Employer registration
- Is my agency/facility required to register?
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Agencies licensed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment under Title 25 are required to register with the CAPS Check Unit and request CAPS checks. These include any licensed health facility (Section 25-1.5-103, C.R.S.), including those wholly owned and operated by any governmental unit and community integrated health care service agencies, as defined in Section 25-3.5-1301 (1), C.R.S. More specifically, these agencies include:
- Acute Treatment Units
- Ambulatory Surgical Centers
- Assisted Living Residences
- Birth Centers
- Community Mental Health Centers
- Community Clinics
- Convalescent Centers
- End Stage Renal Disease Facilities
- HCBS Adult Day Programs
- HCBS Service Agencies
- Home Care Agencies
- Home Care Placement Agencies
- Home Health Agencies
- Hospice Agencies
- Hospitals
- Intermediate Care Facilities for Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled
- Nursing Homes
- Residential Treatment Agencies
- Any adult day care facility (Section 25.5-6-303 (1), C.R.S.)
- A Community-Centered Board (CCB) or a Program-Approved Service Agency (PASA) providing or contracting for services and supports pursuant to Article 10 of Title 25.5, C.R.S.
- A Single Entry Point (SEP) agency, as described in Section 25.5-6-106, C.R.S.
- An Area Agency on Aging (AAA), as defined in Section 26-11-201 (2), C.R.S., and any agency or provider the Area Agency on Aging contracts with to provide services
- Colorado Department of Human Services entities:
- Mental Health Institute (MHI) (Article 65, Title 27, C.R.S.)
- Regional Center (RC) (Article 10.5, Title 27, C.R.S.)
- Veterans Community Living Center (VCLC) (Article 12, Title 26, C.R.S.)
- Office of Public Guardianship (Section 13-94-105(6), C.R.S.)
- What information is needed to register?
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You will need to gather the following information:
- Name of agency/facility
- Agency type (based on employers listed in the statute)
- Contact information, including address, email and phone
- Agency license number (from CDPHE)
- Vendor name and contact information if your company uses a vendor to complete background checks.
- Click on the the Employer Registration link from the main menu.
- Step-by-step instructions with illustrations are available here
- The CAPS check registration form will time out if you are not actively completing the information screens. Please ensure you have gathered all the information necessary before you start the process. Incomplete requests will be closed and you will need to start the registration again.
- What if we have multiple locations? Do we need to register separately?
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You are not required to establish a unique CAPS Check ID for each location.
If your parent agency has multiple locations and/or types of entities associated with the parent company that uses different payment sources and/or different Human Resources units you may want to register each of those locations/entities separately.
If your company has multiple locations/entities and cannot internally separate the various budget/accounting lines from a co-mingled ACH or credit card charge, you should register separately for each of those locations/entities.
If your company uses the same human resources unit for all hiring within the parent company AND you are billing to the same accounting code or can resolve a co-mingled ACH or credit card charge internally, you should register locations under one registration.
If you register multiple locations/entities separately, be certain that the Employer Name is a unique name. For example, Home Health – Boulder and Home Health – Westminster.
Step-by-step instructions with illustrations are available here.
- May we use a third-party background screening company for a CAPS Check?
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Yes. Employers must register in the CAPS Check System even if they are using a background screening service. The CAPS Check ID must be provided by the employer to the third party. Third-party screeners establish Requestor Accounts and use the CAPS Check ID when requesting checks on behalf of the employer.
- May an out-of-state placement service register?
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If you provide temporary/pool direct care staff for health facilities in Colorado, you may register with the CAPS Check Unit and request checks for your employees. You may only request checks for those employees who you will be placing in Colorado. Register here.
- I am a consumer and want to hire a home health or home care provider. Can I order a CAPS Check?
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If you are a consumer hiring a provider and are not receiving CDASS supports, you may NOT request a CAPS check.
Persons who receive services through the Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) program may request a CAPS check. You must register as an employer prior to requesting a CAPS Check.
- How do we update our registration?
