Glossary

Acquittal

A finding that a person is not guilty of the criminal charges against them.

Adjudication

The process of reviewing background check results against an employer’s hiring standards or decision criteria.

Adverse Action

A negative employment decision based in whole or in part on information contained in a background check report.

Adverse Action Notice

The final notice sent to an applicant after an employer decides to take adverse action based on a background check report.

Alias

Another name associated with a person, such as a maiden name, former legal name, nickname, or name variation.

Applicant

A person applying for employment, volunteer work, licensing, or another position that may require a background check.

Archival Record

A court record that has been moved offline or to long term storage. Retrieval may take longer and may require special request.

Authorization

The written permission an applicant provides allowing an employer to obtain a background check report.

Background Check

A review of information about a person’s history, which may include criminal records, employment, education, driving records, identity information, or other records depending on the purpose of the check.

Background Screening

The process of obtaining and reviewing background information to help evaluate an applicant, employee, volunteer, or contractor.

Ban the Box

Laws that restrict when employers may ask about or consider an applicant’s criminal history during the hiring process.

Batch Order

A group of background check requests submitted together, often used by employers with high volume hiring needs.

Breach Notification

The process of notifying affected individuals, and in some cases regulators, after unauthorized access to personal information. Requirements vary by state and by the type of information involved.

Candidate

A person being considered for employment, contract work, volunteer work, or another role. Sometimes used interchangeably with applicant.

Case File

The court’s record of a single case, which may include the charges, filings, hearings, and final disposition.

Chain of Custody

The documented process that tracks a drug test specimen from collection through laboratory analysis to ensure the sample has not been tampered with or mishandled.

Charge

A formal accusation that a person violated a criminal law. A charge does not mean the person was convicted.

Civil Record Search

A search for civil court records, which may include lawsuits, judgments, restraining orders, or other noncriminal court matters.

Common Name

A name shared by many people. Common names make record matching harder and increase the need for additional identifiers before a record can be reported.

Compliance

The process of following applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures when requesting, using, and reporting background check information.

Consent

The applicant’s agreement to allow a background check to be conducted. Often used interchangeably with authorization, though authorization typically refers to the signed document itself.

Consumer

Under the FCRA, the individual who is the subject of a consumer report.

Consumer File

The information a consumer reporting agency maintains about a consumer.

Consumer Report

A report prepared by a consumer reporting agency that may contain information used for employment, credit, housing, insurance, or other permitted purposes.

Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA)

A company that assembles or evaluates consumer information for use by employers, creditors, landlords, insurers, or other users with a permissible purpose.

Continuous Monitoring

An ongoing screening process that alerts an employer or organization when certain new records or changes are identified after an initial background check.

Conviction

A finding of guilt or guilty plea in a criminal case.

County Criminal Search

A criminal record search conducted at the county court level, often considered an important source for employment background checks.

Court Fees

Fees charged by courts, court vendors, or access systems to retrieve certain public records.

Court Record

A record related to a criminal case, which may include arrests, charges, convictions, dispositions, or sentences.

Court Researcher

A person or company that retrieves records directly from a courthouse on behalf of a consumer reporting agency.

Credentialing

The process a consumer reporting agency uses to verify a prospective client’s identity, business, and permissible purpose before granting access to consumer reports.

Criminal Database Search

A search of compiled criminal record databases, which may include records from multiple jurisdictions and sources.

Criminal History

A general term for information about a person’s criminal record, which may include arrests, charges, convictions, dispositions, and sentences.

Criminal Record

A record related to an arrest, charge, conviction, sentence, or other criminal court matter.

Criminal Record Search

A search for criminal history information from courts, databases, law enforcement sources, or other public record sources.

Data Furnisher

An organization or source that provides information to a consumer reporting agency or database.

Data Provider

A company that supplies compiled records or search results to a consumer reporting agency rather than retrieving them from the original source.

Date of Birth (DOB)

An identifier used to match records to the correct person. Some courts restrict or redact date of birth in public records, which can make it harder to confirm whether a record belongs to the person being screened.

Disclosure

A notice provided to an applicant or employee explaining that a background check may be obtained for employment purposes.

Discrepancy

A difference between what an applicant reported and what a verification source confirmed. A discrepancy is not necessarily a false statement, since records and employer policies vary by source.

Dismissal

The termination of a criminal charge or case without a conviction.

Disposition

The outcome or current status of a criminal case, such as dismissed, convicted, pending, or acquitted.

Dispute

A request by a consumer to challenge information in a background check report that the consumer believes is inaccurate or incomplete.

