June 4, 2026 · All agencies

PHQ & Applicant Profile Updates

We've sharpened the instruction text on the PHQ's Additional Information question so applicants know exactly what belongs there and how to reference it. We've also given agencies the ability to hide the Applicant Date of Birth field, helping you stay compliant with state laws that restrict asking about age during hiring.

Finally, we've replaced those vague "N/A" placeholders in applicant profiles with clear, specific explanations — so you'll always know why a piece of information isn't showing, rather than wondering whether something failed to load.

Here's everything that's included:

PHQ: Section 10 Update

We have updated the instruction text for the Additional Information question (all PHQ versions) to clarify what applicants should include when providing information that does not fit elsewhere in the PHQ.

Question instructions updated to*:

"Provide information that does not fit elsewhere on this form (e.g., additional family members, schools, residences, employers, explanations to questions, etc.). Reference the corresponding questions and/or specific items."

* Question 8 on the Guardian Default PHQ; Question 1 on the CA POST 2-251.

Questionnaire Manager: Applicant Date of Birth Field

Agency users now have the ability to hide the Applicant Date of Birth question (Section 1 "Personal Information", Question 9). This allows agencies to remain compliant with state-specific laws that prohibit asking for an applicant's age during the hiring process.

Applicant Profile Information

Personal information about the applicant appears in the applicant file and other locations, such as the ID Report. Previously, when an applicant hadn't provided certain information, a generic "N/A" was displayed (e.g., Date of Birth: N/A). This made it unclear why the information wasn't showing.

Example of applicant personal profile information:

Applicant Personal Information panel showing Date of Birth, Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye Color, Work Eligibility, and Military Experience with their values.

With this update, when profile information isn't available, Guardian now displays a clear explanation instead of a generic placeholder:

Value Displayed	Reason / Logic
[ applicant's answer ]	If the applicant answered the question on the PHQ, the answer will appear in the profile information.
`Missing info`	If the applicant has not certified their PHQ yet, or if they certified it but the question did not exist on the PHQ.
`No Answer Provided`	Applicant certified but did not provide an answer (if not a mandatory question).
`Hidden on PHQ`	Applicant certified a PHQ but the question was hidden by your agency at the time of certification.

By removing empty placeholders, we eliminate confusion where one might think data failed to load or is not functioning properly.

No action required

These updates roll out automatically on June 4, 2026. The ability to hide the Applicant Date of Birth field is optional and can be configured by your agency in the Questionnaire Manager whenever you're ready.

Thanks for reading — and thanks, as always, for partnering with us.

Questions? Reach our support team at support@guardianalliancetechnologies.com