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Employers are responsible for updating agency information when it changes. The process is very similar to creating a new registration. From the registration page, select "Update a Current Registration" to get started.
Navigate to the CCU homepage and select Agency Registration to submit your changes.
Step-by-step instructions with illustrations are available here.
- What if I am unable to complete the registration request when started?
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The CAPS check registration form will time out if you are not actively completing the information screens. Please ensure you have gathered all the information necessary before you start the process. (See, "What information do I need to register?") Incomplete requests will be closed and you will need to start the registration again.
Requestor account
- How do I create a Requestor Account?
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Navigate to the CAPS Check Unit homepage.
Select "Request a CAPS Check" from the blue menu bar.
Enter your agency's CAPS Check ID (XXX-##########) and click validate (type this number directly into the field, do not copy and paste).
You will be taken to the User Login page.
Click the "Sign Up" link in the bottom right-hand corner of log-in box and enter your information.
Once you have submitted your information, the requestor account is ready to use and you will be taken to the CAPS Check Request form.
For future logins, your email will be your user ID and the password will be the password you set up when you completed this process.
Step-by-step instructions with illustrations are available here.
- What can I do once I have set up my requestor account?
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Once you have entered and validated your CAPS Check ID#, you can use your requestor account (your email and password) to access the CAPS check community. In the community you can request a new check, see important messages from the CU, check on the status of your outstanding CAPS check requests, and finish any requests that you didn't quite complete.
The Community Home Page Quick Reference can be accessed here.
Written Authorization Form
- Who needs to complete this form?
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Each individual who will be checked must complete and sign the Written Authorization form. Agencies use the information in this form to request the CAPS check.
The Written Authorization Form is available for download here.
- What does my agency do with the completed form?
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At the time of submitting a CAPS check request, the agency representative (requestor) must attest to having a copy of the Written Authorization form. The agency should keep a copy of this form as the CCU may require the form be provided in order to complete the check.
CAPS Check request
- When is a CAPS check required?
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Certain employers must request a CAPS check before hiring new employees who will provide direct care to at-risk adults (defined in the Statute and Rule Requirements section). Employers MAY request a CAPS check for employees who were hired prior to Jan.1, 2019, and for volunteers.
If more than thirty (30) days have elapsed between an employer's request for a CAPS check for a potential employee or volunteer, and the employer's decision to initiate hiring, the employer must request a new CAPS check prior to hiring the employee of volunteer.
If an employee of volunteer leaves employment but is considered for rehire after more than thirty (30) days have elapsed since leaving employment, the employer must request a new CAPS check prior to rehire.
There is no requirement for recurring/annual CAPS checks.
- What is a CAPS check?
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It is a check of the Colorado Adult Protective Services data system (CAPS) to determine whether an individual has been substantiated of physical abuse, sexual abuse, caretaker neglect, exploitation, or a harmful act.
A CAPS check does NOT replace any other requirements for background checks that apply to your agency.
- How do I request a CAPS check?
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To request a CAPS check, you will log into the CAPS community and enter the information from the individual's completed Written Authorization form.
DO NOT use the agency's address, phone number or email in place of the individual's information.
Step-by-step instructions are available here.
- May I submit information for multiple individuals on the same request?
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Yes, you may enter information for checks of multiple people on the same request. To ensure your data is not lost, please limit the number of individuals to 25 per single request. The number of individuals will be totaled and multiplied by the current fee so you are billed the correct amount.
- How much does a CAPS check cost?
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The cost for a CAPS Check is $9.00 plus the cost of the online processing fee.
- How do I pay for a CAPS check?
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There are three payment options for CAPS checks, which are presented at the end of the request process:
- Credit Card – Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.
- Transfer funds electronically from your bank account via ACH/EFT payment.
- Gov2Go Pay – Use this third-party payment system that allows you to store your payment information for future use. This is particularly helpful if your agency has more than one person requesting CAPS checks.
CAPS Check results
- How long does it take to receive CAPS check results?
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CAPS checks are processed on a first-in-first-out basis and the results will be returned within five (5) business days.
