The Health Care Professional Responsibility and Reporting Enhancement Act (N.J.S.A.45:1-30 et seq.) requires that a criminal history background check be conducted for all health care professionals licensed or certified by the Division of Consumer Affairs by 2009.
The criminal history background check process is as follows:
Step 1. A Certification and Authorization Form must be completed and mailed back to the Health Care Reporting Unit, P.O. Box 46019, Newark, NJ 07101. (Faxed copies are not acceptable.)
Step 2. Once the Health Care Reporting Unit receives the completed Certification and Authorization form, a MorphoTrak Universal Fingerprinting Form and letter explaining how to proceed will be mailed to the licensee. You can request a new MorphoTrak Universal Fingerprinting Form. When you make your request, you must include your first and last name, complete professional license number, full mailing address and a daytime phone number where you can be contacted.
Step 3. You will need to use the information on the MorphoTrak Universal Fingerprinting Form in order to schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted by MorphoTrak (the vendor under contract with New Jersey for digital fingerprinting). Instructions on how to contact MorphoTrak will be provided in the letter and can also be found at the bottom half of the MorphoTrak Universal Fingerprinting Form. (MorphoTrak should not be contacted unless you have a MorphoTrak Universal Fingerprinting Form. The MorphoTrak Forms are individualized and should not be shared.)
Step 4. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and SBI (the State Bureau of Investigation) will conduct their criminal history background check. The criminal history background check results will be sent to your licensing Board at the Division of Consumer Affairs. Your MorphoTrak Universal Form will serve as your receipt. Please retain this receipt, as it is your only proof that your fingerprints were scanned.
A Process Control Number (see PCN box at the at the bottom of your Universal Fingerprinting Form) will be given to you once your fingerprints have been scanned. Please keep this form with your personal records, as it will be your only proof that MorphoTrak has scanned your fingerprints. No receipts will be provided by MorphoTrak after the date of printing.
If you chose not to go through the background check process, you will not be able to keep your license active. If your license is inactive, you will not be required to undergo a criminal history background check. However, you will be required to undergo a criminal history background check when you are ready to reactivate your license.
Please visit NJ Consumer Affairs to view Frequently Asked Questions regarding the entire criminal history background check process.