Diversion

A program that may allow a criminal case to be resolved after the person completes certain requirements, sometimes without a conviction.

Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA)

Driving Record

A record of a person’s driving history, which may include license status, violations, accidents, suspensions, or endorsements.

Drug Testing

A screening process used to detect certain drugs or substances, usually through urine, saliva, hair, or other approved testing methods.

Education Verification

A process used to confirm a person’s degree, diploma, attendance dates, school name, or other education related information.

Electronic Consent

Consent provided electronically, often through an online background check authorization process.

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

A federal law that prohibits most private employers from requiring, requesting, or suggesting a lie detector test, with limited exceptions for certain security services, pharmaceutical work, and ongoing investigations of economic loss.

Employer of Record

The entity legally responsible for an employee’s wages, taxes, and employment records, which may differ from the company where the person performs the work.

Employment Background Check

A background check requested for employment purposes, usually by an employer or its authorized representative.

Employment Verification

A process used to confirm a person’s previous or current employment, including job title, dates of employment, and sometimes other employment details.

End User

The employer, organization, or other entity that requests and uses a background check report for a permitted purpose.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

The federal agency that enforces certain workplace discrimination laws and provides guidance related to employment practices.

Expungement

A legal process that removes, seals, or limits access to certain records, depending on the law of the jurisdiction.

Fair Chance Law

A law that restricts when or how an employer may ask about or consider criminal history during the hiring process.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

A federal law that regulates how consumer reports are obtained, used, and shared.

FCRA

The Fair Credit Reporting Act, a federal law that applies to many background checks used for employment purposes.

Federal Criminal Search

A search of federal court records for cases prosecuted in federal courts, which are separate from county and state criminal courts.

Felony

A serious criminal offense that may carry more severe penalties than a misdemeanor.

File Disclosure

The information a consumer reporting agency provides to a consumer who requests a copy of their file under the FCRA.

Final Adverse Action

The final step in the adverse action process when an employer confirms a negative employment decision after giving the applicant required notices and time to respond.

Global Watchlist Search

A search of certain domestic and international sanctions, watchlists, and restricted party lists.

Hair Drug Test

A drug test that analyzes a hair sample. Can generally detect substance use over a longer period than urine or oral fluid testing.

Hit

An industry term for a potential record identified during a search that has not yet been confirmed as belonging to the person being screened.

I-9 Verification

The process employers use to verify an employee’s identity and authorization to work in the United States.

Identifier

A piece of information used to match a record to a specific person, such as name, date of birth, or Social Security number.

Identity Matching

The process of confirming that a record found during a search belongs to the person being screened and not to someone with similar information.

Identity Verification

A process used to help confirm that a person is who they claim to be.

Individualized Assessment

A process in which an employer considers factors such as the nature of an offense, how much time has passed, and its relevance to the job before making a hiring decision. Required under some state and local fair chance laws.

Investigative Consumer Report

A type of consumer report that may include information obtained through personal interviews about a person’s character, reputation, or mode of living.

Judgment

A court decision in a civil case, which may include a monetary award against one of the parties.

Jurisdiction

The court, county, state, or other authority that maintains a particular record or has legal authority over a case.

Juvenile Record

A record of a case handled in juvenile court. Access is restricted in most states, and reporting rules vary by jurisdiction.

Litigation Hold

An instruction to preserve records that may be relevant to pending or anticipated legal action. A litigation hold suspends normal retention and disposal schedules for those records.

Lookback Period

The period of time searched or considered during a background check. A lookback period may be affected by employer requirements and applicable reporting laws.

Maiden Name

A prior surname that may appear in records and may be searched as an alias when relevant.

Misdemeanor

A criminal offense that is generally less serious than a felony but may still be relevant depending on the position and applicable law.

Motor Vehicle Report

A report from a state motor vehicle agency showing license status and driving history.

MRO (Medical Review Officer)

A licensed physician who reviews certain drug test results and determines whether there is a legitimate medical explanation for the result.

Name Match

A potential record match based primarily on name information, which may require additional identifiers before it can be confirmed.

National Criminal Database

A compiled database containing criminal record information from multiple jurisdictions and sources. It is typically used as a pointer search, and potential records should be verified at the original source before reporting.

No True Bill

A grand jury’s decision not to indict. The case does not proceed on those charges.

Nolle Prosequi

A prosecutor’s decision not to pursue a criminal charge. Often shown in court records as nolle pros or nol pros.

Non-Conviction Record

A criminal record that did not result in a conviction, such as a dismissed charge, acquittal, or certain arrest records.

Notice of Rights

A notice explaining certain rights a consumer has under the FCRA or other applicable laws.

