FreedomCare: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

FreedomCare was founded in 2016 and is based in New Hyde Park, New York. The company built its business around consumer-directed home care, a Medicaid model in which an eligible individual chooses their own caregiver rather than being assigned an aide by an agency. In New York, the program is known as the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, and FreedomCare grew into one of the larger organizations helping consumers and caregivers enroll in and navigate it.

According to its own website, FreedomCare now serves consumers in 15 states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Program names and eligibility rules differ from state to state, because consumer-directed care is administered through each state's Medicaid program rather than under one national standard. The company markets weekly, on-time caregiver payment as a central part of its offering and provides Spanish-language support alongside English.

Candidates should be aware that the regulatory ground in New York shifted recently. The New York State Department of Health moved the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program to a single statewide fiscal intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC, with that entity taking over program services on April 1, 2025. FreedomCare publicly contested the procurement, and the change materially altered how fiscal intermediary work is performed in New York. Anyone evaluating a role tied to New York program operations should verify the company's current role and staffing plans directly.

Company culture and employee programs:

FreedomCare's workforce has two distinct halves. The first is caregivers, who are frequently family members or friends of the person receiving care and who are paid for the hours they provide. The second is corporate and field staff, including intake and eligibility specialists, onboarding specialists who meet families in the home, care coordinators, nurses, member support representatives, billing and compliance staff, and technology and marketing teams. Caregiver pay rates are set largely by each state's Medicaid reimbursement structure rather than by the company alone, so they vary widely by state, and benefits eligibility depends on hours and state program rules. Candidates should confirm current pay, hours, and eligibility details directly with the company.

Yes. Employers in the home care and home health industry, including FreedomCare, are legally permitted to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates and caregivers, provided they follow applicable federal, state, and local laws. In the United States, screening ordered through a consumer reporting agency is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires written disclosure, candidate authorization, and a defined adverse action process. Home care is also one of the most heavily regulated hiring categories in the country: state Medicaid and health department rules commonly impose their own criminal history, registry, and exclusion-list checks on people who provide personal care services.

FreedomCare is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its onboarding and hiring process, which is standard and in many cases legally required across home care. Caregivers work unsupervised in private homes with individuals who may be elderly, disabled, or medically vulnerable, and states generally require some form of criminal history screening before a caregiver may be paid through a Medicaid program. The precise components of a FreedomCare background check may vary by role and, importantly, by state, because each state's Medicaid program sets its own caregiver screening requirements.

For caregivers, the process usually begins with an eligibility conversation about the consumer who needs care, since consumer-directed programs start from the individual's Medicaid eligibility rather than from a job opening. FreedomCare describes using onboarding specialists who can help the consumer and caregiver complete enrollment, which typically includes identity documents, program paperwork, a background check, and any health screening the state requires before hours can be billed. For corporate and clinical roles, the process looks more conventional: online application, recruiter screen, one or more interviews, then a conditional offer followed by background screening before the start date.

Turnaround depends on the searches ordered, how quickly courts and agencies respond, and whether a state requires fingerprint-based screening, which is generally slower than a name-based search. Many name-based checks return within a few business days, while fingerprint submissions, state registry checks, and license verifications can add days or weeks depending on the state agency's queue. Candidates who want a fuller picture of typical timelines can review background check turnaround times.

The employer sets the scope, and in home care the state Medicaid program often sets a floor beneath it. A background check for a caregiver or home care staff role may include some or all of the following:

Candidates should read the disclosure and consent forms they receive during enrollment or hiring to see exactly which searches apply in their state.

The lookback window depends on the search type and on state law, and home care is an area where state rules frequently override the general default. Under the FCRA, consumer reporting agencies are generally limited from reporting most adverse non-conviction information older than seven years, with exceptions for certain record types and higher-salary positions. However, many states require caregiver criminal history checks that reach further back, and some states maintain lists of disqualifying offenses that bar a person from providing paid personal care regardless of how long ago the conviction occurred.

FreedomCare does not publish a detailed policy on applicants with felony records, and outcomes in home care depend heavily on state law rather than on employer preference alone. Many states define a list of disqualifying convictions for caregivers, particularly offenses involving violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation of vulnerable adults, or Medicaid fraud, and some states offer a waiver or rehabilitation review process for records outside that list. Numerous states and cities have also adopted "ban-the-box" laws that limit when criminal history may be asked about during hiring. Candidates with a record should ask early which state program rules apply to them, since a disqualification set by statute is not something the employer can waive.

Caregivers and staff are typically asked to provide written consent before screening begins, along with proof of identity and work authorization. Be prepared to supply full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and a complete address history, and in many states to attend a fingerprinting appointment. Some state programs also require health documentation, such as a tuberculosis test or a physical, and caregiver enrollment generally cannot be completed until every state-required item is on file.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the United States federal law that governs how consumer reporting agencies collect, use, and share background check information. It requires written authorization before a report is ordered, a copy of the report and a summary of rights before adverse action is taken, and a fair opportunity for the candidate to dispute inaccurate information before a final decision is made. For a detailed overview of how the FCRA and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance apply to employment screening, see Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what FreedomCare may see and help you identify potential inaccuracies before they affect your job 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.