Volunteer screening in Kentucky: the complete guide
The statutes that apply, which of your volunteers they reach, which agency runs which check, what organizations here actually get wrong, and the order to do it in.
What makes Kentucky different
Kentucky pursued mandatory national background checks for long-term care workers through the federal National Background Check Program (NBCP) grant — KARES was built on that grant and remains the primary enhanced screening tool for healthcare volunteers. The state has a significant elderly care nonprofit sector, particularly in Appalachian eastern Kentucky where faith-based in-home care volunteers are common. Volunteers from community-based or faith-based organizations providing only supervised, group volunteer services (e.g., holiday meals at a nursing home with staff present) are explicitly exempt. No state FCRA analog; federal FCRA applies. KRS § 43.032 (eff. March 27, 2025) adds background check requirements for persons with access to federal tax information.
The short version: Kentucky requires background checks for volunteers whose duties are equivalent to direct-service employees with one-on-one contact with patients, residents, or clients in licensed healthcare and long-term care settings. The KARES (Kentucky Applicant Registry and Employment Screening) program — administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services — provides fingerprint-based screening. Volunteers in purely supervised, group faith-based or community activities are generally exempt.
The statutes, one at a time
These are the laws that create the obligation. Read the citation, not a summary of it, before you build a policy around it.
- 1
906 KAR 1:190 — KARES Program Regulation
906 KAR 1:190 (adopted 2013, Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare)
Establishes the Kentucky Applicant Registry and Employment Screening (KARES) program, requiring fingerprint-based background checks for employees and qualifying volunteers in long-term care facilities. Volunteers with duties equivalent to a direct-service employee involving one-on-one patient/resident contact must be screened.
- 2
Kentucky Revised Statutes §§ 216.533, 216.712(2), 216.787, 216.789
KRS §§ 216.533, 216.712(2), 216.787, 216.789
Statutory foundation requiring name-based, state-only criminal background checks in nursing facilities, adult day health care programs, home health agencies, and other licensed healthcare settings — applicable to employees and covered volunteers.
- 3
KRS § 160.151 — Education Background Checks
KRS § 160.151 (2024)
Requires criminal background checks and clear child abuse/neglect (CA/N) registry checks for certified employees in schools, with policy authority extending to volunteer screening in school settings at district discretion.
Which of your volunteers this reaches
Run your actual roster against this list. The roles below are where Kentucky's requirements apply; everyone else is a risk decision rather than a legal one.
- Volunteers with one-on-one direct contact with patients, residents, or clients in long-term care, nursing facilities, or home health settings (906 KAR 1:190 / KARES)
- Volunteers in adult day health care programs and home health agencies (KRS §§ 216.712, 216.787)
- School volunteers at district discretion under KRS § 160.151 policy frameworks
- Volunteers in childcare programs regulated by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Which check, from which agency
Kentucky does not use one check for everything. These are the distinct instruments in play — they search different databases and are not interchangeable.
- Fingerprint-based state criminal history check (KARES program, via Kentucky State Police)
- FBI national fingerprint-based check (KARES participants)
- Name-based state criminal history check (KRS §§ 216.533, 216.787 — for non-KARES facilities)
- Cabinet for Health and Family Services abuse and neglect registry check
- Sex offender registry check
Administered by: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) — Office of Inspector General administers KARES; Kentucky State Police (KSP) processes fingerprint-based criminal history records
Typical processing: KARES fingerprint-based: 2–6 weeks; KSP name-based: 3–5 business days
What organizations in Kentucky get wrong
These are the specific, local mistakes — the exemption that gets misapplied, the second database nobody runs, the deadline that arrives before anyone has written a policy.
- 1
Register with the KARES portal through the CHFS Office of Inspector General before attempting to submit any volunteer for a fingerprint-based check — KARES is opt-in for covered facilities and the registration step is mandatory.
- 2
The key test for whether a volunteer must be screened under KARES: does their role involve one-on-one, unsupervised contact with a patient, resident, or client equivalent to a direct-service employee? Document your analysis of each volunteer role in writing.
- 3
Even if a facility elects not to participate in KARES, the name-based checks required under KRS §§ 216.533 and 216.787 still apply to all qualifying personnel including covered volunteers — KARES participation does not replace statutory name-based obligations.
- 4
For school volunteer programs, check whether your district has a written policy under KRS § 160.151 authority; while not state-mandated for all volunteers, absence of a written policy creates insurance and accreditation exposure.
- 5
Faith-based organizations providing only supervised group services in long-term care facilities should document the supervision structure in their volunteer agreement to clearly establish the exemption — an unannounced visit where a volunteer is left alone with a resident could trigger coverage.
