Virginia FACIS background checks: Levels 1M & 3 explained
A Virginia-specific breakdown of the FACIS healthcare exclusion search: what Level 1M covers, what Level 3 adds from Virginia boards and Medicaid enforcement, and which level fits which employer.
Every Virginia organization that bills a federally funded healthcare program — Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or a state Medicaid managed-care plan — is required to verify that its employees, contractors, and vendors are not excluded from participation. FACIS is the standard tool for that verification. This guide covers what a FACIS search returns in Virginia and which level fits your workforce.
What is a FACIS background check in Virginia?
FACIS (Fraud and Abuse Control Information System) is a healthcare-specific sanction database that aggregates federal exclusion and debarment records with state licensing, Medicaid, and Attorney General enforcement data. Run against a Virginia candidate, a Level 3 FACIS search reaches into the Virginia Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List, the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the disciplinary records of every Virginia healthcare licensing board.
Virginia sources included in FACIS Level 3
- Virginia Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List
- Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit enforcement actions
- Virginia Board of Medicine disciplinary actions
- Virginia Board of Nursing disciplinary actions
- Virginia Board of Pharmacy disciplinary actions
- Virginia dental, behavioral health, and allied-health board actions
- Virginia Attorney General healthcare-fraud actions
- Virginia contractor disqualification and debarment lists
Federal sources included in every FACIS search
Both Level 1M and Level 3 include the federal exclusion sources that satisfy OIG and CMS baseline requirements for Virginia providers:
- OIG List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE)
- System for Award Management (SAM), including SDN
- OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list
- FDA Debarment List
- DEA administrative actions
- GSA excluded parties
- TRICARE excluded providers
- U.S. Department of Justice, Treasury, and State healthcare-fraud actions
FACIS Level 1M vs. Level 3 for Virginia employers
| Federal exclusion lists | Level 1M ✓ Level 3 ✓ |
| Virginia Medicaid exclusions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| VA licensing board disciplinary actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| Virginia AG healthcare-fraud actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
Which Virginia employers need Level 3?
If any of the following describe your Virginia organization, Level 3 is the right search. Level 1M is not enough to see VA board sanctions or Virginia Medicaid exclusions:
- Virginia hospitals, health systems, and physician groups
- Skilled nursing, assisted-living, and long-term-care operators in Virginia
- Home health, hospice, and DME suppliers billing Virginia Medicaid
- Behavioral health, telehealth, and substance-use providers licensed in Virginia
- Any employer with clinical staff holding a VA license alongside licenses in other states
How often should Virginia providers re-screen?
The OIG Special Advisory Bulletin recommends monthly re-screening against the LEIE. Virginia Medicaid enrollment agreements generally impose the same monthly cadence against the Virginia Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List. A pre-hire FACIS check is the starting point; continuous monthly monitoring is what catches sanctions that land after the hire date.
How SafestHires runs FACIS for Virginia employers
SafestHires offers FACIS Level 1M and FACIS Level 3 as standalone searches or bundled into a Virginia healthcare hiring package alongside primary-source license verification, sex-offender registry checks, and county criminal history. Ongoing monthly monitoring is available for the entire workforce from the same dashboard.