Checkr Release Notes 2021

12/20/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: The Candidate Portal will now display a banner to any candidate with an LA county search which has not returned Clear within 24 hours of the screening's initiation, informing them that their wait times may be delayed due to LA county's redaction of date of birth from all county records.
• Checkr APIs: Added a new parameter to the Subscriptions resource: `next_occurrence_date`. This field will list the next date the subscription will run, based on the `start_date`, `interval_unit`, `interval_count`, and the last date the subscription will run.

12/06/2021

New Feature

• Screenings: Added a new screening for international candidates: Identity Document Validation. This screening will verify that the candidate’s passport, national ID or driver’s license is authentic and validly in circulation. For more information, see International Screenings and What is Identity Document Validation? in the Checkr Help Center.

Enhancements

• Checkr APIs: Updated the Subscriptions resource to allow developers to Update a Subscription. Added both `node` and `work_locations` as required parameters to the Create a Subscription call.
• Checkr APIs: Added `work_location` to the request samples for both Create a Candidate and Create an Invitation calls. This parameter is recommended for all partner integrations, required for international reports, required for hierarchy-enabled accounts, and is a recommended best practice for all integrations going forward.
• Checkr APIs: Made significant revisions to  the Checkr API docs to more clearly recommend the Checkr-Hosted Apply Flow (rather than the self-hosted Reports flow) as the preferred developer integration.
• Documentation: Added a new page which describes the SSN Trace exception process in greater detail.

11/22/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Added 3 new pages to the Candidate Help Center to address the new MVR change in licensing process:
• There's something wrong on my MVR. What should I do?
• I have a new driver license. Why does my report show my previous driver license?
• I updated my license for one company, but my report for another company still shows the old license. What should I do?
• Checkr APIs: You may now use the Checkr APIs to update an existing subscription. See Update a Subscription for more information.
• Checkr APIs: Added both `node` and `work_location` as parameters for the Subscriptions resource.
• Checkr Partner Developer Guides: Added a Partner Certification Requirements Checklist PDF to the Partner Developer Guides for easy reference. Published significant revisions to the site to reflect this checklist, better describe the relation of nodes, packages, and Account Hierarchy, and require that partners enable ETA and use the Checkr-Hosted Invitation Flow in their partner integrations.
• Documentation: Added two new pages to the Help Center to provide more information on MVRs:
• MVR license records more fully describes the records listed in Checkr Reports.
• Checkr’s MVR Rules better explains options available to customers to customize Checkr’s default MVR Rules.

11/08/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Checkr now provides candidates with a workflow through the candidate portal that allows them to update their driver license and PII after a report has completed, and request an MVR rerun. This will help accelerate the application flow, and increase your candidate pipeline.
• Candidate Experience: Candidates may now use the Candidate Stories feature to submit stories for all records appearing on their background check.
• Checkr Dashboard: The Report Log will now list both the origin of the report (manual order, API, invitation, etc.) and the originator of the report (joe.bob@checkrcustomer.com) when available.

10/25/2021

New Feature

• Continuous Checks: Launched a new feature, Continuous MVR, which allows customers to continuously monitor their workers’ MVR data. This feature is now available through both the Checkr Dashboard and the Checkr APIs. For more information, see Continuous MVR: The new standard in driver safety in the Checkr Help Center, and Continuous Check event webhooks and the Continuous Checks endpoint in the Checkr APIs.

