Home Care Provider Background Checks in Alaska: BCP, NABCS, and Barrier Crimes

How Alaska Screens Home Care Workers

When you're hiring someone to enter your parent's home and provide hands-on personal care, knowing the state's screening requirements — and their limits — matters. Alaska runs one of the more structured caregiver background check systems in the country, but understanding what it catches and what it doesn't helps you make better decisions.

The Background Check Program (BCP) and NABCS

Every provider agency enrolled with Alaska Medicaid must screen all staff through the Alaska Background Check Program (BCP). The system that runs these checks is the New Alaska Background Check System (NABCS), administered by the state.

The screening includes:

• Fingerprint-based FBI criminal history check — covers federal offenses and out-of-state convictions reported to the national database
• Alaska state criminal history check — covers in-state offenses, including those that may not have been reported to the FBI database
• Registry checks — the state cross-references results against abuse, neglect, and exploitation registries

This process applies to all direct-care staff at enrolled agencies, whether they're providing personal care under the ALI waiver, Community First Choice, or Personal Care Services programs.

The Barrier Crimes Matrix

Alaska maintains a list of "barrier crimes" — specific criminal offenses and conditions that can disqualify a person from working with vulnerable adults. The matrix divides barriers into categories:

Permanent barriers: Some offenses are permanent barriers under the current matrix, including homicide offenses and sex offenses listed in AS 12.63.100. Other offenses and civil findings have time-limited barriers; the applicable rule controls.

Conditional barriers: Other offenses carry time-limited disqualifications. After the applicable barrier period and any required court conditions are satisfied, the individual may become eligible. The exact timeframes depend on the offense category and severity.

The barrier crimes framework covers both criminal convictions and certain pending charges. An agency that employs someone with a barrier crime violation risks losing its Medicaid enrollment.

What This Means for Families Hiring Privately

If your family hires a caregiver directly through the Consumer-Directed Personal Care Services (CDPCS) program, the state's Fiscal Management Service handles payroll and coordinates background checks as part of the enrollment process. The caregiver must pass the BCP screening before they can begin working.

If you're hiring a private-pay caregiver outside of any Medicaid program, the state's mandatory screening doesn't apply. In that case, you can request a background check independently through the Alaska Department of Public Safety, but it's your responsibility to do so — there's no automatic enforcement.

What Background Checks Don't Catch

No screening system is comprehensive. FBI fingerprint checks depend on jurisdictions reporting convictions to the national database, which doesn't always happen uniformly. Misdemeanor offenses in other states may not appear. And background checks can't screen for competence, temperament, or the quality of care someone will actually provide.

Practical steps beyond the formal screening:

• Ask for and call references from previous families they've worked with
• Request documentation of any caregiver training or certification
• Observe the first few shifts — how your parent responds to the caregiver tells you more than any database
• Check that the agency maintains current enrollment with the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services

Getting Help With the Process

Your regional ADRC can provide a list of certified home care provider agencies that have completed the required background check enrollment. The Care Coordinator assigned to your parent's case is also responsible for verifying provider credentials as part of the Support Plan.

For families navigating the full home care system — from background checks to Care Coordinator selection to Medicaid enrollment — the Alaska Home Care Guide covers each step in sequence with the specific forms and contacts you need.

Trust the system, but verify what matters to your family.

See more Alaska guides →