Checkr release notes 2020

12/21/2020

Enhancements

• Checkr API: Added documentation to docs.checkr.com that enumerates valid driver license number input by state. Use this information to validate input for both the Candidates and Driver Licenses endpoints. See Driver License validation in the Checkr API documentation for more information.
• Reports: When an accident appears on a candidate's MVR, a note stating, "Unless fault is indicated, only the fact of an accident is being reported," will be shown in the Checkr Dashboard, in the downloadable PDF, and in the Candidate Portal with the report. This `note` has also been added as a new parameter to the Motor Vehicle Reports resource.

12/07/2020

New Features

• Checkr Dashboard: The Dashboard interface to assign Nodes to Packages, PAM, Brands, and users will now list any assigned or selected nodes by default. Users may deselect the Show only selected checkbox to show all Nodes.
• Checkr Dashboard: The Report Summary section of Report PDFs will now list the date on which individual checks completed, providing an audit trail for state registry searches.
• Screenings: Employment Verifications will now require candidates to provide documentation of listed employment, when they select the Do Not Contact checkbox.
• Screenings: International screenings will now issue all available webhook notifications.

11/23/2020

New Features

• Partner Integrations: Released a new User Guide for our Workday integration. For more information, see Workday/Checkr User Guide in the Checkr Help Center.

Enhancements

• Checkr Assess: Email notifications issued for Assessments of Eligible will now be sent only for Reports which are Consider, and not for those which are Clear. This change will therefore notify customers of Eligible assessments requiring their consideration.

11/09/2020

Enhancements

• Checkr API: Added a `communication_types` parameter to the Invitations resource which allows you to specify whether invitation notifications will be sent to your candidates by SMS, email, or both. For more information, see the Invitations resource in the Checkr API documentation.
• Checkr Dashboard: Added configuration options to subscribe to webhooks for pre- and post-adverse actions. Use the Account Settings > Developer Settings > Subscriptions checkboxes to enable these webhooks for your account.
• Checkr Dashboard: Added Notifications options to the Account Settings page which allow customers to select to be notified when report assessments are updated. Customers may choose to receive notifications when assessments change to Eligible, Review, or Escalated, and to receive a daily digest of all changes.
• Screenings: Employment Verifications will now include the option "Gap" for employment type, which candidates can use to indicate gaps in their employment history. This option is available through the Checkr Hosted Apply Flow and the Checkr API, and will be displayed in the Employment Screenings section of completed reports. For more information, see Create a new Employer in the Checkr API documentation.

10/26/2020

New Features

• Candidate Experience: Launched our new International Candidate Portal for candidates applying for job locations outside the United States.
• Checkr API: Checkr’s Professional License Verifications are now available through our APIs. For more information, see Professional Licenses and Professional License Verification in the Checkr API documentation.
• Expungements: Checkr now provides expungement services for low-severity marijuana charges in California by identifying potentially expungeable records and assisting candidates through the petition process. For more information, see Expungements in the Checkr Help Center.
• Invoicing: Checkr now provides a “Pay Now” link on customer invoices in the Checkr Dashboard, downloaded PDFs, and invoice emails. Click this link to pay outstanding balances below $2500 directly through Stripe using a credit card, debit card, or bank transfer (ACH).

Enhancements

• Checkr API: Updated our report ETA to generate estimated completion times for all screenings. For more information, see Checkr ETA: Better estimates for report completion in the Checkr Help Center.
• Checkr API: Added a new value for the Employer `type` parameter: `gap`. Use this parameter to define gaps in a candidate's employment history.
• Checkr API: Added a new property to the `work_location parameter: `country`. Use this option to specify the country in which your positions are located. Defaults to US if not specified. For more information, see the Checkr API documentation.
• Checkr Dashboard: CSV exports for
  Account Hierarchy enabled accounts will now include a Work Location and Nodes column, rather than the Programs and Geos columns included for non-Account Hierarchy enabled accounts.
• Reports: The Work Location provided when ordering a
  report will now be listed in the Report Information section of the Reports page in the Dashboard, the Candidate Portal, and the generated Report PDF.