OFAC Search

A search of lists maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control involving certain sanctions and restricted parties.

Offense Level

The classification of a criminal offense, such as felony, misdemeanor, or infraction. Classifications and their names vary by state.

Pending Case

A criminal case that has not reached a final disposition and remains unresolved in court.

Permissible Purpose

A legally allowed reason for requesting or using a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Pre-Adverse Action

The process an employer follows before making a final negative employment decision based in whole or in part on a background check report.

Pre-Adverse Action Notice

A notice provided before a final adverse employment decision that includes a copy of the background check report and a Summary of Your Rights.

Professional License Verification

A process used to confirm whether a person holds a professional license, certification, or credential.

Public Record

A record maintained by a government agency or court that may be available to the public, subject to access rules and reporting limits.

Qualitative Drug Test

A drug test that determines whether a drug or drug metabolite is present above or below a specified cutoff, rather than reporting the precise concentration.

Quality Control (QC)

Processes used by a screening provider to review background check results for accuracy, completeness, proper record matching, and compliance before reporting.

Quantitative Drug Test

A laboratory test that measures the amount or concentration of a specific drug or metabolite in a specimen.

Reasonable Procedures

Procedures a consumer reporting agency uses to help ensure compliance and promote the accuracy of information in consumer reports.

Record Matching

The process of comparing identifiers such as name and date of birth to determine whether a record belongs to the person being screened.

Reinsertion

When a consumer reporting agency restores information it previously deleted after a dispute. Under the FCRA, the CRA must notify the consumer in writing.

Reinvestigation

The process a consumer reporting agency follows when reviewing a consumer dispute about information in a report.

Reporting Limit

A restriction on how far back certain information may be reported, depending on federal, state, or local law.

Rescreening

A later background check performed after an initial check, often for employees, contractors, or volunteers.

Reseller

A consumer reporting agency that obtains reports from another consumer reporting agency and provides them to its own clients.

Salary History Ban

A law that restricts employers from asking about or relying on an applicant’s prior compensation history.

Sanctions Search

A search for individuals or entities appearing on certain sanctions or restricted party lists.

Screening Package

A group of background check services bundled together for a particular hiring need or role.

Sealed Record

A court record that has been restricted from public access by court order or law. Access to and reporting of sealed records depend on applicable law.

Seven Year Reporting Period

A legal restriction that limits how long certain information may be reported on a background check. The records subject to the limit and how the seven year period is calculated depend on applicable law.

Sex Offender Registry Search

A search of available sex offender registry information from state or national registry sources.

Site Inspection

A review of a client’s physical location, sometimes conducted during credentialing to confirm the business is legitimate and has a permissible purpose.

Social Security Number Trace

A search that may identify names, aliases, and address history associated with a Social Security number. An SSN Trace does not search criminal records.

Source Record

A record obtained from the court, government agency, employer, school, licensing body, or other original source responsible for maintaining the information.

Source Verification

The process of confirming a potential record through the court or other original record source before reporting it.

SSN Trace

A search that may identify names, aliases, and address history associated with a Social Security number. An SSN Trace does not search criminal records.

State Criminal Search

A criminal record search using available state level criminal record sources.

Statement of Dispute

A brief statement a consumer may add to their file explaining the nature of a dispute when disputed information remains after reinvestigation.

Statewide Repository

A central state database of criminal records submitted by courts and law enforcement agencies. Completeness varies by state.

Summary of Rights

A document that explains certain consumer rights under the FCRA or other applicable laws.

Tenant Screening

A background screening process used to evaluate applicants for housing or rental purposes, typically by landlords or property management companies.

Turnaround Time (TAT)

The amount of time it takes to complete a background check or a specific screening service.

Urine Drug Test

The most common employment drug testing method, using a urine specimen analyzed for specified substances.

User

Under the FCRA, a person or organization that obtains and uses a consumer report for a permissible purpose. See: End User.

Vacated Judgment

A court decision that has been set aside and no longer stands as a valid ruling.

Verification

The process of confirming information provided by an applicant, such as employment, education, license, or identity details.

Volunteer Background Check

A background check used to screen individuals who volunteer for organizations, events, schools, nonprofits, or other programs.

Work Authorization

Confirmation that a person is legally permitted to work in the United States.

Workers Compensation History

Information about workers compensation claims filed by an individual. Access to and use of this information for employment purposes may be restricted by federal and state law.

Zero Tolerance Policy

An employer policy that prohibits specified workplace conduct, such as drug or alcohol use, possession, or impairment, and establishes consequences for violations.