I get quite a bit of emails asking similar questions, so this should help answer "Frequently Asked Vetting Questions":

1. Why are you doing background checks?

Vetting is done for the safety of the American Contingency community. We want to ensure that we hold safe training events with people who are allowed to and can be responsible with weapons. We want to ensure that we do not put members at unnecessary risk during overnight trainings. And we want to ensure that if members need assistance or want to participate in volunteer activities, they can trust the individuals who are coming to assist them.

2. What do I have to do in order to get a background check?

American Contingency supporting members who wish to become vetted must go through a Background Check with the approved company (Employee Screening Resources) and mechanism provided by American Contingency. Members must go through the process as provided by American Contingency to ensure that background checks are completed correctly and the correct legal forms for American Contingency are signed., American Contingency will have access to your results upon completion of the background check.

3. Who can get vetted?

American Contingency Vetting is currently open to US citizens living in the US, and US territories or internationally, and Canadian Citizens. The cost for individuals living in Canada or US citizens living internationally will increase the overall cost.

4. What is included in the background check?

We run a 7 year criminal background check in addition to a sex offender database search based on the DOJ gold standard database via your name and SSN. To be completely vetted, an American Contingency member must pass the background check – meaning that they are not listed in the Sex Offender database (or international equivalent) or have disqualifying derogatory information listed in their background check.

5. How much money are you making off of each background check?

We don’t make any money off of the background check, so $0.00. All of the money you spend on the background check goes straight to Employee Screening Resources (ESR) to pay for the service and the fees associated with the background check. The $20.00 is one of the best prices we were able to negotiate after looking at a variety of different screening companies.

6. Who is ESR and why should I trust them with my information?

Employment Screening Resources (ESR) is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) – formerly the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) – audited annually for SOC 2 Type II controls, PCI/DSS certified, and Privacy Shield self-certified. They are Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliant and ensure that organizations who work with them complete background screenings in accordance with the law. ESR is in the top 1% of companies who conduct background screenings. They are able to complete background checks quickly and in high volume, all in accordance with the local, state and federal laws that apply to each individual. They have a deep understanding of local, state and federal legislation, regulatory requirements and applicable government agency guidelines – this is important as we must be in compliance with these regulations. ESR maintains a secure server through which they conduct the checks and provides us feedback and results as to whether each individual passed the background check. In the last 20 years of business, ESR has never had a FCRA suit or sanction – they have a spotless record.

7. What does the Fair Credit Reporting Act have to do with my background check? Are you checking my credit?

No. We are not checking your credit. We have received a number of emails with members upset or concerned that we are conducting credit checks. This is not what is happening. We are only conducting a 7 year criminal history and sex offender check. You will see some language that might be confusing - so we will explain here.

In your background check paperwork, the disclosure and consent form language refers to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which is what governs background checks, which is causing some confusion. The background check is a consumer report, similar to a credit check, so they are regulated by the same rules and regulations, but no credit check is being run. The only reports we are running are 7 year criminal history and sex offender database search.

8. How do I initiate a background check?

Please follow the guidance posted here if you are a US citizen and live in the United States: https://americancontingency.locals.com/post/189558/vetting-background-check-link . Please email [email protected] if you are a Canadian Citizen or US citizen living abroad (we will need to initiate a separate background check for you.

9. You said the background check was $20.00, why does mine cost more than that?

We have been able to negotiate the cost down to $20.00. Eight percent of the counties across the US charge an additional fee which may make it more than $20.00. The most expensive additional fee is New York, which charges $90 dollars if you’ve lived in the state within the last seven years.

In your background check paperwork, the disclosure and consent form language refers to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs background checks, which is causing some confusion. The background check is a consumer report, similar to a credit check, so they are regulated by the same rules and regulations, but no credit check is being run. The only reports we are running are 7 year criminal history and sex offender database search.