10/12/2020

New Features

• Candidate Experience: Checkr has added a voter registration link to the landing page of the Candidate Portal for all candidates. The banner will read:

Upcoming Elections: Register to vote or check your voter registration status or eligibility here.

Enhancements

• Checkr APIs: Added a more descriptive error message for users attempting to create a Continuous Check for candidates who have not yet completed an SSN Trace.

422: Candidate must have a completed SSN Trace.

• Checkr APIs: Added more complete documentation about creating keys for use in retrieving encrypted Candidate SSNs. For more information, see Configuring encryption for the SSN resource in the Checkr API documentation.
• Checkr Dashboard: Customers are now able to export and import their Assess Rulesets’ Lookback Rules as a CSV file. Click Export for a ruleset to export it as a CSV. Click Import when editing a Ruleset to import a previously downloaded CSV.
• Invoices: Checkr will now add the tag "PA20" to all partial follow-up reports resulting from a COVID report completed after 8/31/2020.

09/28/2020

New Features

Self Disclosures: The Checkr Dashboard will now display a link to a downloadable PDF for any Self Disclosures submitted by the candidate. This PDF is also available through the Checkr API’s `GET /documents` resource. For more information, see Documents in the Checkr APIs.

Enhancements

Checkr API: Added several new parameters to the Candidates resource. See Candidates in the Checkr API for more information.

 `report_adjudicated_after`

 `report_adjudicated_before`

 `report_adjudicator_email`

 `report_revised_after`

 `report_revised_before`

 `driver_license_number`

Checkr API: Added a new parameter, `category`, which lists the Assess category (or `unclassified`) for the record. This field will be included only if Checkr Assess is enabled for your account. See the `charges` array returned for the County Criminal Search resource for an example.

Checkr API: Both the Report ETA resource and the Reports resource will return `null` for `estimated_completion_time` if any associated county criminal search is blocked for the report.

Checkr Dashboard: The report log for Assess-enabled accounts will now list and include a timestamp for each event when the report was updated with an Assess value.

Checkr Dashboard: Added several account options which allow you to define the content type and submission timeframe for candidates to submit their Candidate Stories. Work with your Checkr Customer Support representative to define these options for your account.

You may select whether candidates will always be encouraged to submit their stories, or only after you submit a request to them for their story.

You may select whether candidates can submit documents and/or free form text for general information and/or information related to specific reports. 

You may also select whether candidates may be allowed to submit their information after an Adverse Action process has been initiated.

Screenings: Idaho state criminal searches no longer require an Idaho Bureau of Investigation consent form, therefore the notification that this form is required will no longer appear in the Checkr Dashboard.

09/14/2020

New Features

Checkr API: Added a Self Disclosure object to the Reports endpoint. Self Disclosures allow candidates to provide more information about their past, that might not be reflected in the background check report. For more information, see Create a new Report in the Checkr API.

SmartRecruiter integration: Checkr launched a new SmartRecruiter-Checkr integration.  The integration provides the ability to order Checkr background checks, send candidates an invitation from the Checkr Hosted Apply Flow, and review Checkr statuses and reports in SmartRecruiters.

Enhancements

Checkr API: Added a new field to the Assessments resource: `rule`. This parameter returns the rule applied to the returned Assessment Result object. For more information, see Assessments in the Checkr APIs.

Checkr API: Verification webhooks will now be supported for exceptions which occur during Education and Employment Verifications.

Checkr API: Added a new parameter to the Candidate resource: `metadata`. Use this parameter to add custom key-value pairs to your Candidates. For more information, see Candidates in the Checkr APIs.

Checkr API: Added a new endpoint, ` /counties`, which returns a list of all counties for an input state. Use this data to validate candidate input. For more information, see Counties in the Checkr API documentation.

Bullhorn: Checkr has released an updated Bullhorn-Checkr integration. The updated integration supports Checkr Account Hierarchy, Bullhorn Department Driven Access, and improved Background Check ordering.