- What will my agency receive?
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Your agency will receive one of three results:
No match
If the individual has not been substantiated of mistreating an at-risk adult, you will receive an email indicating the individual has not been substantiated as a perpetrator in an Adult Protective Services (APS) case.
Match
If the individual has been substantiated as a perpetrator in an APS case, you will receive a letter via email that identifies the date of the finding, the name of the county department that investigated the allegations, the mistreatment type (physical abuse, sexual abuse, caretaker neglect, exploitation, or harmful act) and the severity level of the mistreatment (minor, moderate or severe). The letter will also contain information to help you in evaluating the information, specifically: how the employee can appeal the finding (if they have not already done so), information on APS investigations and definitions of mistreatment types, severity levels and preponderance of evidence.
Flagged match
All individuals checked through the CAPS check process will be “flagged” to identify any future substantiated mistreatment, that is, the individual's information remains on file in the system.
In the event that an individual is substantiated of mistreatment after the initial CAPS check request, the CCU will contact your agency to determine if the newly substantiated individual is still with your agency.
If the individual is with your agency, the letter identifying the mistreatment, as described above, will be sent to you to alert you to the new substantiation.
- Do I have to wait for CAPS check results before hiring a new employee, or before they may begin working?
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The law requires that you request a CAPS check before hiring new employees but once the check is requested, you may hire and begin training, according to your agency's policies.
- May I hire an employee that has a substantiated finding on their CAPS check results?
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The law does not prohibit you from hiring someone with a substantiated finding.
- Are CAPS check results encrypted?
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Due to the sensitivity of the information being provided, the results are encrypted when they are emailed to you and must be accessed through the secure server.
The first time you receive a message from us, you will be taken to the registration screen for the secure server.
This is NOT the same account information that is used for the CAPS check system.
- Do encrypted results expire?
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Encrypted results expire, and therefore must be collected by the requestor within 14 days.
Once expired, the results cannot be retrieved from the server, so we strongly urge you to download and save the results.
If you entered an inaccurate results email address at the time of requesting a CAPS check, or you neglect to access the results before they expire, you may email the CAPS Check Unit at cdhs_ccu@state.co.us and request duplicate results be sent. The CCU may require that you resubmit the CAPS Check request, and pay for those checks again, if your agency routinely fails to retrieve your results in the 14 days provided by the encryption service or routinely enter an inaccurate requestor email address.
Statute and rule requirements
- Where can I learn about the law and regulations regarding the CAPS Check Unit?
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The CAPS Check requirements are outlined in statute: §26-3.1-111 C.R.S.
Details on the implementation of the statute are outlined in rule: 12 CCR 2518-1, Volume 30.960.
Technical help
- What browser should I use?
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Please use Chrome, Firefox or Safari.
Internet Explorer is not compatible and causes errors
- What if I prefer to submit my registration or CAPS check requests via U.S. Postal Service?
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The CAPS Check Unit (CCU) can accept registrations and CAPS check requests and payments through the US mail rather than through the CAPS check online community, However, the CCU works remotely and because mail requests are extremely rare, staff only check for mail weekly. Delays to your registration, CAPS check request, and results are probable using this alternative method for requesting CAPS checks. If you still wish to use the U.S. mail, you can find the necessary forms here:
Payment in full via check or bank warrant must be included with requests. If any of the forms are incomplete or payment is not included or not for the correct amount, your paperwork will be returned to you via U.S. mail and you will need to resubmit your request.
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If a person outside the State has been sent an email that has been encrypted they will receive an email notification with a link to the Secure Reader Inbox where they can view and manage the encrypted message.
They will be prompted through a one-time registration process outlined in this user guide
- Are there user guides to help me with CAPS checks?
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Yes. Here are links to user guides that provide step-by-step instructions:
Payment issues
- Who do I contact if I am having payment issues?
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Gov2GoPay/Colorado Interactive
303.534.3468 extension 0
Other questions
- What if my question isn't answered by this FAQ?
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Email us at cdhs_ccu@state.co.us if you have other questions.