Job Disqualifications

A job disqualification is when you are stopped from working in a job where you have “direct contact” with people getting services in a covered setting. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) or the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) decides. It is usually because of something in your background report or record. Direct contact jobs can be jobs in:

• Healthcare
• Childcare
• Foster care
• Nursing homes

If you apply for a foster care or daycare license, or when you are hired for a direct contact job, the state does a background check on you. This means the state looks to see if there is anything in your background that should stop you from working in those kinds of jobs.

You get a letter in the mail from the DHS telling you there is a problem with your background report. The letter also tells you about your rights to fight the disqualification with an appeal.

The state sends your employer or person that wants to hire you a letter explaining that there is a problem with your background check. It also says whether they can let you work during an appeal of the results of the background check.

If you have any of the things below on your record you can’t work in direct contact jobs in Minnesota. This is true even if these things happened in another state or they happened when you were a minor (under age 18).

Violent, sexual, drug, and theft-related convictions disqualify you from working in the health care field. Some violent and sex-related crimes disqualify you forever. Most other felonies disqualify you for 15 years, gross misdemeanors for 10 years, and misdemeanors for 7 years. For background checks that are asked for on or after August 1, 2024, certain felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor drug offenses will have a 5-year disqualification period. They can also review and consider juvenile criminal records. 

For work in a childcare setting, convictions for a violent misdemeanor committed against a child are a permanent disqualification. This includes convictions for child abuse, child endangerment, sexual assault, or a misdemeanor involving child pornography.

Arrests without charges filed and dismissed charges for violent, sexual, drug, and theft-related crimes can disqualify you just like criminal convictions if it is “more likely than not” they happened.

For example: You are arrested for assault, but you plead guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct, so you only have a misdemeanor on your record. The state can still disqualify you if “more likely than not” an assault happened.

When a child you care for is hurt or neglected and child protection gets involved, the county can make a “maltreatment determination.” This means they accuse you of abuse or neglect. Common examples of maltreatment are bruises or scratches, verbal threats, or verbal abuse, or leaving your children alone without supervision. Maltreatment determinations can also be made when the victim is a “vulnerable adult.” This means the adult is someone the law says needs special protection from harm. An example is an elderly person or an adult with mental disabilities.

The maltreatment must be serious or “recurring” to be a disqualification. This means it causes physical or emotional injury or happens more than once.

If your disqualification is because of a maltreatment determination, it’s important to get more information about that kind of case. See our fact sheet What is Maltreatment and How Can it Affect my Job? 

If your parental rights were terminated “involuntarily” (you did not agree to it) or “voluntarily” (you agreed to it) you are disqualified for 15 years from when your rights were terminated. But there are “good cause” exceptions. Voluntary termination for “good cause” means:

• you agreed to the termination
  AND
• the termination happened for reasons other than your being unfit to care for the child.

For example: the child was violent towards you or the child was in foster care for a long time. The court order terminating your parental rights says if it was voluntary or involuntary and if good cause was established.

Even if you were never convicted of a crime, a civil or administrative welfare fraud determination disqualifies you from a direct care position for 7 years. An administrative welfare fraud determination is when you are accused of getting welfare benefits when you shouldn’t have. If this happens, you are not charged with a crime, but the county cuts off your benefits for a period of time. This can be from 1 to 10 years. If you are accused of welfare fraud, you can appeal and defend yourself at a hearing through the Department of Human Services. For information on how to appeal, see our fact sheets Benefits Appeals to DHS and Welfare Fraud Cases and Hearings.

You can challenge a disqualification, but there are strict deadlines. Make sure you follow the time limits in the letter you get. It also depends on the reason for your disqualification. It is best to get a lawyer to help you. Your local legal aid office may be able to help if you qualify. To find your local legal aid office call 1(877) 696-6529 or go to www.lawhelpmn.org/providers-and-clinics. 

Some things you can try are below.

Try to get the state to change their decision. If they do, you won’t have a disqualifying mark on your record, and you can work in any direct contact job. What you can do depends on the kind of disqualifying mark you have. Below are some things you can do depending on the kind of disqualification.

1. If you are not the person who was found guilty or pled guilty, tell DHS. They can help you submit fingerprints to clear up the identity mistake. But you still have to deal with the criminal court case separately. 
    
2. File papers with the court to get a criminal expungement in the county where the crime happened. Expungement is the process of going to court to ask a judge to “seal” a criminal record. This does not delete the record, but it limits who can see it. An expungement removes the disqualification if:
   • you serve DHS with your petition for expungement and 
   • the judge agrees to seal the charge and directs the order to DHS and MDH.
     