10. Will you pay for me to get a background check or redo a background check if there is a mistake in my paperwork?

No. We cannot pay for background checks and we cannot pay for a redo of the background check. It is the sole responsibility of the individual to provide the correct Name, Address(es), Birthdate, and Social Security Number to ESR. If incorrect information is provided, this will result in an incomplete report and will be the sole responsibility of the member. The member will have to submit and pay for another background check with the correct information in order to be vetted. American Contingency will not pay for a second background check.

11. How long does it take to get vetted?

With the exception of a few counties that have several week delays, it only takes 24-48 hours to complete a background check.

12. How do I know if I’ve been vetted?

After your vetting is completed, you will receive an email from ESR stating that your vetting is complete along with a copy of your completed background check. If your background check comes back clear, and there are no discrepancies with your name, then your background check is complete. Your grey star badge will be issued and welcome packet will be mailed. If you have anything that comes back labeled as “review” in your file, we will have to manually review your file according to our written policy (please note – once we have vetted you, you will receive a grey star badge). If you had a name discrepancy, you were contacted and notified that your account had an issue – this would be identified under the section regarding your Social Security Number, and completed via manual review.

13. How do I know if I have a star badge?

Many members do not know where to go in order to view their badge You will not see it immediately on login. There are two ways to view it.
1. Login to AMCON Locals and select "members" tab on left side of screen. Type your user ID into the search bar and then CLICK on your profile. You won't see the badge until you actually click on your own profile.
2. Login to AMCON Locals. Navigate to the newsfeed and go to the area where you would post a comment under a video. You will also see it there.

14. I’ve been vetted, my ESR background check is clear. Why don’t I see my grey star badge yet?

There are several reasons why you might not see your grey star badge.

a. You aren’t looking in the right spot for your badge (see question #13 for how to view your star badge).
b. The next most likely reason you don’t see it, is that there is a discrepancy between the email address you used for your ESR background check and your Locals account. The only way for us to remedy this is to contact each individual user and for that user to provide their current Locals email address. If you know this is you, please contact us with the correct data (you MUST provide both the email address you used for ESR and the email address you use for Locals).
c. Your background check hasn’t been processed yet (note- there was a delay this month with a new feature via Locals and we are working our way through this issue).
d. Your account is under review due to something in your file and once reviewed a determination will be made in accordance with our policy regarding vetted users.

15. When will I get my welcome packet?

We started mailing these out during the first week of December. We have all the addresses prepped and Mike is finishing up the signing of over 5,000 letters. At this time, we have one person who dedicates time to sending out letters apart from his other tasks. This is a task in progress. We thank you for your patience.

16. Can I check the status of another member’s vetting?

No. We will not provide personal information or other member’s background check details to anyone other than the person to whom it belongs. If an individual has questions about their own background check, they are the only one who can request that information. You can look up on the website whether or not a member has a grey star badge.

17. I’m the leader of a local AMCON group and I need to know whether or not my people are vetted. If I can’t check their status, how do I know if they’re vetted? How can I conduct vetting myself?

American Contingency will issue grey star badges and welcome packets with Dog Tags that have QR codes. Groups can verify that their members have a dog tag and grey star badge and that is good enough for basic background information. It will be up to groups to determine if individuals display behavior that goes against community guidelines or is potentially harmful to their members. In which case, the individual group could recommend to the leader to remove the person from the group. As of 28DEC2020 we are just beginning to send out thousands of dogtags - not having a dogtag should not be a disqualifier. The grey star badge will always be the primary method of confirmation for background checks.

18. What are the community standards/guidelines you keep talking about? And where are they posted?

They are posted here: https://americancontingency.locals.com/about
American Contingency supporting members or affiliates must adhere to the following standards:

They will only engage in fair treatment of others, including American Contingency employees, other American Contingency members, American Contingency family members, affiliated companies, and instructors, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, or national origin and foster an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior. They acknowledge that sexually offensive behavior is unacceptable and such conduct will not be tolerated. They understand that American Contingency must maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding all the above. By applying for a background check, members agree to these policies.

Any supporting members or affiliates who do not adhere to these standards may be removed from the community at any time, even if they are already vetted.