Many industries rescreen their staff on a regular basis, whether annually or periodically. As organizations look to get 2026 off to a strong start, taking care of these routine checks is a smart first step. Some roles call for annual checks, while others require more frequent rechecks or even continuous monitoring. Understanding how recurring background screening works can help you establish best practices and set your organization up for success in the year ahead.
We'll explore:
- The difference between annual background checks, periodic re-screening, and continuous monitoring
- Roles and industries typically affected by rescreening requirements
- Common challenges and best practices
- How Verified Credentials can improve your recurring screening process
Regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, protecting brand reputation, and safety and security for both staff and customers are some of the factors driving companies to screen employees more often than just upon hire. Let’s first examine the differences between and purposes of the three types of rescreening: annual, periodic, and continuous.
Annual vs. periodic vs. continuous screening
Organizations that perform recurring screening follow one of three methods:
Annual background checks
These yearly re-screenings maintain risk mitigation with a lower operating cost than more frequent or continuous screening. However, risks may arise and go unnoticed until the next screening time.
Periodic rescreening
These screenings are often more frequent than annual screening. They are often utilized for roles or industries that have specific compliance requirements to uphold, sometimes carrying an expiration or renewal requirement date. Items that may fit into this category might include:
- License verification or renewal
- Intermittent drug testing
- Physical capability exams
- Recurring virus/illness testing
Continuous monitoring
This method involves ongoing monitoring of relevant status changes and providing real-time alerts when significant changes are detected. Out of the three, this method offers the highest level of oversight by flagging potentially dangerous behaviors earlier on before they become a more serious issue.
Typical recurring background screening use cases
Below is a list of industries that often require annual or periodic background checks:
- Healthcare & Long-Term Care: Intended to ensure patient safety and regulatory requirements, rescreening in this industry often includes criminal checks, abuse registry searches, and an OIG Sanctions Report check.
- Childcare & Education: For the protection and safety of minors, rescreening in this industry may include child abuse registry searches and National Sex Offender Public Registry searches, with search frequency varying by state.
- Transportation & CDL Drivers: Due to FMCSA and DOT mandates, rescreening in this industry often includes annual MVR checks and regular drug and alcohol checks.
- Aviation & Airport Workers: To maintain compliance with TSA and DHS regulations, screening in this industry may include criminal history searches and ongoing threat assessments.
- Financial Services: FINRA, FDIC, and NMLS impose regulations requiring institutions to rescreen for criminal history, credit, and licenses that carry renewal conditions.
- Public safety & Government Roles: Law enforcement, EMS, and federal or state government positions are the focus of these rescreening requirements that often involve suitability assessments and reinvestigation cycles.
- Security Industries: State-by-state licensing requirements often call for periodic renewal, meaning these industries must rescreen for up-to-date and valid licensing. Additionally, criminal history rescreening is typically included in the license renewal process.
Common rescreen challenges and how to combat them
With a laundry list of other items to manage, employers often face some difficulties when it comes to employee rescreening. Keeping track of constantly evolving state and industry requirements is a struggle frequently mentioned by those responsible for these processes. Timing can be another common concern, with organizations sometimes straining to avoid lapses that could result in licensing or compliance penalties. Additionally, when it’s time to rescreen existing employees, the sheer volume can quickly overwhelm teams that aren't equipped with the right tools.
Best practices for annual and periodic rescreening
Fortunately, there are several methods to help address these challenges or even avoid them entirely:
Keep track of varying state requirements. A dependable source for legislation updates that impact hiring and screening processes is essential for staying informed and navigating changes in requirements. Our LinkedIn newsletter, HR Industry News, is a convenient source for some of the latest updates in background screening compliance.
Use centralized tools to track and document compliance requirements. Consider implementing a useful tool, such as an all-in-one platform that can track screening progress, provide reminders for upcoming requirements, and store background check information as allowed by law to be accessed as needed. The Verified Credentials employment screening platform offers all of that in a simple, user-friendly experience.
Let’s break down how these types of screening tools can also reduce the workload at scale for large volumes of recurring background checks.
Reducing workload with bulk screening & continuous monitoring
Bulk screening allows you to conduct background checks on a large number of candidates on a single or recurring project basis. This solution is ideal for organizations facing sudden audits and staffing demands that need periodic or urgent searches, like many of the industries listed above. See how Verified Credentials’ bulk screening solutions can help organizations of any size tackle their large-scale screening needs.
Continuous monitoring enables you to receive real-time updates, helping you resolve issues quickly and reduce liability, while eliminating concerns of missing a rescreening deadline or failing to meet baseline screening requirements. This solution typically focuses on background check items such as criminal and driving records, and other similar categories that may have sudden, significant changes to report. Verified Credentials offers continuous MVR monitoring, delivering real-time updates when a company driver’s record changes. Learn more about how our continuous MVR monitoring solution can help you stay on top of unsafe driving behavior within your organization.
The takeaway
Maintaining compliance with industry-specific mandates is not optional, so every organization must find a solution that works best for them. In addition to meeting requirements, using proactive monitoring techniques can help reduce risk, mitigate liability, and improve workplace safety, so you can rest assured that the efforts and resources spent on compliance are also benefiting your organization.
Does your organization utilize annual or ongoing background checks? If not, you may want to consider whether this screening system could be a good fit for your company’s specific situation. As always, our experts are ready to help if you have any questions or want to get started with Verified Credentials’ bulk screening or continuous MVR monitoring solutions. Get in touch with us!
This content is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute legal opinion or advice. Consult your legal counsel to ensure compliance.
