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FBI checks


hkingkong

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I just thought I would pass around some information that took me a while to get a hold of. I have to do the FBI check for the new requirements for Abrazo and the State of Texas. I had a difficult time finding fingerprint cards and getting the exact info we needed.

So here it is.

Go to FBIgov.com, click on left hand side under more services, (new page) How Do I do? Click on the link FBI Identification Record or Rap sheet. Once there you can print out the fingerprint cards. I would print them in blue if you have a color copier. Print 2 for each member of the family that has to be checked. There is also a cover letter you need to print and send with your fingerprints. Make sure you put on the reason for request as adoption.

The lady I talked to suggested to use Fed Ex or UPS. Put on the outside of the Fed ex envelope the words ADOPTION. This is very important because they process them first. Also send a prepaid Fed ex envelope so they can send it back. It takes 2 weeks.

So in your envelope you need: Cover letter, $18.00 cashiers check per person and fingerprints.

Please read website page about who to make the check to. Also read all instructions on the website because I may have missed something.

If you have any more questions call 304-625-5590 #3 This is a direct number to the department you need. The main number is 304-625-5590.

Talk to your Social Worker first and I believe there should not be an OAC number on your fingerprint cards.

I hope this helps someone in the future.

Heather :)

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For all TEXAS residents:

I sent out a memo approximately three weeks ago with instuctions on how to have the fingerprinting completed.

This is a new requirement for all Texas residents adopting through Abrazo. (Texans were not previously required to have FBI clearances; however, our agency is now mandating the same safety standard as is required for all adoptions done through the State, to ensure that our children are given the same degree of protection.)

The fingerprinting done for Texans must use the forms Abrazo provides you, so that the results will be forwarded to us directly by TDFPS (Texas Department of Family & Protective Services) when completed.

For all other OUT-OF-STATE residents:

Please talk to your social worker regarding your fingerprint checks. They can usually help facilitate this quickly. These results need to go to your homestudy worker so that the results can be included in your homestudy. Also please send Abrazo a copy of the results directly.

Processing times vary from region to region, so please submit your information promptly so this does not delay a potential match or placement!!

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please call me right away.

Thanks,

Angela

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Hey there Texas residents who have had electronic fingerprints done...

I'm curious as to how long it's taking for them to come back?

Are there any families on here who have had them done and have them back yet? Not to be nosy or anything, just thought it may be helpful for us to share the info on what sort of timeframe we should/could expect.

On October 18, I checked Identix's website to see when the soonest we could schedule an appt would be and scheduled one for October 31st for both of us so that's when we had ours. They gave us receipts (which I haven't sent to Angela yet, oops!) to send to Abrazo to prove we've done it...now, we just wait and see how long it takes.

I'll keep y'all posted on when ours come back - I'm guessing the only way to find out is to call Angela to find out if she's heard anything???

Lisa

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I know I need to call Angela on this, but it's the weekend ... so I thought I would post here and see if anyone else has been in the same situation.

We just had our FBI fingerprints done this summer, so they are totally current - only, they were done the old-fashioned way in Michigan just before we moved to Texas. As long we have FBI clearances already, and they are current, do we really need to re-file electronically? :huh:

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stephanie,

my understanding from the letter angela sent out [referenced in her post above] and her post above is ALL Texas residents must have their fingerprints done electronically as Texas dept family services requires they receive the clearance electronically, regardless of whether or not you have current FBI clearance through te paper cars as we asked the same question wheen we rec'd that letter from abrazo [because we too did the fingerprit thing through fbi the old fashioned way...shortly before you if i recall correctly. when i talked to angela about it [afer receiving that letter] she said she'd look into it for me but i never heard back from her so i just assumed that letter applied to us as well, not just to people who haven't had fbi clearance done...so, we went ahead and did it electronically as well.

However, please do call Angela Monday and check and if you don't need to do it electronically, pease let me know as that's one less thing i have to think about [even tho we've already done it, i won't have to worry and wonder when the clearance comes back]

Lisa

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Thanks, Lisa, I will do that ... I know that Angela had told me she would get back to me on that as well, but things have been so busy for the Abrazo gals and I hadn't heard back, either. It's rather expensive - $90 or something like that per spouse, right?? - and I was really hoping not to have to do it again. I'll let you know what I find out!
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  • 2 weeks later...

(cross-posted)

I guess what frustrates me is that we had already done the FBI fingerprint cards and had clearance but now, we are back in the "incomplete" thing - so, if by some chance a BOG came along...we couldn't be considered for that call :( I just like having everything done - it just drives me nuts that this could hold us up!