Screenings: Added a Notes field to results for Occupational Health screenings displayed in the Checkr Dashboard, which includes any notes submitted by the testing facility for the screening.

 08/31/2020

New Features

Checkr API: Released a new endpoint, `/driver_licenses`, which represents driver licenses for a candidate. Use this endpoint to retrieve, update, or delete existing licenses for your candidates. For more information, see Driver Licenses in the Checkr API documentation.

Checkr API: Added a `metadata` parameter to the Candidates object, which may be used to add key-value pair metadata to your candidates. `metadata` may also be included in the `GET /candidates` call, which will then return only those Candidates that include the passed in metadata.

Candidate Experience: Customers may now use the Checkr Dashboard to enable SMS invitations for their candidates. Go to Account Settings > Settings to enable this feature for your account. You must first collect and retain consent from your candidates to receive SMS messages from Checkr before enabling this option. Note: SMS email invitations are available only when requesting invitations using the API, and only for candidates whose phone number has been submitted.

Enhancements

Checkr Dashboard: Customers may now search for candidates by metadata added to them using the Checkr API. Use the Keyword field on the Candidates page to filter by this attribute. For more information see Candidates in the Checkr APIs, and Search for Candidates in the Checkr Dashboard User Guides.

Checkr Dashboard: Customers with Account Hierarchy enabled will now be able to manage brands from within the Checkr Dashboard. Go to Account Settings > Brands to add and manage your brands' websites and logos. For more information, see Create Brands in the Account Hierarchy User Guides.

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the descriptive text for the SMS setting in the dashboard to be more clear. Text will now read: Send both an SMS and an email invite to candidates when issuing invitations using the Checkr API.

Screenings: All dilute drug screen results will now be marked Consider in the report. Previously, negative dilute dispositions were marked Clear, and positive dilute dispositions were marked Consider.

Screenings: When exceptions are triggered for an Education or Employment Verification, verification event webhooks will also be triggered.

08/17/2020

New Features

Assessments API

Added a new endpoint, `/assessments`, to enable Assess by API. See Checkr Assess in the Checkr Help Center, and Assessments in the Checkr APIs for more information.

Checkr Protect Profiles 

Released Checkr Protect Profiles, which allow customers to place candidates “on hold”, and prevent additional background checks from being run for them. For more information, see Checkr Protect in the Checkr Help Center, and Protect Profiles in the Checkr API documentation.

Continuous Check API

Added a Continuous Checks endpoint to docs.checkr.com. Use this endpoint to enroll your candidates in Continuous Check, which runs a monthly check to pointers to new records, which may then trigger the creation of a new report. For more information, see Continuous Checks in the Checkr API documentation.

Enhancements

Checkr API: Added an `assessment` parameter to the `/adverse_items` resource which returns the assessment value and applied rule for Assess-enabled accounts. For more information, see List existing Adverse Items in the Checkr APIs.

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the Dashboard’s in-app help to provide task-based answers for both Account Hierarchy-enabled accounts and Checkr legacy dashboard users. The system will recognize your account type, and provide help specific to your needs.

Screenings: Added two new options for Health Checks: Reason for drug test, and Require observed collection. Please work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable these options for your account.

08/03/2020

 Enhancements

Screenings: Updated Checkr Dashboard user roles and permissions specific to Health Checks in the Checkr Dashboard.

Requesters may now view and manage health screening appointments.

Adjudicators may no longer view or manage health screening appointments.

 07/20/2020

 New Features

Checkr Assess: Checkr Assess brings thoughtful automation to the adjudication process so you can focus on reports that need your attention. Using powerful and flexible adjudication rules, Assess offers a preliminary assessment of whether a candidate does or does not qualify for a given role based on your own adjudication criteria. With better consistency and lower cost-to-hire, you can scale faster with less risk. 

Use Assess to define your pre-adjudication eligibility criteria of Eligible, Review, or Escalated. Assess will then match your criteria against any state or county criminal records in a report and assign an eligibility outcome to each record in the report.  