The order to do it in
- 1
Write the policy before you screen anyone
Decide which roles require a check, who reviews a result, and who makes the final call — in writing, before you have a result to review. Deciding under pressure with a parent on the phone is how organizations end up with a decision they cannot defend. Our free policy generator will draft one you can edit.
- 2
Sort your roster by unsupervised access, not by job title
The statutes above turn on contact and supervision, not on what a role is called. A "greeter" who walks children to the restroom has unsupervised access; a "coach" who is never alone with anyone may not.
- 3
Match each role to the right instrument
Where Kentucky mandates a specific channel — fingerprint, a named registry, an agency portal — use that channel for that role. Use a broad multi-source check as the baseline for everyone else.
- 4
Collect consent correctly the first time
FCRA requires a standalone written disclosure and a separate written authorization. Bundling either into a volunteer application or a waiver is the single most common compliance defect, and it is the one plaintiffs' lawyers look for.
- 5
Run the check, then follow adverse action if anything surfaces
Pre-adverse notice with a copy of the report and a summary of rights, a reasonable window to dispute, then the final notice. Build the waiting period into your start dates rather than discovering it under pressure.
- 6
Set a re-screen interval and let it run
A clearance describes the day it was run. Most organizations use one to two years; some insurers require annual for roles with unsupervised access to children.
Questions Kentucky organizations ask
Does Kentucky require background checks for all volunteers?
Kentucky requires background checks for volunteers whose duties are equivalent to direct-service employees with one-on-one contact with patients, residents, or clients in licensed healthcare and long-term care settings. The KARES (Kentucky Applicant Registry and Employment Screening) program — administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services — provides fingerprint-based screening. Volunteers in purely supervised, group faith-based or community activities are generally exempt.
Which of my volunteers does Kentucky law actually reach?
Based on the statutes cited on this page: Volunteers with one-on-one direct contact with patients, residents, or clients in long-term care, nursing facilities, or home health settings (906 KAR 1:190 / KARES); Volunteers in adult day health care programs and home health agencies (KRS §§ 216.712, 216.787); School volunteers at district discretion under KRS § 160.151 policy frameworks; Volunteers in childcare programs regulated by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Those categories are where Kentucky's requirements bite. Volunteers outside them are a policy decision for your organization rather than a statutory one — which does not mean the answer is "skip it", only that the reason to screen is risk management rather than a citation.
Who administers the check in Kentucky?
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) — Office of Inspector General administers KARES; Kentucky State Police (KSP) processes fingerprint-based criminal history records. Typical processing is KARES fingerprint-based: 2–6 weeks; KSP name-based: 3–5 business days.
Does a VolunteerBadge check satisfy Kentucky's requirement?
It depends on what your state or licensor mandates, and we would rather be straight with you about it than sell past the question. Our $5 check is a broad, FCRA-compliant multi-source criminal and sex-offender search — an excellent primary screen and, for many volunteer roles, the whole answer. It is not a fingerprint or live-scan check. Where Kentucky specifically mandates a fingerprint-based state or FBI channel for a role, that requirement stands on its own and our check supplements rather than replaces it.
We operate in more than one state. Whose rules apply?
Generally the rules of the state where the volunteer serves, not where your organization is incorporated. Organizations near a border routinely have volunteers under two different regimes at the same event. For Kentucky that most often means Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. The practical approach is to screen to the strictest standard among the states you operate in, so one process covers all of them.
What happens if we run a check and find something?
That is where federal law takes over from state law. Running background checks makes you a user of consumer reports under the FCRA, so before you decline anyone based on the report you must send a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and a summary of rights, allow a reasonable window to dispute, and only then send the final notice. It is not optional, and it is the step organizations most often miss.
Operating across a Kentucky border?
Volunteers are generally governed by the state where they serve. If your programs cross a line, these are the neighbors you are most likely to need.
General information, not legal advice. We are a consumer reporting agency, not a law firm. The statutes cited above are real and current as of August 21, 2026, but they are amended — and a citation is not a substitute for reading how it applies to your specific program. Confirm with Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) — Office of Inspector General administers KARES; Kentucky State Police (KSP) processes fingerprint-based criminal history records, your licensor, your insurer, or your own counsel before relying on any of it. Spot an error? Tell us — we would rather fix it.
Screen your Kentucky volunteers for $5
A broad national criminal search, all 50 state sex-offender registries plus the national registry, and the FCRA disclosure, authorization and adverse-action workflow built in — because step four and step five above are where organizations get into trouble.
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