Iowa Code 135B.34 – Hospital employees — criminal history and abuse record checks — penalty
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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1. a. Prior to employment of a person in a hospital, the hospital shall do one of the following:
(1) Request that the department of public safety perform a criminal history check and the department of human services perform child and dependent adult abuse record checks of the person in this state.
(2) Access the single contact repository to perform the required record checks.
b. (1) If a hospital accesses the single contact repository to perform the required record checks pursuant to paragraph “a”, the hospital may utilize a third-party vendor to perform a comprehensive preliminary background check and provisionally employ a person being considered for employment pending completion of the required record checks through the single contact repository and the evaluation by the department of human services, as applicable, subject to all of the following:
(a) If the comprehensive preliminary background check determines that the person being considered for employment has been convicted of a crime, but the crime does not constitute a felony as defined in section 701.7 and is not a crime specified pursuant to chapter 708, 708A, 709, 709A, 710, 710A, 711, or 712, or pursuant to section 726.3, 726.27, or 726.28.
(b) If the comprehensive preliminary background check determines the person being considered for employment does not have a record of founded child abuse or dependent adult abuse or if an exception pursuant to subsection 4 is applicable to the person.
(c) If the hospital has requested an evaluation in accordance with subsection 2, paragraph “a”, to determine whether the crime warrants prohibition of the person’s employment in the hospital.
(2) The provisional employment under this paragraph “b” may continue until such time as the required record checks through the single contact repository and the evaluation by the department of human services, as applicable, are completed.
c. A hospital shall inform all persons prior to employment regarding the performance of the record checks and shall obtain, from the persons, a signed acknowledgment of the receipt of the information. A hospital shall include the following inquiry in an application for employment:
Do you have a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse or have you ever been convicted of a crime, in this state or any other state?
Attorney's Note
Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Serious misdemeanor | up to 1 year | between $430 and $2,560 |
| Simple misdemeanor | up to 30 days | between $105 and $855 |
Terms Used In Iowa Code 135B.34
- Child: includes child by adoption. See Iowa Code 4.1
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Department: means the department of inspections and appeals. See Iowa Code 135B.1
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
- Hospital: means a place which is devoted primarily to the maintenance and operation of facilities for the diagnosis, treatment or care over a period exceeding twenty-four hours of two or more nonrelated individuals suffering from illness, injury, or deformity, or a place which is devoted primarily to the rendering over a period exceeding twenty-four hours of obstetrical or other medical or nursing care for two or more nonrelated individuals, or any institution, place, building or agency in which any accommodation is primarily maintained, furnished or offered for the care over a period exceeding twenty-four hours of two or more nonrelated aged or infirm persons requiring or receiving chronic or convalescent care; and shall include sanatoriums or other related institutions within the meaning of this chapter. See Iowa Code 135B.1
- Person: means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, or joint stock association; and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee or other similar representative thereof. See Iowa Code 135B.1
- State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Iowa Code 152E.3
2. a. If it is determined that a person being considered for employment in a hospital has committed a crime, the department of public safety shall notify the hospital that upon the request of the hospital the department of human services will perform an evaluation to determine whether the crime warrants prohibition of the person’s employment in the hospital.
b. (1) If a person being considered for employment, other than employment involving the operation of a motor vehicle, has been convicted of a crime listed in subparagraph (2) but does not have a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse and the hospital has requested an evaluation in accordance with paragraph “a” to determine whether the crime warrants prohibition of the person’s employment, the hospital may employ the person for not more than sixty calendar days pending completion of the evaluation.
(2) Subparagraph (1) applies to a crime that is a simple misdemeanor offense under section 123.47, and to a crime that is a first offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated under section 321J.2, subsection 1.
c. If a department of human services child or dependent adult abuse record check shows that the person has a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse, the department of human services shall notify the hospital that upon the request of the hospital the department of human services will perform an evaluation to determine whether the founded child or dependent adult abuse warrants prohibition of the person’s employment in the hospital.
d. An evaluation performed under this subsection shall be performed in accordance with procedures adopted for this purpose by the department of human services.
e. (1) If a person owns or operates more than one hospital, and an employee of one of such hospitals is transferred to another such hospital without a lapse in employment, the hospital is not required to request additional criminal and child and dependent adult abuse record checks of that employee.
