Free guide · 2026 edition · For senior, hospice, disability & human-services leaders
Every Door, Every Bedside
A volunteer screening playbook for programs that serve vulnerable adults
Which federal rules apply to your program, what your state expects, and how to protect the people who let your volunteers in.
- 19 pages, written for senior, hospice and human-services leaders
- 12 chapters and a program-by-program guide to federal rules
- A policy checklist and a client letter you can copy
- Every statistic and legal requirement cited
Who this guide is for
Volunteer managers, program directors and executive directors at senior centers, Meals on Wheels and home-delivered meal programs, hospices and hospitals, adult day and disability-services organizations, homeless and domestic-violence shelters, and food banks and pantries. If your volunteers enter people’s homes, sit at their bedsides, handle their information or serve them at a vulnerable moment, this guide is written for you.
1 in 10
older adults reported emotional, physical or sexual mistreatment or potential neglect in the past year.
Acierno et al., American Journal of Public Health (2010)
49 of 50
states name mandated reporters of abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities — but who is on the list varies.
NCEA and NAPSA (states as of 2020)
$5
for a full, identity-verified background check on a volunteer — or $0 to the program if volunteers cover their own.
VolunteerBadge pricing
From the executive summary
Six things every program leader should know
- 1
Adults can be vulnerable, too.
Older adults, people with disabilities, patients and people in crisis often depend on the volunteers who serve them — in their homes, at their bedsides, and with their information and money.
- 2
Federal rules already reach many programs.
Medicare hospices must background-check volunteers with patient contact; AmeriCorps-funded programs have a three-part check for covered positions; HIPAA makes volunteers part of a covered entity’s workforce.
- 3
The FCRA governs how you screen volunteers.
Consent before the check, and specific notices before turning anyone away because of it.
- 4
A real check is more than a name search.
And where a rule names a specific check, such as FBI fingerprints, that check is the requirement.
- 5
Screening is one layer, not the whole plan.
Home-visit protocols, money-handling rules, confidentiality, training to spot abuse and exploitation, and a clear reporting path do the rest.
- 6
Know your reporting duty.
Nearly every state names mandated reporters for abuse of vulnerable adults, and some require everyone to report.
What's inside
- 01
The short version
The whole case on one page — read it before your next leadership meeting.
- 02
Why programs serving vulnerable adults need a real safeguard
In the home, at the bedside, money and trust, and people in crisis.
- 03
What federal rules require, program by program
Hospice, nursing homes, AmeriCorps, HIPAA and VAWA — and two corrections to common advice.
- 04
Your state: reporting duties and licensing
Who must report suspected abuse of a vulnerable adult, and what licensing may add.
- 05
What a real background check covers
The five components to insist on — and when a rule requires something more.
- 06
Who in your program should be screened
Drivers, visitors, hospice volunteers, shelter and hotline volunteers, and anyone handling money.
- 07
Screening is the foundation, not the house
Home visits, money, confidentiality, boundaries, spotting exploitation and reporting.
- 08
When a check isn’t clean
Role-based review, the adverse-action steps, and where a rule decides for you.
- 09
When someone raises a concern
A response plan every program should adopt before it needs one.
- 10
A 30-day rollout plan
Week by week, without interrupting service.
- 11
Paying for it, and telling clients and families
What it costs, and how to make screening part of your promise.
- 12
Meals, hospice, senior centers, disability services, shelters and food programs
What changes for your kind of program.
- A
Appendix A: Vulnerable-adult safeguarding policy checklist
Draft or audit your written policy.
- B
Appendix B: Letter to clients and families
How we screen our volunteers — ready for your welcome packet.
- C
Appendix C: Free tools, further reading and sources
Policy templates, program guides, free training and every citation.
Questions
- Is the guide really free?
- Yes. Sign in with Google or LinkedIn and the PDF opens right away. Signing in doesn’t set up an organization, start a trial, or charge anything.
- Do hospice volunteers need background checks?
- For a Medicare hospice, yes. 42 CFR §418.114(d) requires criminal background checks on all hospice employees with direct patient contact or access to patient records, and §418.3 defines “employee” to include a volunteer under the hospice’s jurisdiction.
- Do AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers need the National Service Criminal History Check?
- Stipended Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions do — a National Sex Offender Public Website search, a state repository check and an FBI fingerprint check, reviewed before they start. RSVP volunteers are not required to be checked, though programs may choose to.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is general education. Requirements depend on your program type, funders, state and licensing agency — confirm yours with them and with qualified counsel.
Keep going
VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice.