About
In 2014, the Legislature amended G.L. Ch. 19B, Section 19 (Chapter 234 of the Acts of 2014, An Act Requiring National Background Checks), to require a national check of candidates who apply for positions working with individuals served by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). This check is in addition to the existing Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check.
IdentoGO® by IDEMIA is the Commonwealth’s designated fingerprinting vendor, providing fingerprinting services to fulfill state fingerprinting mandates at numerous locations across the Commonwealth. Prospective employees are required to provide a digital scan of their fingerprints at an IdentoGO® Fingerprint Enrollment Center located within Massachusetts. That fingerprint scan is then transmitted to the FBI for a nationwide criminal check, and the results are returned to the DDS National Background Check Unit (NBCU) for review.
Any person whose fingerprint results disclose a potentially disqualifying offense will receive notice of the disqualifying offense and will have the opportunity to change, correct, or update their criminal history in accordance with the procedures of the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) and the FBI. Individuals will have the opportunity to submit information to the DDS NBCU to allow for consideration of their suitability in accordance with the procedures described in 115 CMR 12.00.
As mentioned above, the DDS fingerprint check is distinct from and in addition to the existing CORI check. The DDS NBCU does not govern the CORI process.
Advisories
Important information, advice or recommendations relating to the DDS Fingerprint Background Check process.
DDS National Background Check Advisory October 2022
DDS National Background Check Advisory May 2022
DDS National Background Check Advisory February 2022
Obtaining Access to the DDS Background Check System through Virtual Gateway
The DDS Background Check System is hosted by the Virtual Gateway overseen by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EHS). Please ensure your organization is setup with the Virtual Gateway before submitting a DDS Background Check System User Request Form.
- Become a Virtual Gateway Organization/User
- Become a DDS Background Check System User
- Remove User from DDS Background Check System
- Add/Update an Existing Virtual Gateway Access Administrator (AA)
Please note, it is recommended that each organization designates two to three human resource employees as users in the DDS Background Check System.
Trainings and Guides
Below is a list of training materials and guides meant to assist with navigating the Background Check System and the National Background Check process:
Contact for DDS Fingerprint Background Checks
Phone
Open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.