I was a caregiver for 6 years then I got myself into some trouble and now I can't get hired because I'm a felon. How do I get an appeal?

Were you a Certified Nurses Aid? If so, you may want to check with the Board that oversees this to see what can be done.

I admit 19 yrs is a long time and it depends on what u did. If drugs were involved, then its hard getting into the health field. Stealing too.

What about providing character references from people who know you now? Do you know anyone in the police force, or a clergy leader, govt official, etc. who could vouch for you? Can you provide a letter describing the circumstances of your crime? Like, was the crime drugs? Assault? Theft? I'm not asking you to divulge, just wondering if an employer's fears can be put to rest. For example, my son got a felony for egging a house (due to the amount of "damage" plus he represented himself in court). He had to work it off to get it expunged. But if he hadn't worked it off, he would have had to provide clarity to any prospective employer. Just a thought. Good luck!

I think I would seek retraining in a field that doesn’t require a background check. Even though it was 19 years ago, a felony is still going to show up and some would not accept that in a caregiver.

Or maybe as a lawyer or the courts can help you. A judge would have to expunge your record for it not show up in a background check.

The only thing I can think of is to research agencies in your community to see if there are any programs you can participate in to give you better odds at getting hired. You might even want to try contacting the courts or Legal Aid to see how to go about this. Good luck!