Lisa,

I know we talked about this on another thread, but I just wanted to let you know that I did call Abrazo and asked this question again, this time of Renee (I think Angela and Elizabeth were at licensing training) ... she was going to check it out, but I've not heard back. However, she tentatively agreed with what Elizabeth had said in a PM to me, that probably the fingerprint card would still be acceptable since it is current within one year. Don't take that as carved in stone, though! - I'm still waiting for the official confirmation. :)

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I can't speak of any specific state laws, I just know in TN we had to do the electronic fingerprinting. The other posts I saw in this thread seemed dead on to what we had to do in TN. We used Identix for the electronic fingerprinting as well and it was about $50 per person. Did it Summer of 2005 as we were pursuing a private adoption. I never followed up regarding receipt of the results as I figured I would only hear if there was a problem. Had the receipts to prove we had done them. I know our homestudy specifically mentions the FBI check was run and all came up clean so they got them (all this is in regards to our adoption agency in Memphis). Our homestudy has been sent to Abrazo so I think they have everything they need at this time. I know they'll let us know if that is not the case. In the short time I've known them, they seem like really great folks. Looking forward to getting to know them better with our Orientation in a few weeks.

Best wishes to all in getting all the "fun" paperwork and things out of the way.

--Adam

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Yay!!! I just found out from Abrazo that my fingerprint/background clearance has come back!! Lance's haven't yet but maybe it will take longer for him since he's a Naturalized Citizen (he wasn't born here) - although, with all the screening he went through to become a US citizen, those FBI folks oughta recognize that name whenever they see it - he's been fingerprinted so many times over the past few years, we've lost count :blink: Anyway, at least I know that mine are back and those fingerprints aren't just floating around somewhere!

(Thanks EJ for letting me know :))

-Lisa

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:(:(:( I am so sad it has been over 4 weeks and nothing :(:(:( Maybe soon!
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Eeeeek! We've just discovered that one of our families-in-waiting who was sent the FBI memo in October didn't get around to submitting the information until last week, and they've now got a baby due this week-- meaning that without the FBI clearance being on file already, the baby may have to go into foster care, something they're understandably none too happy about!

So please: if you're waiting to become parents, stay on top of all the requirements! because hard as we try to keep an eye on everything, we have to be able to expect that you're covering your end of the deal! But if you forget and something falls through the cracks, be assured we'll try to work with you to get it resolved... please be patient, though, because as they say in the Westerns... "don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player!" ;)

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I am sorry that the new FBI fingerprinting requirement has caused so much confusion, but please don't make it any harder than it is...

For those individuals who called questioning whether the paper fingerprinting done in other states would suffice, I was under the impression that we were supposed to call you back only if you needed to re-submit those electronically. If you didn't hear back from us, then your current checks were okay. If you re-submitted them anyways, that is okay too...they will be good for a year from the date of the last submission.

We will confirm with each of you as we get your results in so you know not to worry anymore. AGAIN, please call me directly to discuss if you have any specific questions!

Thanks,

Angela

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Lisa or anyone,

Where did you go to get the new fingerprints done? Just wondering, so when it's our turn, we aren't behind.

Thanks,

Claudia

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Lisa or anyone,

Where did you go to get the new fingerprints done? Just wondering, so when it's our turn, we aren't behind.

Thanks,

Claudia

Claudia,

I have the paperwork that Angela sent, with instructions. Let me find it and I can give you the info in person or over the phone (or, I'm sure Abrazo would gladly send you your own copy! :D )

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Eeeeek! We've just discovered that one of our families-in-waiting who was sent the FBI memo in October didn't get around to submitting the information until last week, and they've now got a baby due this week-- meaning that without the FBI clearance being on file already, the baby will have to go into foster care, something they're understandably none too happy about! Yet our hands are tied, since Licensing makes the rules, not our agency.

YIKES!!! :ph34r::ph34r::ph34r: That sounds like something I would have done! I have never been accused of having it all together! :(

I hope things can work out as quickly as possible for this family-to-be!

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I'm glad to report that we received our FBI fingerprints back today. :) I hope everyone gets theirs in soon.

Heather

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yikes! One of our families who submitted their FBI prints five weeks ago still hadn't gotten results in; it wasn't until they called the Department of Family & Protective Services who referred them to another number who referred them to another number... where they learned out they were actually approved the same day their application was received; nobody in that department had gotten around to sending the results out, yet. :blink:

So a word to the wise: you may want to make a call to follow up with the Department yourself, if it's been awhile...!!! or ask your homestudy worker to do so.