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Special characters (such as á, ñ, and ü) entered by candidates during the Checkr-Hosted Apply Flow will no longer post an error.
• Checkr APIs: Added instructions for installing and running a local client using Postman, Insomnia, or the Checkr OAS3 API spec to our developer documentation.
• Checkr Assess: There are several new enhancements to Checkr Assess in the Dashboard:
• The Assess home page has been split into tabs: Rulesets and Settings. (The Settings dialog accessed using the gear icon on the rulesets page has been removed.)
• Admin users may use the Settings tab to hide records marked Eligible by Assess from the charges listed for the Pre-Adverse Action workflow.
• Admins may also use the Settings tab to automatically mark Eligible candidates Engaged. If enabled, users must also select the Packages for which candidates assessed as Eligible will be marked Engaged.
• The Rulesets page has been updated to more clearly indicate the status of listed Rulesets. The Status column has been renamed to Assignments, and lists the number of domains to which the Ruleset is assigned.
• By default, all reports that are canceled will be automatically given the Assess tag: Review.
• Checkr Dashboard: The Invoices page in the Checkr Dashboard now includes a column which lists available Subscriptions CSVs for our customers. These files provide details on the line items for a customer’s Continuous Check subscriptions.
• Checkr Dashboard: Customers may now set permissions to allow their admins to edit a candidate's custom ID or email address from the candidate information section of a report. Work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable this feature for your account.
• Checkr Dashboard:  Users may now add and edit nodes and work locations for Continuous Checks from the dashboard.
• Documentation: Updated several screenings pages in the Help Center to better describe Checkr’s search process:
• Federal Criminal Records Check
• Global Watchlist Records Check
• Sex Offender Registry Check
• Screenings: American Samoa (AS) and Northern Mariana Islands (MP) may now be added to your screening packages. Please work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable these US territories for your account.
• Screenings: Reports will now list both US domestic and non-US addresses for those candidates who submit previous addresses from multiple countries.

Bug Fix

• Checkr Dashboard: Updating the Start Date of a Subscription will now correctly update the Next Occurrence Date, based on the selected monthly interval.

10/11/2021

Enhancements

• Checkr Assess: Added the ruleset ID to the Checkr Assess page in the Dashboard. This ID will be listed with the timestamp and editor of the ruleset's last change, under the ruleset's name.
• Checkr Dashboard: Users may now add and edit nodes and work locations for Continuous Checks from the dashboard.
• Continuous Check: Candidates enrolled in Continuous Check will now be automatically un-enrolled from that screening when an Adverse Action is taken on any of their reports.
• Documentation: Added a new page to our help center that more clearly defines the difference between Packages and Screenings: Help me understand Checkr Packages.
• Screenings: Checkr now supports US Territories in our state searches. Work with your Checkr Customer Support Manager to enable these searches for your account. For more information, see US Territory Search in the Checkr Help Center.

9/27/2021

New Feature

• Checkr APIs: Added a new call to the Continuous Checks endpoint: POST / continuous_checks/{id}. Use this call to update the `node` or `work_locations` associated with an existing Continuous Check. For more information, see Update an existing Continuous Check in the Checkr API documentation.

Enhancements

• Checkr APIs: Added two new parameters to the Continuous Check object: `node`, and `work_location`. Use these parameters to associate a `node` and `work_locations` to your continuous checks. For more information, see Continuous Checks in the Checkr API documentation.

• Documentation: Added a new post to the Checkr Engineering blog: It’s always greener on the other pipeline. This post documents “how Checkr improved CI/CD pipeline reliability with analytics, new cataloging and fixing processes, optimized infrastructure, and a shared knowledge of flaky test root causes.”

9/13/2021

Enhancements

• Checkr Dashboard: The Checkr Dashboard will now include a banner which informs customers of temporary API outages, and links to https://checkrstatus.com/ for more information. This banner will also be available to candidates in the Candidate Portal and Checkr-Hosted Apply Flow, as appropriate.
• Webhooks: Checkr now allows customers to request more than the default two webhook URLs. Reach out to your Checkr Customer Success Manager if you wish to configure three or more webhook URLs for our account.

8/30/2021

Enhancements

• Checkr API: Added an `id` field to the Charge object, which is returned for all Checkr criminal screenings (county, state, municipal, and etc.).
• Documentation: Added the `segment_stamps` parameter to the /reports endpoint. `segment_stamps` is an array listing the node’s and its parent node’s name and tier in the hierarchy. Format: “Tier | Name”.  For more information, see GET /reports in the Checkr API documentation.

