Case statuses
A combination of the following case attributes determines the overall status, or the state, of a case:- Primary status: Every case has a primary status that describes the status of a case at a high level.
- Secondary status: In certain scenarios, a case has a secondary status that provides additional information about its status.
- Adverse action status: An adverse action flow can be initiated after a case reaches a primary status of
Complete. When this occurs, an adverse action status is associated with the case. - Result type: The result type of a case indicates the outcome of the background check. A case remains open until a decision is made to place the candidate or initiate an adverse action.
Onboarding and processing
| Overall status | Description | Primary status | Secondary status | Adverse action status | Result type | Final state? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation sent | A case was ordered, and an invitation was sent to the candidate. | Pending | Waiting for Authorization | null | Open | No |
| Authorization in progress | Candidate-provided PII flow: The candidate started onboarding. Customer-provided PII flow: A case was ordered, and the system is verifying the input data. | Pending | Authorization in Progress | null | Open | No |
| Processing screenings | The processing of screenings is in progress. The case remains in this state until all screenings are complete. | Pending | null | null | Open | No |
| Waiting for parental consent | The processing of screenings is on hold until parental consent is provided on behalf of the minor candidate, who is under the age of 18. | Blocked | Waiting for Parental Consent | null | Open | No |
| Verifying candidate input | The candidate-provided PII differs from existing candidate data in the system. The case cannot proceed until it’s reviewed by KarmaCheck Support. | Blocked | Verifying Candidate Input | null | Open | No |
| Reviewing order | The customer-provided PII differs from existing candidate data in the system. The case cannot proceed until it’s reviewed by KarmaCheck Support. | Blocked | Reviewing Order | null | Open | No |
| Blocked | An unexpected issue occurred. Processing is blocked until KarmaCheck Support can review the case. | Blocked | null | null | Open | No |
| Canceled | The case is canceled. This occurs when the case gets replaced with a new case, or when the case gets archived while in a secondary status of Waiting for Authorization, Authorization in Progress, or a primary status of Blocked. | Adjudicated | Canceled | null | Open | Yes, unless KarmaCheck is explicitly asked to reopen the case |
Processing complete
The “Processing complete” state is a rollup (aggregate) status, determined by the terminal status of all services or screenings ordered on the case. For details on individual service lifecycles and terminal statuses, see the Service Lifecycle page.| Overall status | Description | Primary status | Secondary status | Adverse action status | Result type | Final state? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs review | Processing is complete, and at least one screening requires customer review. | Complete | Consider | null or Cancel | Open | Yes, unless adverse action is initiated or another screening is added to the case |
| Clear | Processing is complete, and all screenings are clear. | Complete | null | null | Open | Yes, unless adverse action is initiated or another screening is added to the case |
Adjudicated results
| Overall status | Description | Primary status | Secondary status | Adverse action status | Result type | Final state? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placed | The candidate meets the hiring criteria. | Adjudicated | null | null or Cancel | Placed | Yes, unless another screening is added to the case |
| Pre-adverse action | The adverse action flow was initiated on the case, which previously had a result of Open and a primary status of Complete. The candidate will receive a pre-adverse action letter. | Complete | Consider or null | Pre-Adverse | Pre-Adverse Action | No |
| Dispute adverse action | The candidate disputed the adverse action. | Complete | Consider or null | Dispute | Dispute Adverse Action | No |
| Adverse action | The final phase of the adverse action flow was initiated. | Adjudicated | null | Post | Adverse Action | Yes, but the case can be taken out of adverse action if a mistake was made |
Status changes
Due to the fluid nature of background checks, a case can cycle through different states more than once. A case that reaches the end of a typical lifecycle could still be subject to change, so your system should account for potential state reversals. For example, a case with aPlaced result can transition to Open with a secondary status of Consider (in other words, an overall status of Needs review). This might occur after the discovery of information that affects the initial adjudication decision.