     Many times, people get a criminal expungement order but are still disqualified because the expungement order is limited to court records only. Make sure to let DHS and MDH know in writing if you file papers for an expungement. This process can take up to 9 months or longer. For more information on expungement, read Criminal Expungements in Minnesota: A Step-by-Step Guide for Pro Se Petitioners.
      
3. Apply for a pardon from the Minnesota Board of Pardons. DHS usually stops using a criminal conviction against you if the Minnesota Board of Pardons grants you a pardon. This process can take up to 9 months. Contact the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission for more information at (651) 539-2610.

See our fact sheet What is Maltreatment and How Can it Affect my Job? for information about how to get this kind of disqualification off your record. 

1. Rescind (cancel) the Decision. Give information in writing to DHS to show you did not commit the crime or you acted in self-defense. You may be able to get DHS to remove the disqualification from your record. But, if the charges against you were dismissed before trial, it is not a reason to remove the disqualification.
   
   If your request to rescind the decision is denied, appeal in writing. Ask for a hearing in front of a judge. You must appeal before the deadline (usually 15-30 days), or you do not get to fight the disqualification.
    
2. Expungement. Expungement is the process of going to court to ask a judge to seal a criminal record. The record is not erased, but access to it is limited. You can file a motion for a criminal expungement with the court in the county where the disqualifying charge happened. An expungement removes the disqualification if:
   • you serve DHS with your petition for expungement and 
   • the judge agrees to seal the charge and directs the order to DHS and MDH. 
     
     You need to “serve” the court papers to the other party when you file a motion for an expungement. This means making sure they get the papers in a legal way. Ask a court clerk for  help if you have questions. 
     
     The expungement process can take up to 9 months.

You can’t be disqualified if you voluntarily terminated your rights with good cause. Good cause means the termination was not because you were unfit to care for the child. Review the court’s termination order to see what the court decided and make sure DHS has the right information about what happened. Keep in mind, both a voluntary and involuntary termination of parental rights can disqualify you from getting a foster care license for 20 years.

If you have only been accused of non-criminal welfare fraud, you can appeal the determination through the county where you got the benefits. Ask for a hearing with DHS. But if your appeal deadline has passed or you gave up your hearing rights, you can’t re-open the welfare fraud case to try to get your disqualification removed. You also can’t expunge or pardon this kind of disqualification because it is not criminal.

If you can’t get the disqualifying mark off your record, you can still try to work at your job. You can only do this if the disqualifying act does not permanently prevent you from working in a direct contact job. Below are some things you can do.

Make a “Set-Aside” Request
You have 30 days after getting your disqualification notice to send DHS proof that you are not a risk to the patients you care for. You must explain what happened, how you have changed, and show why you can be trusted around patients. Instructions for how to do this are in your disqualification notice. It is important to read the letter you get carefully so you don’t miss any deadlines. You can ask for more time to get the information you need if you can show that you can’t get it in 30 days. You can ask for up to 30 extra days.

If successful, you can go back to work at the job that you were disqualified from and work without supervision. If you change jobs after you get a set-aside you may automatically be granted a new set-aside when certain conditions are met. These conditions are:

• you were not disqualified for a felony, 
• your new employer is licensed under the same law as your former employer, 
• there is no new information showing you may be a risk to the people served by the new employer and 
• your previous set aside was not limited to a specific client.

If you get a set aside and apply for another job, tell the employer you have been granted a set aside.

Ask for a “Variance”
Your employer can ask for a “variance” from DHS. This means you can work at your job under constant supervision. Only your employer can ask for a variance. So if you can’t get a set-aside, ask your boss to think about doing this. It can take DHS several months to decide on a “variance” request. 

Wait out your disqualification period.
If your disqualifying act does not permanently disqualify you from working in direct contact job, you can wait out your disqualification period. These periods last from 5-15 years from the date the offense happened for non-convictions and 5-15 years after you are discharged from probation or parole (“off paper”). 

Move to another state.
Minnesota has some of the strictest background check laws for direct contact jobs in the nation. You may want to consider working in another state with less stringent direct care jobs.

Change careers.
Background checks are done for all jobs where you may have direct contact with vulnerable people or patients. Strict state background checks do not apply to other careers, such as retail or food service. You may want to change jobs temporarily or permanently, depending on how severe your disqualification is. 

Your local legal aid office may be able to help you if you qualify. To find your local legal aid office call 1-(877) 696-6529. To look for other free or low-cost lawyers and help, go to www.lawhelpmn.org/providers-and-clinics.

You can find a private civil lawyer by contacting the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Attorney Referral Service online at https://www.mnlawyerreferral.org/.