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R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-34 — Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers (2025)

Rhode IslandstatuteRhode Island General Assembly (administered by RI Department of Health / Bureau of Criminal Identification, Dept. of Attorney General)

What this rule requires your agency to do

  • 1The employer must maintain on file, subject to inspection by the Department of Health, evidence that national criminal records checks have been initiated on all employees seeking employment on or after October 1, 2014, and the results of those checks; failure to maintain that evidence is grounds to revoke the employer's license or registration (§ 23-17-34(e)).(R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-34 — Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers (2025))
  • 2Any person seeking employment with a licensed home nursing-care provider, hospice provider, or home-care provider in a position involving routine contact with a patient without the presence of other employees must undergo a national criminal records check including FBI fingerprints (§ 23-17-34(a)).(R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-34 — Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers (2025))
  • 3The national criminal records check must be initiated prior to, or within one week of, employment (§ 23-17-34(a)).(R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-34 — Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers (2025))
  • 4Upon a finding of disqualifying information under § 23-17-37, the employer is notified in writing that disqualifying information was discovered (without disclosure of its nature); the employer makes the judgment regarding continued employment (§ 23-17-34(b)-(c)).(R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-34 — Criminal records review — Nursing facilities — Home nursing-care providers and home-care providers (2025))

Applies to: personal care

Requires any person seeking employment with a licensed home nursing-care provider or home-care provider in a position involving routine unsupervised contact with a patient to undergo a national (FBI fingerprint) criminal records check initiated prior to or within one week of employment, and requires the employer to maintain the results on file subject to RIDOH inspection.

Regulatory information, not legal advice — always confirm against the cited official source. Verification reduces error; it does not certify compliance.