible" or "set-aside" determination do not need a new study for that specific service.

• Adult Day Care
• Community First Services and Supports agencies and Personal Care Provider Organizations
• Companion Care
• Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention agencies
• Individualized Home Supports
• Integrated Community Supports
• Intensive Residential Treatment Services
• Night Supervision
• Non-emergency Medical Transportation
• Substance Use Disorder providers delivering Peer Recovery services

The fingerprint-based background study must receive either an "eligible" or "set-aside" determination for Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) to revalidate. There is a required background study fee of $44 and an additional $10.50 fingerprinting fee to submit each background study in NETStudy 2.0. For background studies conducted in NETStudy 2.0, you must be fingerprinted at an authorized IdentoGo location. These fees are separate from the revalidation application fee.

Provider/Service Types NOT in NETStudy 2.0

The following high-risk provider types do not have access to NETStudy 2.0 and will need to follow the steps in the "How do I complete a background study without NETStudy 2.0 access?" section below.

• Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Peer Recovery – Recovery Community Organizations
• Recuperative Care

All direct and indirect owners (with an ownership interest of 5% or more) of the following provider types or services do not have NETStudy 2.0 access and must follow the steps below to complete their background study as soon as possible:

• Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Peer Recovery – Recovery Community Organizations
• Recuperative Care

If you own more than one high-risk program, refer to the "What if I own more than one high-risk program?" section below for additional information.

Step 1 - Prepare for the Background Study

1. Fingerprinting: You must be fingerprinted at a law enforcement agency authorized to conduct fingerprinting such as a sheriff’s office or police department using a fingerprint card they provide. Some agencies may only take fingerprints on certain days, or they may require an appointment, so you are advised to call ahead of time. Contact the fingerprinting agency directly for information on acceptable forms of identification. Agencies may charge a fee to take your fingerprints.
2. Consent Form: Complete and sign the Revalidation Informed Consent Form (PDF). You must check the box on the first page in the attestation section, as well as complete the personal information and signature/notary section on the second page. You must submit both pages. You may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not currently have a PDF viewer installed on your device.
3. Payment: The background study requires a fee of $44.00 via personal check or money order made out to the Department of Human Services. NO CASH. The fee is non-refundable.

Step 2 - Submit the Background Study

Mail the completed fingerprint card, signed consent form, and payment all together in one envelope to the address below. Failure to follow any of these steps will result in your study not being processed, and you will need to submit a new fingerprint card, signed consent form, and payment.

Department of Human Services
Attn: Revalidation Background Study
PO Box 64172
St. Paul, MN 55164-0172

Step 3 - Background Study Processing

Once DHS has received your fingerprint card, signed consent form, and payment, DHS will send the fingerprint card to the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) for processing. The Minnesota criminal history results will be given to DHS, and then DHS will review the results and make a determination. You will be notified via US mail of your background study determination.

You must have a valid background study for all programs and services where you have an ownership interest of 5% or more. A NETStudy 2.0 study is not considered valid for a program or programs that do not have access to NETStudy 2.0, and vice versa. A study completed outside of NETStudy 2.0 is not valid for a program or programs that do have access to submit studies in NETStudy 2.0.

If you are an owner for two or more provider types or services that do not have NETStudy 2.0 access (Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services, Assertive Community Treatment, Peer Recovery – Recovery Community Organizations, and Recuperative Care), you will need to submit a background study for each program. This includes submitting an original fingerprint card, an original signed consent form, and payment for each study. Follow the instructions in the "How do I complete a background study without NETStudy 2.0 access?" section above for each program where you have an ownership interest of 5% or more.

If you are an owner of two or more of the high-risk programs or service types that do have NETStudy 2.0 access, a completed study for one program may be affiliated with another program if certain requirements are met. Check the NETStudy 2.0 User Manual (in the Help section of NETStudy 2.0) – Add an Affiliation Record section to determine if that is possible and for instruction on how to complete it.