Provision of Referral Information 650-50-25

(Revised 10/17/2018 ML #3540)

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I & R staff will provide telephone, e-mail, or online information and referral services in which the consumer has one-to-one, human contact with I & R staff.

 

Once the needs of the consumer have been identified, I & R staff will:

1. Assure the consumer that all requests for assistance are handled confidentially, and no information will be released to the Department of Human Services and its contractors without the consumer’s verbal or written permission, as allowed by federal and state consent regulations.
2. Inform the consumer certain information may be kept on file for the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK records.
3. If consumer agrees, staff will obtain as much information on the call summary as the caller is willing to provide. If consumer refuses to provide information, staff will affirm the consumer has that option.
4. Explore what other resources and services the consumer is currently receiving or if they have received information from any other source.
5. Where possible, provide a minimum of three referrals to give the consumer a choice. Consumers will be responsible for choosing which, if any, resources they wish to access.
6. Refrain from recommending any one service over another.
7. Explore with the consumer if they will be able to follow up on referral information provided without further assistance.
8. If the situation requires, complete the referral(s) on behalf of the consumer:

• I & R staff will explain what information will need to be released and to whom the information will be released to complete the referral.
• I & R staff will ask for the consumer’s verbal permission to release the information to make the referral to each specified agency or program.
• I & R staff will document the consumer’s verbal agreement in the call summary. Access to the call log is restricted to Program Administrators and I & R staff within the Aging Services Division.

9. Respect consumer confidentiality at all times. Information shared must be kept within the limits agreed upon with the consumer:

• An exception to this would be a situation where the consumer may be in danger of self-harm, staff will release information as needed to obtain emergency services for the consumer.

10. Before terminating communication with consumers, I & R staff will inquire if the consumer has any further questions about the information provided; and thank the consumer for using the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK.
11. Staff will inform consumers that they may receive a follow-up call from I & R staff to determine if the consumer was linked to the services he or she needed.
12. A “warm transfer” of the call will be completed when staff determines that a direct transfer would be appropriate; i.e. consumer deemed unable to make the call themselves or is having difficulty understanding the referral and service process. “Warm transfer” is when staff connects the consumer to another party or agency and stays on the line until connection is made. When a warm transfer is deemed appropriate, I & R staff obtain the consumer’s verbal permission to transfer the call to the appropriate agency. I & R staff will announce the consumer to the agency and remain on the line until assured parties have been connected.
13. When completing referrals, I & R staff will approach agencies in a courteous manner, speak with the appropriate personnel, and have all known relevant information for the referral at hand. Relevant information may include the consumer’s name, phone number, address, age, as well as their identified needs.
14. When a referral has been completed, the Aging and Disability Resource-LINK staff will document completion of the referral on the call summary, noting the date and the name of the person who received the referral information to complete follow-up calls.