8/16/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Completed background checks will now be available in the Candidate Portal for 12 months from the date of completion, rather than the previous 6 months.
• Checkr Dashboard: The timeline for Health Checks (displayed in the report) will now include timestamps for the day the candidate appeared at the clinic, the day the specimen was processed by the lab, and the day our vendor verified lab results.

8/02/2021

Enhancements

• Assess: Assessed reports will now sort returned records by Assess tag: Escalated records first at the top of the list, Review second, and finally Eligible. This will enable adjudicators to work more efficiently.
• Checkr Dashboard: Updated the COVID-19 pop-up message to state: "As a health and safety measure in response to COVID-19, some courts and DMVs in Illinois and Maryland remain temporarily closed. This may delay the completion of some reports." All other states across the continental US have reopened at this time.
• Documentation: Added a new page to the Checkr Help Center: Checkr’s compliance post-processing. This document describes the systems Checkr uses to process records after they have been returned from court sources.
• Invoices: Checkr will now collect any applicable sales and use tax on the sales of its services for customers located in Texas and Pennsylvania. Customers will see this change effective on their July 2021 invoices.

7/19/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Removed the date of the pre-adverse action notification from the post-adverse action email and PDF.

7/06/2021

New Feature

• Self-Service SSO: Checkr now provides an interface in the Checkr Dashboard which allows customers to manage their own Single Sign On services. For more information, see Self-Service SSO: Enable Single Sign On using SAML for your account in the Checkr Help Center.

Enhancements

6/21/2021

Enhancement

• Checkr Dashboard: Checkr has added disclaimer language to Candidate reports, under the SSN Trace header, that makes it clear that the address and alias history Checkr surfaces through the SSN Trace cannot be used for FCRA purposes.

6/7/2021

New Feature

• Checkr API: Added a new endpoint to the Checkr APIs: `/nodes`. Use this endpoint to return a list of existing nodes for your Account Hierarchy. For more information, see Nodes in the Checkr APIs.

Enhancements

• Checkr Dashboard: The Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) database check is now available to all customers. If PATCH is configured on a package, Candidate reports in the Checkr Dashboard will now include a link to see more information for any records returned by PATCH. Work with your customer success representative to configure this search on your account.
• Screenings: Customers may now create Packages which include both a breath alcohol and a urine test.
• Screenings: Checkr now offers State Criminal Records Checks for IL and VA. Work with your customer support representative to add these states for your account.

5/24/2021

New Feature

• Checkr Direct: Customers may now sign up for a Checkr account through www.checkr.com. Click Get Started in the Checkr Direct banner to enter your business email, and create a new Checkr account.

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Updated the Checkr Hosted Apply Flow for Education Verifications to no longer include a toggle asking candidates whether their degree was acquired in the United States.
• Checkr Assess: Customers may now re-sort their Custom Rules to set the order in which they will be applied. Use the up and down arrows for each rule to move them in the list. Rules will be applied in the order in which they appear in the Checkr Dashboard, from top to bottom.
• Checkr Assess: Added a Delete Draft option to the pulldown menu for Rulesets from the Assess Rulesets page which allows you to delete the selected draft.
• Checkr Dashboard: Added the permission to read candidate docs submitted through Candidate Stories to existing Checkr user roles Adjudicator, Admin, and Restricted Admin.

5/10/2021

Enhancements

• Candidate Experience: Required fields will now be more clearly marked required in the Checkr Hosted Apply Flow for candidates submitting their information for an Education Verification.
• Compliance: Added the state of Illinois to our list of Individualized Assessment locations. Customers will now see the flow required to process Individualized Assessment for candidates associated with the state of Illinois. For more information, see Individualized Assessment in the Checkr Help Center.
• Partner Integrations: Removed the Create new Invitation link from the SAP dashboard after the option to cancel the invitation has been selected.