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

Please work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable Assess for your account.

Checkr API: Added a new call to the Checkr API: `GET /candidates/{candidate_id}/ssn`. Use this call to retrieve a candidate's encrypted SSN. Please work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable this feature for your account. For more information, see SSN in the Checkr APIs.

Enhancements

Candidate Experience: Emails will now be sent to candidates with completed reports when a record is included that is eligible for expungement. This email will let candidates know that this record may be removed from their background check, and will point them to resources available to help them with the process.

Checkr Dashboard: The dashboard will now display "Candidate uploaded documents" for any Health Check for which the candidate uploaded documentation proving their result, rather than completing the requested test.

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the Dashboard's Logs pages. API Logs may now be searched by Resource ID. Webhook Logs may be searched by Report ID. Both pages also now include a "Share this" option, which provides a shareable link to the displayed Logs.

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the Screenings Settings > Packages page to provide a better user experience. This page now allows you to search Packages by Name or Program.

 07/06/2020

New Features

Candidate Experience: Checkr has updated candidate-facing emails to enhance the candidate experience, provide better messaging for our customers, and improve click-through rates. We have released a new co-branded layout, and updated all content to more clearly convey the message included in these emails. For an example, please see Order a Report in the Checkr Help Center.

Checkr Help Center: Added a guide to help faith-based communities select a Checkr background package to use as a screening tool for their candidates and volunteers. Background check packages for faith-based communities.

Enhancement

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the Account Settings > Integrations page to provide more descriptive text, and allow customers to select which Package to run for new hires, by default.

06/22/2020

New Feature

Checkr Dashboard: We’ve added in-app, task-based help to the Checkr Dashboard. Click the question mark badge in the bottom left corner of any page to open a window that lists tasks specific to that page, with links to Help Center User Guides.

06/08/2020

Enhancements

Checkr API: The `POST /v1/accounts` call will now accept apostrophes (') in city names.

Checkr Dashboard: Several tabs in the Account Settings page have been updated to be more intuitive and user-friendly. 

Account Settings > Users: The Send Invitation button has been changed to Add User. Users may now be searched and sorted by Roles. Assigned Roles are now displayed as a list, with an Edit link to update the listed user's roles. A ? icon has been added to the Roles column, which links to a description of the permissions bestowed by each available role. A pulldown menu has been added at the far right corner of each user row, which allows you to delete the selected user, or edit the Geos assigned to them.

Account Settings > Invoices: Invoices will now be listed in reverse chronological order. Clicking the expand icon will open the associated invoice to display more information.

Account Settings > Settings: Descriptive text in the Notifications section has been edited to better explain available options. 

05/25/2020

New Features

Checkr Accounts: We have updated existing permissions for one role, and added two new roles.

New Role: Restricted Admin role grants users all the permissions of the Adjudicator and Requester roles for candidates within their Account Hierarchy Node. They may also invite users and assign non-Admin users within their Node. They can view invoices and change developer settings within their Node. They can not update billing or settings. (This role is available only to Account Hierarchy enabled accounts.)

New Role: Limited User role can only view the candidate list. They cannot see candidate or report details. By default, this role is assigned to all new invitees.

Updated Role: Requester role can now invite and uninvite candidates. They can also see candidate documents and exceptions. They can no longer see completed reports.

Partner Integrations: The self service signup flow for partner integrations will now allow customers to add a bank account as a payment method in addition to the previously available credit card account.

Enhancement

Checkr Dashboard: Added a Learn more link to Roles column of the Account Settings > Users page which links to the Assign roles to users section of the Checkr Dashboard User Guides, which defines the permissions for each available role.

05/11/2020

 To be released 2pm PST May 11, 2020

Checkr Accounts: We have updated existing permissions for one role, and added two new roles.

New Role: Restricted Admin role grants users all the permissions of the Adjudicator and Requester roles for candidates within their Account Hierarchy Node. They may also invite users and assign non-Admin users within their Node. They can view invoices and change developer settings within their Node. They cannot update billing or settings. (This role is available only to Account Hierarchy enabled accounts.)

