In this guide
What the card is
The Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card is issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Applicants submit fingerprints that are checked against state and federal criminal records, and the state screens for a list of offenses that disqualify someone from working with vulnerable people. Level 1 is the stricter of Arizona's two card levels, and it is the standard for caregivers working with vulnerable adults.
Why it matters so much in home care
Arizona does not license non-medical home care agencies the way it licenses medical home health. There is no inspector showing up at an agency's office. That makes the clearance card one of the only state-run safeguards in this industry, and it is the first document we suggest families ask about, whoever they end up hiring.
How we use it at Wellby
Our caregiver application asks for card status up front, and holding a valid Level 1 card is a condition of employment. We verify the card itself, not just the answer on a form, before a caregiver ever enters a client's home.
The card is one layer of the screening we run on every caregiver: I-9 work authorization, two professional reference checks, a national criminal-database background check, a pre-employment drug screen, TB screening within the past twelve months, and in-person adult CPR and First Aid certification with tracked renewals. We pay for all of it, because a caregiver should not have to choose between groceries and a TB test to work.
What the card does not cover
A clearance card is a record check, not a character reference. It will not tell you whether a caregiver is patient, punctual, or right for your mother. That part is on the agency: reference checks, training, supervision, and the willingness to replace a caregiver who is not the right match. We treat the card as the floor, not the bar.
Questions to ask any agency
Do all of your caregivers hold a valid Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card, and do you verify the physical card? What else do you screen for, and how often do you re-screen? Who employs the caregiver, you or me? If the answers are vague or the agency seems surprised you asked, keep looking.
Common questions
Yes. A valid Level 1 card is a condition of employment for every Wellby caregiver, and we verify the card itself before a caregiver enters a client's home.
The card is run by the Arizona Department of Public Safety against state and FBI fingerprint records, with disqualifying offenses defined in state law. A typical agency background check queries commercial databases. We run both, plus drug screening, TB screening, and reference checks.
Arizona requires the card for caregivers working with vulnerable adults, but because non-medical home care agencies are not licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services, verification practices vary by agency. That is why we recommend asking explicitly and requesting to see documentation.