4/26/2021

Released the next generation of Checkr Analytics

Updated our Analytics in the Checkr Dashboard with all new sections, graphs, and data visualizations. Checkr Analytics provides actionable insights to keep your hiring engine running more efficiently. Checkr Analytics allows you to lower costs with insights on turnaround time, volume, and adjudicator consistency. Analytics also allows you to mitigate your risk by evaluating your team’s consistency in adjudication decisions.

For more information, see Analytics in the Checkr Help Center.

Enhancements

• Checkr APIs: Added a `webhooks` resource to the Checkr APIs. Use this resource to create new, or retrieve or delete existing webhooks. For more information, see Webhooks in the Checkr API documentation.
• Checkr APIs: Updated the way in which results are returned for large hierarchies. Customers with large hierarchy mode enabled and pagination parameters specified in this request will be returned the given page and number of results per page. If pagination parameters are not included, only the first page of the hierarchy will be returned.
• Checkr Assess: Custom Rules and Count Rules are now displayed on two separate tabs in the Dashboard. Custom Rules apply across all charge categories and may include variables such as the number of offenses, the age of the record, or the candidate’s age at disposition. Counting rules are count based, and evaluate records based on their total number, as defined by your rule. For more information, see Assess in the Checkr Dashboard User Guides.
• Checkr Dashboard: Added a What’s new icon to the top right corner of the Checkr Dashboard. Click this icon to open a window with the latest updates to the Dashboard, a link to all Checkr Release Notes, and a list of important features that are coming soon (when applicable).
• Checkr Dashboard: Checkr will now capture the username of customers who enroll or unenroll candidates in Continuous Check, and list this name in the report log for the candidate.

4/12/2021

New Feature

• Checkr APIs: Added a new endpoint: Webhooks. Use this resource to create, retrieve, or delete webhooks. For more information, see Webhooks in the Checkr API documentation.

Enhancements

• Checkr API: Added a new parameter to all screening returns: `result`. This parameter will return the outcome of the screening, which may be one of `clear` or `consider`. We have also added a new value to the `status` parameter for all screenings: `complete`. `complete` will be returned when pointer screenings have completed. For more information, see What is a pointer search? in the Checkr Help Center.
• Checkr Assess: Added the ability to assign rulesets to Packages. For more information see Assign rulesets in the Checkr Help Center.
• Checkr Dashboard: Added text to exceptions listed in candidate reports in the Checkr Dashboard that more clearly explain the exception, and link to documentation for next steps to resolve it.
• Checkr Expungements: This service is now available to anyone from the Checkr website: https://checkr.com/expungements. Checkr candidates may now also enter a discount code to pay for the service.
• Invoices: Checkr will now collect New York and Washington sales tax on the pass-through fees to customers located in these states. Customers will see this change effective on their April 2021 invoice.

Bug Fix

• Checkr Learning Center: Users were briefly unable to log into the Checkr Learning Center using their Google accounts. Google login has been re-enabled for this site.

3/29/2021

New Feature

• Partner Developer Guides: Checkr has launched a new subdomain to serve our Partner developers: docs.checkr.com/partners. This site builds upon and replaces the PDF previously embedded in docs.checkr.com for this audience. 

Enhancements

• Checkr API: In an effort to make our screening returns more consistent, Checkr has added one new parameter, `result` to all returned screening objects. We will also now return `status:complete` for all applicable screenings. For more information, see the SSN Trace response in the Checkr API documentation.
  • The `status` parameter will now return `complete` for screenings which have neither a `clear` nor `consider` outcome.
  • The new `result` parameter will return `clear` or `consider` for those screenings which have an outcome.
  • Screenings which previously returned `status:consider` will now return both `status:consider` and `result:consider`. Non-reportable, or “pointer” screenings (like SSN Trace), will now return `status:complete` and `result:null`.
• Checkr Canada: Customers may now define a range for the number of previous employers candidates must submit for Employment Verifications.
• Checkr Canada: Candidates will now receive an email notification when their background check has completed. Customers may also choose to add French and English “Next steps” information to these emails.
• Checkr Dashboard: To more accurately represent their status, completed non-reportable screenings will now be listed as Complete rather than Clear or Consider in Checkr reports. Non-reportable screenings include SSN Trace, National Criminal Search, select State Criminal searches, and select Federal Criminal and Civil searches.

