Drug Treatment Center Fined Millions for Failing to Perform Background Checks

Failing to vet employees with background checks adequately can be costly, as one drug treatment and mental health facility found out last February. An audit by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller found that the owner of a mental health and addiction treatment center failed to conduct background checks on at least 19 employees who worked at the center and could not verify that others held proper licenses to operate in healthcare. Other notable points made in the audit included cases of the clinic not verifying employees were of age to work, had the education required for their position, and held current driver’s licenses. Upon completion of the audit, the center was fined 1.1 million dollars by the state of New Jersey for failing to take the necessary steps to vet employees before hiring them to work among other issues with the clinic.

The Dangers of Not Vetting Employees With Background Checks

Failure to vet employees properly with background checks, proof of holding necessary licenses, or proof of education can lead to costly disasters for any business. In the United States, an employer can be found responsible for any ill will done by one of their employees accidentally or purposely under the legal principle of respondeat superior, a Latin phrase translated to ” Let the superior answer”.

As an employer, it is critical to ensure your employees are appropriately vetted during the hiring process in all aspects. This is to ensure your hires will be of minimal risk to your operations. The first step is to ensure reputable background checks are completed, as well as other steps, including:

• Proof of education necessary for the position
• Proof of holding current necessary licenses
• Drug screening
• Proof of age
• Proof of necessary experience
• Past work experiences

By undertaking these steps, employers can drastically decrease the risk that an employee will cost them financially and damage their reputation. TruDiligence has over 20 years of experience vetting employees for several different industries. Additionally, we pride ourselves on our reputation and will work with you to make a tailor-made vetting process to ensure your hires won’t negatively affect yours.

TruDiligence

TruDiligence has 25 years of experience using advanced comprehensive screening techniques. We ensure employers get the complete picture before hiring a new employee. Our services include:

• Civil record searches
• Consent-based SSN verification
• Both county-level and federal court records
• Driving records
• Drug screening
• Proof of education
• Proof of previous employment
• Homeland security searches
• Licenses and certificates verification
• Workers compensation claims
• Specialty services

TruDiligence offers all these services to your hiring process quickly and accurately with a completely paperless process. Get the complete picture with TruDiligence and contact us today to learn more about how we can build a tailor-made employee vetting process for you today.