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and, for what it's worth..these are the numbers i was given to contact where i tracked down our resuts (let's just say, it isn't exactly a streamlined process)

i first contacted Identix via their 1 888 number, she referred me to DPS at 512-424-5079 and he was able to determine when they/he transmitted the results to DFPS...ideally, you need to give him a TCN# for him to look it up (I have no idea what that is or how you get one, I *think* Identix is supposed to give it to you). Anyway, he was able to locate it w/Lance's name. He then referred me to DFPS 512-99-6478 and I spoke to someone there who confirmed they had the results, just somehow hadn't sent them to Abrazo.

Not sure if these will always be the appropriate numbers to contact...but they're the ones I was given and they worked for me, today (may save you a call to Identix who I find to be truly quite rude <_<

I would definitely start chasing it down if it's been more than a couple of weeks...my 2 cents.

Lisa

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and, for what it's worth..these are the numbers i was given to contact where i tracked down our resuts (let's just say, it isn't exactly a streamlined process)

i first contacted Identix via their 1 888 number, she referred me to DPS at 512-424-5079 and he was able to determine when they/he transmitted the results to DFPS...ideally, you need to give him a TCN# for him to look it up (I have no idea what that is or how you get one, I *think* Identix is supposed to give it to you). Anyway, he was able to locate it w/Lance's name. He then referred me to DFPS 512-99-6478 and I spoke to someone there who confirmed they had the results, just somehow hadn't sent them to Abrazo.

Not sure if these will always be the appropriate numbers to contact...but they're the ones I was given and they worked for me, today (may save you a call to Identix who I find to be truly quite rude <_<

I would definitely start chasing it down if it's been more than a couple of weeks...my 2 cents.

Lisa

I'm thinking that the 512 numbers would work for Texas residents, but maybe not out of state folks.

Just my guess, though.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey Kristin,

I have copied yours & Adam's exchange regarding fingerprints here.

I'm not sure I'm much help either - I think it is more of an Abrazo question - we live in the state of Texas and had to have the electronic fingerprints done but as we were already "accepted" into Abrazo's program, they were the ones whose number we used to put on our form (I believe that operation number you were talking about - or whatever it was called but we had to have them give that number to us so our electronic results would come back to Abrazo (as well as DFPS) but again, Abrazo sent us all that info...which is why I think this is more of an Abrazo question...

Best of luck (?) to you on that - the FBI fingerprint thing was definitely not one of the easiest things we had to do (the first time it was no big deal but the electronic thing was a bit of a mess - I posted about it, on here I think....very new process for them and there are still some kinks in the system they need to work out (they as in DFPS or whoever it is that's doing it...NOT Abrazo - they were great!)

-Lisa

Sorry to keep barging in on your group's forum thread but as we do not yet have our own orientation group forum thread, I need someplace to ask all of my annoying questions... So, I am still trying to figure out this fingerprinting issue... It looks like I can request the paperwork online from TX DFPS but I need an "operation number" to register and then a login. I am a person, not an "operation", I have no such number...Did anyone have this much trouble? Is Pennsylvania weird? The criminal record check and child abuse clearance paperwork has already been sent in and that was quite easy...

getting frustrated,

Kristin <_<

Sorry to keep barging in on your group's forum thread but as we do not yet have our own orientation group forum thread, I need someplace to ask all of my annoying questions... So, I am still trying to figure out this fingerprinting issue... It looks like I can request the paperwork online from TX DFPS but I need an "operation number" to register and then a login. I am a person, not an "operation", I have no such number...Did anyone have this much trouble? Is Pennsylvania weird? The criminal record check and child abuse clearance paperwork has already been sent in and that was quite easy...

getting frustrated,

Kristin <_<

Kristin,

Please don't feel like you are 'barging in'. This is a forum and all are welcome. The only exclusivity is when you first register for an Abrazo forum account. We welcome all and are certainly glad you have found a place where you are comfortable asking questions.

Unfortunately, I can't shed much light on the fingerprinting thing. We've only done it once (doing it again in the next week or two) and our licensed social worker is setting things up through a local agency (with results being sent to both them and to Abrazo I believe). Our Fingerprinting and Background checks are a package deal. Both are done at the same time here in Tenn. by TAPS (the contracting agency).

There will be lots of "frustrating" steps during the adoption process, but just realize You WILL get through each one and more importantly You WILL have a little one in your near future :)

I'll let the experts reply regarding their suggestions for your next course of action.

-A

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