Advanced Reporting

On Jan. 26, 2012, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) division of the US Dept. of Health & Human Services recommended that four Schedule II prescription medications (oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone) be added to the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing.

If you’re thinking about choosing or updating your drug testing panel give us a call today.

We have been advised that all courts in NJ will be closed on Monday, February 13 in observance of Lincoln’s Birthday. We have also been advised that some county courts in IL, including Cook, Lake and McDonough, will be closed as well. We will provide additional updates as we receive them.

We are also expecting that most courts will be closed on Monday, February 20 in observance of Presidents’ Day. Advanced Reporting will open both days and operating under our normal business hours.

Advanced Reporting is sporting a new look for 2012 and we would love to hear what you think.  As one of the oldest subsidiaries of Maps Credit Union we are proud to unify our brand with Maps and our sister companies.  While we may look different on the outside we have the same experienced team of screening professionals working to bring you the comprehensive, cost-effective and compliant screening solutions you rely on.

Three new ways to protect your identity in 2012.  Check out this new article on Forbes.com and see what you can do to protect yourself throughout the coming year.

As you order your background checks this holiday season remember that many sources, particularly courts and educational institutions, may have extended closures scheduled.  Your Advanced Reporting team is working hard to minimize the impact of these service limitations on you.  If you have any questions about the availability of certain sources please don’t hestitate to give us a call.

Effective November 1, 2011, the Death Master File provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) will no longer contain protected state death records.  Why did the SSA make this change? The SSA receives death reports from various sources, including family members, funeral homes, hospitals and financial institutions.  As of November 1, 2011, the SSA will no longer include certain protected state death records in the Death Master File (DMF) it distributes through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) for the following reason:

• Section 205(r) of the Social Security Act prohibits the SSA from disclosing state death records the SSA receives through its contracts with the states, except in limited circumstances.

The content of the DMF, provided by the SSA, will be altered as follows:

• The historical Public DMF contains 89 million records. SSA will remove approximately 4.2 million records from this repository.
• In the previous year, 2010, the SSA shared roughly 2.8 million death records through the DMF. This number will be reduced by roughly 1 million records each year going forward.

  Note: Per both the SSA and NTIS, users of the DMF should always investigate and verify the death listed in the file before taking any adverse action against any individual.

Advanced Reporting will be in Bellevue, WA on Wednesday 10/5 and Thursday 10/6 at the Northwest Human Resource Management Association Annual Conference, in Woodburn, OR on Wednesday 10/5 at the Silverton Hospital Business Health Services Annual Health & Safety Conference and in Salem, OR representing Cooperative Payroll Solutions on Friday 10/7 at Oregon’s Annual Payroll Statewide Conference.  If you are going to be attending any of these events please come find us, say hi and enter to win one of our drawings.

Criminal background checks used to screen teacher applicants, doctors, nurses and daycare employees may not turn up their arrest records because of critical gaps in the Texas criminal records database, a new state audit shows. Prosecutors and courts have failed to submit to the state disposition records on about one of every four arrests in 2009.

Good news, the SSA has reduced the fees for using the Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) service and we’re passing those savings directly to you.  CBSV verifies whether a name and Social Security Number (SSN) combination match the data in SSA records. The submitted information is matched against SSA Master File of Social Security Numbers (SSNs). Each SSN and name combination submitted to CBSV will be returned with a ”yes” or ”no” verification code that the submission either matches or does not match SSA records. Pursuant SSA program requirements, CBSV requires the written consent of the SSN holder and the verification results can only be used for the reason the number holder specifies.  For more information about incorporating this search into your screening program please call us today.

Advanced Reporting currently is seeking a part-time Background Investigation Processor to join our screening team.  The entry-level position is a great opportunity to learn about the screening industry from an experienced team of professionals. For more information or to apply visit the Maps Credit Union Careers site or contact us at info@advrep.com.  Advanced Reporting is a wholly owned subsidiary of Maps Credit Union.