What is the CalVECHS Program?

The California Volunteer and Employee Criminal History Service (CalVECHS) Program provides qualified entities that offer services to children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities the ability to access vital criminal offender record information (CORI) on behalf of their current and prospective employees and volunteers.

📋 CalVECHS Enrollment Checklist

Check eligibility: Verify your agency serves children, elderly, or individuals with disabilities.

Download forms: Get the CalVECHS User Agreement (BCIA 9017) from the California DOJ website.

Gather credentials: Copy your non-profit status paperwork or current business license.

Complete agreement: Fill out and sign the CalVECHS Program User Agreement.

Submit online: Upload documents through the Applicant Agency Justice Connection (AAJC) portal.

Await approval: Wait for the California DOJ to review and approve your application.

Get Live Scan forms: Prepare the Request for Live Scan Service forms for your applicants.

Collect waivers: Have every applicant sign the CalVECHS Waiver Agreement before fingerprinting.

What’s different?

Non-governmental agencies (NGAs) that participate in the CalVECHS program have access to federal CORI, which includes out-of-state criminal records collected by the FBI. To maintain this access, all qualified entities are required to have a CalVECHS Waiver Agreement signed annually by each of their applicants. Agencies not participating in CalVECHS cannot directly receive federal CORI and will instead receive a sanitized federal response from the DOJ that only confirms whether the FBI has performed an applicant’s federal background check, excluding any out-of-state criminal records. For CalVECHS participants, the DOJ provides the results of federal background checks in the same manner as state checks, including relevant arrest records and disposition information in compliance with the dissemination criteria outlined in subdivision (n) of California Penal Code section 11105. There are no changes to how CORI is shared with agencies in the AAJC Portal or their obligations to secure the CORI they receive. Applicants for agencies participating in CalVECHS should use the CalVECHS-specific Request for Live Scan Service (BCIA 8016VECHS) form and submit under the relevant applicant types assigned to the qualified entity, either VECHS/EMPLOYEE 11105.3 PC or VECHS/VOLUNTEER 11105.3 PC.

Who qualifies for CalVECHS?

A CalVECHS qualified entity includes public, private, for-profit, not-for-profit, or voluntary organizations that provide services, treatment, education, training, instruction, supervision, or recreation for children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities. Note: All agencies authorized to fingerprint under California Penal Code 11105.3, including youth organizations and human resource agencies, must be enrolled in CalVECHS by the end of 2026 to continue submitting applicant fingerprints and to receive state and federal CORI. The CalVECHS Program is not available to entities authorized to fingerprint employees or volunteers under other California statutes that do not reference Penal Code section 11105.3, such as city and county government agencies, licensed daycare centers, public and private schools, school contractors, and skilled nursing facilities, which must follow applicable statutory mandates. For any questions regarding CalVECHS qualification, please contact ORIQuestions@doj.ca.gov.

Are there fees to participate in the CalVECHS Program?

Participation in CalVECHS incurs no additional fees; however, standard state and federal fingerprint processing fees apply, with reduced costs for non-profit organizations. For non-profit youth organizations and human resource agencies, the state fingerprint processing fee is $0 while the federal processing fee is $15. For more details on fingerprint processing fees, please visit https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/forms.

How does my agency participate in the CalVECHS Program?

Existing agencies must submit a CalVECHS Enrollment request from the Requests page in the AAJC Portal. Your submission package should include: • Authorized Recipient User Agreement (BCIA 9005) • CalVECHS User Agreement (BCIA 9017) • California Contract for Subsequent Arrest Notification Service (BCIA 8049) • Federal Contract for Subsequent Arrest Notification Service (BCIA 8050) • Copy of non-profit organization status document or business license.

What is the CalVECHS User Agreement (BCIA 9017)?

The CalVECHS User Agreement is a contract between the qualified entity and the DOJ that details the terms and conditions under which criminal history background checks are conducted and CORI is provided to the qualified entity. Agencies authorized previously must still submit the User Agreement to enroll in the CalVECHS Program.

What is the CalVECHS Waiver Agreement (BCIA 9018)?

The CalVECHS Waiver Agreement (BCIA 9018) is a contract between the qualified entity and the applicant, allowing the agency to access the applicant’s CORI while informing them of their right to dispute the accuracy of the background check report. Established in the NCPA/VCA, this waiver system enables non-governmental agencies to receive federal CORI that would otherwise be inaccessible due to federal restrictions. As mandated by state and federal law, the waiver must be completed and signed annually by every current or prospective employee and volunteer fingerprinted under the VECHS-specific applicant types by a CalVECHS participating agency. This form supports e-signatures and agencies can choose an annual refresh date to collect updated forms from all applicants instead of tracking individual hiring anniversaries. Although the waiver is not bound by the same security standards as CORI disseminated directly by the DOJ, it may contain personal information shared by the applicant, so access to completed waivers should be limited to those with a need to know. CalVECHS participating agencies should retain the CalVECHS Waiver Agreement for three years from the signing date or until completion of a DOJ audit, even if the relationship between the applicant and the agency has ended. Will my employees and volunteers need to reprint? Employees and volunteers of currently authorized agencies do not need to immediately resubmit fingerprints after enrolling in the CalVECHS Program. CalVECHS participating agencies will continue to receive notifications of subsequent arrests and dispositions for applicants printed under pre-VECHS applicant types.