Bug Fixes

• Checkr Canada: Fixed a bug in which Credential Verifications were not appearing on the downloadable PDF for completed background checks. These Verifications will now be included when part of the screenings set for the report.
• Screenings: The Work Location drop down menu was not displaying countries for users with the role Requestor. Users requesting international screenings will now see this option.

3/15/2021

Enhancements

• Checkr APIs: By default, `GET /hierarchy` will now return a paginated list of nodes when more than 20 nodes are present in the hierarchy. `GET /hierarchy` requests that include pagination will continue to return a paginated list, as requested.
• Checkr Assess: Added the ability to assign Rulesets to Packages, to Packages and Geos, and to Packages and Segments. For more information, see Assign Rulesets to Packages, Programs, Segments, or Geos in the Checkr Help Center.
• Checkr Dashboard: Adverse Action events in Report timelines will now include Pre- and Post-Adverse Action notice delivered and opened.
• Checkr Dashboard: Report timelines will now include notifications when reports are updated. For example, when a report is upgraded to a new Package, the timeline entry will read "Report status updated to "Pending" (Report upgraded to [New Package Name])".

Bug Fixes

• Checkr Learning Center: Users were briefly unable to log into the Checkr Learning Center using their Google accounts. Google login has been re-enabled for this site.
• Partner Integrations: An issue which prevented eRecruit users from syncing their Account Hierarchy nodes to Checkr has been resolved.

3/01/2021

New Feature

• Partner Integrations: All Checkr emails issued during the automated "Sign Up for a Checkr Account" workflow are now co-branded with the Checkr and Partner (when available) logos, and rewritten to better suit their intended audience.

Enhancement

• Checkr Assess: Expanded the Fairness and Compliance settings to be more granular in their definitions. Added several new settings, including settings to mark the following charges as eligible: Non-felony charges older than 7 years, Vehicles & traffic charges, Public nuisance charges, Prostitution charges, and Charges when candidate’s age was under 18. See Assess: Fairness & Compliance settings in the Checkr Help Center’s Dashboard User Guides for more information.

Bug Fix

• Account Hierarchy Dashboard: Fixed a bug which returned all candidates for the account when downloading the CSV from the Candidates page. This file will now include only those candidates within the node assigned to the user downloading the CSV.

2/15/2021

Enhancements

Bug Fix

2/01/2021

Enhancements

• Checkr Dashboard: Added an Export to CSV button to the Adverse Actions > Search page. Click this button to export all listed Adverse Actions.
• Checkr Assess: Fairness & Compliance and Custom Rules now display the type of charge or screening to which the rule applies. Use the Applies to pulldown menu in the Custom Rules editor to select charges or screenings to assign to rules.
• SAP SF integration: Checkr will now generate an error when SAP SF users create a new invitation for a Checkr candidate who has an existing, non-expired invitation. This will prevent multiple invitations from being sent to a single candidate.
• Screenings: Added Coast Guard certifications to the list of Professional License Verification types.

Bug Fix

• Checkr API: Updated our API documentation to more accurately reflect the 400 errors issued for the POST /candidate_stories call. We now list two 400 errors: "Candidate story documents limit exceeded", and "Candidate stories limit exceeded".

1/19/2021

Enhancement

• Screenings: Fingerprinting and gender disclosure are no longer required for Indiana state searches.

1/04/2021

No release notes were generated for this sprint.