New Role: Limited User role can only view the candidate list. They cannot see candidate or report details. By default, this role is assigned to all new invitees. 

Updated Role: Requester role can now invite and uninvite candidates. They can also see candidate documents and exceptions. They can no longer see completed reports.

New Features

Candidate Experience: Improved our validation process for candidate email addresses. Candidates will now receive error messages that their email domain name is not registered  (for example, checkr@gmail.con), or that their domain is not configured to accept email (for example, checkr@reliancetc.com).

Checkr API: Exposed the new `hierarchy` endpoint in the Checkr API documentation. For more information, see the Account Hierarchy Management User Guides in the Checkr Help Center, and Hierarchy (Enabled by request) in the Checkr API documentation. Work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable Account Management for your account.

Checkr API: Checkr now supports SMS invitations and invitation reminders for candidates to participate in their background check. This feature is available only when generating invitations using the Checkr API, and is not available through the Checkr Dashboard. Work with your Checkr Customer Success Manager to enable SMS notifications for your account.

Checkr API: Candidate Stories are now available from the Checkr APIs. For more information, see Candidate Stories.

Checkr Dashboard: The Candidates page will now include the option to filter by Report completion date. Timestamps will appear in the Account's local time.

Screenings: Added a COVID-19 extension notice to all customer- and candidate-facing MVR reports that include a license expiration date automatically extended by the issuing DMV.

Enhancements

Candidate Experience: Added a new “Log into the Candidate Portal to review your report’s status” link to the top of all pages in the Candidate Help Center. 

Candidate Experience: Improved our email validation process to check domains. Candidates entering email addresses with invalid domains will now receive an error stating that the email address is invalid.

Checkr Dashboard: Added the requester's email address to the CSV file exported from the Candidates page in the Dashboard.

Checkr Dashboard: Users may now both search and sort candidates based on the date on which their report was created or completed.

04/27/2020

New Feature

Candidate Stories: Checkr now provides candidates the opportunity to submit more information about their past, their record, or any other information they wish to offer.

If an account has Candidate Stories enabled, candidates with Consider reports will see a "Share your story" button in the Candidate Portal. The information they share will then be included in their Report in both the Checkr Dashboard and the Candidate Portal, and may be accessed through the new `candidate-stories` resource in the Checkr APIs. For more information, please see Candidate Stories: Improving understanding of the past and present in the Checkr Help Center, and Candidate Stories in the Checkr API documentation.

Enhancement

Checkr Dashboard: Added a Report Log pane to the Report page, which allows users to view a list and timestamp of events in the Report’s lifecycle. Logged events will include: invitation sent, changes to report status, Adverse Action steps, screening completions, and Report views.

04/13/2020

 New Feature

Screenings: We have released a new Package option that allows customers who would like to have background reports completed notwithstanding court closures to skip inaccessible court searches. For more information, see Checkr COVID-19 Continuity Package: Implementation Guide in the Checkr Help Center.

Enhancement

Invoices: Added a 'discount_amount` column to invoices, which shows if the customer is getting a discount on their package because they have the COVID-19 feature enabled and are eligible for discount.

03/30/2020

Product messaging in response to COVID-19 closures

Checkr has added both customer and candidate messaging to several areas of the platform, to inform our users of possible delays in our Reports due to facility closures or limited accessibility. 

Checkr Dashboard: Added an overlay window that informs all users of possible delays in Report processing due to county court closures, and links to https://data.checkrstatus.com/#, which is updated daily and lists known county court closures.

Checkr Dashboard and Candidate Portal: Added messaging to the ETA for County Searches which displays “Unavailable”, rather than providing an ETA when the states or counties to be searched are closed or otherwise inaccessible.

Checkr-Hosted Apply Flow: Added messaging to Health Check emails to candidates, asking them to please call ahead to confirm that their selected clinic will be available for their test, before they arrive.