(2) If the ownership of a hospital is transferred, at the time of transfer the record checks required by this section shall be performed for each employee for whom there is no documentation that such record checks have been performed. The hospital may continue to employ such employee pending the performance of the record checks and any related evaluation.
3. In an evaluation, the department of human services shall consider the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded child or dependent adult abuse in relation to the position sought or held, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime or founded child or dependent adult abuse, the circumstances under which the crime or founded child or dependent adult abuse was committed, the degree of rehabilitation, the likelihood that the person will commit the crime or founded child or dependent adult abuse again, and the number of crimes or founded child or dependent adult abuses committed by the person involved. If the department of human services performs an evaluation for the purposes of this section, the department of human services has final authority in determining whether prohibition of the person’s employment is warranted.
4. a. Except as provided in subsection 1, paragraph “b”, subsection 2, and paragraph “b” of this subsection, a person who has committed a crime or has a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse shall not be employed in a hospital licensed under this chapter unless an evaluation has been performed by the department of human services.
b. A person with a criminal or abuse record who is or was employed by a hospital licensed under this chapter and is hired by another hospital shall be subject to the criminal history and abuse record checks required pursuant to subsection 1. However, if an evaluation was previously performed by the department of human services concerning the person’s criminal or abuse record and it was determined that the record did not warrant prohibition of the person’s employment and the latest record checks do not indicate a crime was committed or founded abuse record was entered subsequent to that evaluation, the person may commence employment with the other hospital in accordance with the department of human services’ evaluation and an exemption from the requirements in paragraph “a” for reevaluation of the latest record checks is authorized. Otherwise, the requirements of paragraph “a” remain applicable to the person’s employment. Authorization of an exemption under this paragraph “b” from requirements for reevaluation of the latest record checks by the department of human services is subject to all of the following provisions:
(1) The position with the subsequent employer is substantially the same or has the same job responsibilities as the position for which the previous evaluation was performed.
(2) Any restrictions placed on the person’s employment in the previous evaluation by the department of human services shall remain applicable in the person’s subsequent employment.
(3) The person subject to the record checks has maintained a copy of the previous evaluation and provides the evaluation to the subsequent employer or the previous employer provides the previous evaluation from the person’s personnel file pursuant to the person’s authorization. If a physical copy of the previous evaluation is not provided to the subsequent employer, the record checks shall be reevaluated.
(4) Although an exemption under this lettered paragraph “b” may be authorized, the subsequent employer may instead request a reevaluation of the record checks and may employ the person while the reevaluation is being performed.
5. a. If a person employed by a hospital that is subject to this section is convicted of a crime or has a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse entered in the abuse registry after the person’s employment application date, the person shall inform the hospital of such information within forty-eight hours of the criminal conviction or entry of the record of founded child or dependent adult abuse. The hospital shall act to verify the information within seven calendar days of notification. If the information is verified, the requirements of subsections 2, 3, and 4 regarding employability and evaluations shall be applied by the hospital to determine whether or not the person’s employment is continued. The hospital may continue to employ the person pending the performance of an evaluation by the department of human services to determine whether prohibition of the person’s employment is warranted. A person who is required by this subsection to inform the person’s employer of a conviction or entry of an abuse record and fails to do so within the required period commits a serious misdemeanor.
b. If a hospital receives credible information, as determined by the hospital, that a person employed by the hospital has been convicted of a crime or a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse has been entered in the abuse registry after employment from a person other than the employee and the employee has not informed the hospital of such information within the period required under paragraph “a”, the hospital shall act to verify the credible information within seven calendar days of receipt of the credible information. If the information is verified, the requirements of subsections 2, 3, and 4 regarding employability and evaluations shall be applied by the hospital to determine whether or not the person’s employment is continued.
c. The hospital may notify the county attorney for the county where the hospital is located of any violation or failure by an employee to notify the hospital of a criminal conviction or entry of an abuse record within the period required under paragraph “a”.
6. A hospital licensed in this state may access the single contact repository established by the department pursuant to section 135C.33 as necessary for the hospital to perform record checks of persons employed or being considered for employment by the hospital.
7. For the purposes of this section, “comprehensive preliminary background check” means the same as defined in section 135C.1.