Background Screening
As a condition of registration, individuals providing direct care services to VR customers must register with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and submit to and pass a Level-2 background screening.
Current VR service providers required to comply with these requirements include:
- Certified Business Training Assistance and Consultation (CBTAC) providers
- Employment, Supported Employment, and Employment Network providers
- Personal Care Assistants
- Rehabilitation Technology providers (adaptive computer, building contractor, driver rehabilitation, and contract providers)
- Sign Language Interpreters
- Tutors
- Vocational Evaluators
- Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA)
Providers submitting applications for the vendor types above will be sent instructions on how to register in the Clearinghouse and get their screenings following initial approval of qualifications.
Note: Criminal history information cannot be communicated via email. Any criminal history documents requested by VR should be faxed or sent via USPS.
Exemption from Disqualification
In accordance with section 435.07, F.S., persons disqualified from employment may be granted an exemption from disqualification. The granting of an exemption does not change an individual’s criminal history. It only provides eligibility for employment in a Vocational Rehabilitation setting. An individual seeking an exemption must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that an exemption from disqualification should be granted. The application will be reviewed and a decision made once all relevant documentation, listed in the exemption form instructions below, has been received. A person is not eligible to apply for an exemption from disqualification until:
- At least three (3) years have elapsed since the applicant for exemption has completed or been lawfully released from confinement, supervision or nonmonetary condition imposed by the court for all disqualifying felonies;
- The applicant for the exemption has completed or been lawfully released from confinement, supervision or nonmonetary condition imposed by the court for all misdemeanors prohibited under any of the statutes cited in this chapter or under similar statutes of other jurisdictions;
- The applicant has paid the court-ordered amount in full for any fee, fine, fund, lien, civil judgment, application, cost of prosecution, trust or restitution as part of the judgment and sentence for any disqualifying felony or misdemeanor;
- Persons designated as sexual predators, sexual offenders or career offenders are not eligible for an Exemption from Disqualification
Exemption Forms
Application for Exemption from Disqualification Form (PDF)
Contact VR
Vendor Registration Unit
Background Screening
Florida Department of Education
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Phone: 850-245-3401
Fax: 850-245-3394
Email: VRBackgroundChecks@vr.fldoe.org
Florida Department of Education
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(800) 451-4327
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Website Comments & Questions
Mission: To help people with disabilities find and maintain employment and enhance their independence.
The Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is an equal opportunity employer. It is against the law for VR as a recipient of Federal financial assistance to discriminate against any individual in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief. The application process used by VR to determine eligibility for services, any subsequent services and the entire VR process are subject to these non-discrimination requirements. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. VR program receives 78.7 percent of its funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For the 2021 Federal fiscal year, the total amount of grant funds awarded were $176,836,896. The remaining 21.3 percent of the costs ($47,860,557) were funded by Florida State Appropriations.
Revised October 2021.