Oregon law lets valid care checks carry across employers

A criminal records check lasts three years, and agencies may not require a new check solely because a worker changes employers or care settings. The three-year period covers checks for people in the care settings listed in the law, including home care and personal support workers, residential facility employees, and people paid with public funds who contact care recipients or residents. A new check may still be required after credible evidence of a new conviction or abuse, when federal law requires more frequent checks, when duties change, or when agency rules find it burdensome to wait for a new check. These rules apply to checks completed on or after June 5, 2026.

A coordinated care organization must reimburse a provider for covered services starting on the date the provider applied for enrollment, if the application resulted in a provider number. It may not require a new credentialing application solely because the provider changes employers. This applies to behavioral health providers employed by agencies that contract with coordinated care organizations. The provider must work for an agency that contracts with the coordinated care organization. The application must result in assignment of a provider identification number. Reimbursement starts from the application date that led to the provider number.

The Oregon Health Authority must tell behavioral health providers and agencies, and post online, how providers can update contact or employer information and when they need a new background check. Agencies are organizations approved by the Oregon Health Authority to provide behavioral health services; providers are people licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to provide those services in Oregon. The law takes effect June 5, 2026.