Does CVS Health hire people with felonies?

What CVS Health has said

CVS Health is a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition and was named among the companies that had joined when the coalition launched in April 2021; in 2016 it was also named as a new signer of the White House Fair Chance Business Pledge. Its workforce development page lists a Second Chance program aimed at helping people with past convictions return to work. CVS store postings say qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered under applicable laws, and its hiring-process page shows that candidates complete a background check, with a dedicated support line.

• Second Chance Business Coalition member

  Listed as a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition.¹

• Founding member of the Second Chance Business Coalition

  Named in the coalition's April 26, 2021 launch release as one of the companies that had already joined.²

• Signed the 2016 Fair Chance Business Pledge

  CVS Health was named among the employers making new commitments to the White House Fair Chance Business Pledge in a November 30, 2016 White House fact sheet. The pledge asked companies to reduce hiring barriers for people with records, such as delaying criminal history questions.³

• Hiring program

  CVS Health's workforce development page lists a Second Chance program that offers reentry job opportunities to people with past convictions and says the company works to remove barriers to employment.⁴

• Statement in a job posting

  CVS store associate postings on CVS's job site state that qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in line with federal, state and local laws.⁵

Does CVS Health do background checks?

CVS Health runs background checks. The CVS Health hiring-process page includes help for candidates having trouble with their background check (Background Support Team, 800-803-7860) and for those who have completed their background and paperwork. It does not say when the check happens or what it covers.⁶

• How long a background check takes

Does CVS Health drug test?

CVS Health hasn't published a drug testing policy. Some job postings say whether a test is required, so check the listing for the role you want.

Hiring programs

• Second Chance

  Listed among CVS Health's workforce initiatives; described as reentry job opportunities for people with past convictions and an effort to reduce barriers to employment. The page does not describe eligibility, locations or how to apply.⁴

• Workforce Innovation and Talent Centers (WITCs)

  Community hubs that CVS Health says combine training and skill building with access to jobs, working with community groups and government agencies. CVS does not describe them as specific to people with records.⁴

Rules for specific jobs

• Store associates

  One CVS Store Associate posting (Howard Beach, NY) lists a minimum age of 16.⁷

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^9,10,11
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^9,10
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^9,12
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^13,14
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^13,15

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^9,12,16
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹⁷
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^18,19

See whether you can clear your record in your state