Always Best Care Senior Services: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Always Best Care Senior Services was founded in 1996 by Michael Newman and is headquartered in Roseville, California. Newman started the business after seeing how hard it was for families to navigate senior care options, and the early model paired in-home care with free placement guidance for families considering assisted living. The brand began franchising in the following decade and has grown into a network of more than 225 franchised territories across the United States and Canada.

The company operates three connected service lines. Non-medical in-home care covers help with daily living, including personal hygiene support, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, mobility assistance, companionship, and transportation to appointments. Senior living referral services help families compare and tour assisted living, memory care, and independent living communities. In select markets, Always Best Care offices are licensed to provide skilled home health care delivered by nurses and therapists. Specialty programs such as respite care, dementia support, and veteran-focused services are offered through many local offices.

Ownership matters for anyone applying. Always Best Care operates as a franchise system, which means the corporate office supports the brand while each local agency is independently owned and operated by a franchisee who is the actual employer for caregivers in that territory. Hiring, scheduling, pay, benefits, and background check practices are therefore set at the local agency level within the standards the brand sets and within the rules of the state where the office operates.

Company culture and employee programs:

Most Always Best Care employees work as caregivers, home care aides, certified nursing assistants, or home health aides, supported by schedulers, care coordinators, and, in skilled offices, licensed nurses. Shifts are often flexible and can include part-time, overnight, weekend, and live-in assignments. Local agencies commonly provide orientation and ongoing training, and many states require a set number of training hours before an aide can work unsupervised. Pay, benefits, and certification support vary widely from one franchise office to another, so candidates should ask the specific agency what it offers.

Yes. Employers in the home care and senior services industry, including Always Best Care Senior Services agencies, are legally permitted to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates as long as they follow federal, state, and local law. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which sets out disclosure, written authorization, and adverse action requirements. Home care is also one of the most heavily regulated hiring categories in the country: many states require criminal history checks, registry checks, or fingerprint-based screening for anyone providing direct care to older adults.

Always Best Care agencies are generally reported to conduct background checks on caregiver applicants, which is standard practice throughout the home care industry and, in many states, a licensing requirement rather than an option. Because each location is independently owned and operated, the exact package can differ by franchise and by state. Requirements may also change with the role, since a skilled nursing position and a companion care position are not always screened the same way.

The Always Best Care hiring process typically starts with an application submitted to a local agency. A recruiter or care manager usually conducts a phone screen followed by an interview covering caregiving experience, availability, transportation, and comfort with specific care tasks. Candidates who move forward are generally asked for references, proof of any required certification such as a CNA or HHA credential, and in many states documentation of TB testing or other health requirements. A conditional offer is commonly followed by consent to a background check, any state-mandated registry checks, and orientation training before the first client assignment.

Turnaround varies with the searches ordered and the responsiveness of the courts, registries, and agencies involved. Many checks are completed within a few business days. Reports that include fingerprint submissions, statewide criminal history requests, or abuse registry checks can take noticeably longer, since those are processed on the agency's schedule rather than the employer's. Candidates who want more detail can review background check turnaround times.

The employing agency decides which searches to run, subject to state requirements. For an in-home senior care role, a background check may include some or all of the following:

Candidates should read the disclosure and consent paperwork provided by their local agency to see which searches apply.

The lookback window depends on the search type and the state. Under the FCRA, consumer reporting agencies are generally limited to reporting most adverse information from the past seven years, with exceptions that can apply to convictions and to higher-salary roles. Home care is a notable area where state law often goes further in the other direction: some states require employers to look back further for specific disqualifying offenses involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or violence against a protected person. As a result, the effective lookback for a caregiver role can be longer than a candidate expects.

There is no single published policy, and because each office is independently owned, decisions are made locally and case by case. Many states, however, maintain lists of convictions that legally bar someone from providing direct care to older or vulnerable adults, and those statutory disqualifications sit outside an employer's discretion. For records that are not disqualifying by law, employers commonly weigh the nature of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and its relationship to caregiving duties. Many states and cities have enacted "ban-the-box" laws that limit when criminal history can be raised in the application process. Candidates with a record should answer honestly, ask the agency about state-specific rules, and be prepared to discuss their history.

Applicants are typically asked to sign a disclosure and authorization form before screening begins, and should be ready to provide full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address history. Caregiver roles frequently also require a valid driver's license and proof of auto insurance where driving is part of the job, plus documentation of certifications. Supplying accurate details helps the agency search the correct jurisdictions and avoid delays.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the US federal law that governs how consumer reporting agencies collect, use, and share background check information. It requires employers to get written permission before ordering a report, to provide the candidate with a copy of the report and a summary of rights before taking adverse action, and to give the candidate an opportunity to dispute inaccurate information before a final decision is made. For more on how the FCRA interacts with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance, see Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

In most states, yes, at least in part. States that license home care agencies commonly require a criminal history check, a check of one or more state registries, and sometimes fingerprint-based screening before an aide can provide direct care. The specific searches, the disqualifying offenses, and any appeal or waiver process are set by state statute and by the agency that regulates home care in that state, so the requirements in one state can look quite different from those in a neighboring one. Candidates should ask their local Always Best Care office which state requirements apply to their position.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what an Always Best Care Senior Services agency may see and gives you a chance to correct potential inaccuracies before they affect your application. In one secure report you can review:

Create your report in minutes at Checkr Personal Background Checks. To showcase verified credentials proactively, build a free Checkr Profile you can share with recruiters, hiring managers, or potential employers.

Check your report status in the Candidate Portal. Or, visit the Checkr Help Center for FAQs, dispute steps, and to contact support.

The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.