New Feature

Screenings: Checkr has launched a page which provides up to date information on County Courthouse closures and delays. Go to https://data.checkrstatus.com/# to subscribe to these notifications, which will be updated daily with any new information Checkr has acquired.

Enhancements

Candidate Experience: Suspended screenings will no longer be listed on candidate Report PDFs or in the Candidate Portal, regardless of the reason they were suspended. Report status (Pending, Clear, or Consider) will be based only on those screenings that are able to complete.

Screenings: Health Check Report PDFs will now include chain of custody forms with result certificates.

03/16/2020

Enhancements

Checkr Dashboard: Checkr will now display the email delivery status for all notifications sent to candidates. The email sent, the email address to which it was sent, and the timestamp for the event will be listed in a new Notifications section of the candidate's report.

Checkr Dashboard: We've updated the color scheme of our Dashboard to reflect our new corporate branding.

Checkr Help Center: We’ve rewritten the Getting Started Guides to be more up-to-date, tasked based, and easy to follow. We’ve also added a new page on setting up your account with Checkr, including getting credentialed. No URLs have been harmed in the making of these new pages.

03/02/2020

Enhancements

Checkr API: Added a new parameter to the Motor Vehicle Report endpoint: `privilege_to_drive`. Use this parameter to more quickly understand if the submitted driver license is valid or invalid. For more information, see Get Motor Vehicle Report in our API Reference docs.

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the CSV export functionality to pre-populate the CSV export date fields with any dates selected in the Candidates page.

02/17/2020

No Release Notes were generated for this sprint.

02/03/2020

New Features

Checkr APIs: Released a new Partner Developer Best Practices Guide to the Checkr API documentation. This guide provides detailed instructions on using the Checkr APIs to create an integrated application. Please see Checkr Partners in the Checkr API documentation for more information.

Release Notes: As a step toward presenting a more accessible and unified user experience, we are moving our release notes from the Learning Center to the Help Center.  Both the Learning Center Release Notes and the Help Center Release Notes will remain in sync until March 3, 2020, after which the Learning Center’s Release Notes page will no longer be updated.

No other changes will be made to any other Learning Center content. 

01/20/2020

 New Feature

Checkr API: Added an Account resource to the Checkr APIs. This endpoint allows Checkr customers to retrieve their account information, and Checkr Partners to retrieve Account details on behalf of their customers. For more information, see the Account resource in the Checkr API documentation.

Enhancements

Checkr API: Added the `report_id` key to Invitation webhooks and API endpoints that respond with invitations. For more information, see the 200 response for Create Invitation.

Checkr Dashboard: Added a "Name" field to the credit card payment method screen, allowing customers to enter a name for their credit card information which differs from their Checkr login name.

Bug Fix

Compliance: Updated the date listed on post Adverse Action PDFs to more accurately reflect the date the email was sent, rather than the date the Post Adverse Action was generated.

01/06/2020

New Features

Checkr API: Added three new webhook events, which notify customers when changes have been made to their existing Packages. Using these webhooks allows you to maintain a cached Package list, and retrieve new Packages only when there's been a change. New webhook events are: `package.created`, `package.updated`, and `package.deleted`.

For more information, see Package Events in the Checkr API documentation.

Compliance: Checkr now offers both candidates and customers the means to delete Candidate Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from the Checkr database, upon Candidate request.

Screenings: Checkr now allows customers to create Rules based on candidate's driving privilege. This allows customers to filter on whether a candidate's license reflects a passenger vehicle or a motorcycle endorsement. Work with your Checkr Customer Success partner to enable these rules, if desired.

Sendr: Checkr has released Sendr, an encrypted file transfer service that allows Checkr and our customers to safely and securely share documents containing sensitive data. For more information, please see Sendr: Checkr's Secure Document Exchange tool in the Checkr Help Center

Enhancements

Checkr Dashboard: Updated the description of MVR rules to be more specific to the listed rules. The description has been changed from "Driver must have acceptable driving privileges" to "Candidate must currently be privileged to drive a passenger vehicle or motorcycle" or "Candidate must currently be privileged to drive a passenger vehicle" as appropriate.