DOCUMENTATION

A. The county department shall create a case record upon initial application and maintain the record while the case is open for assistance. The major purposes of a case record shall be: 1. To assist the county department in reaching a valid decision concerning eligibility and for the amount of grant payment a client is eligible to receive; 2. To ensure eligibility is based on factual information; 3. To provide for continuity of assistance when a worker is absent, when a case is reopened, and when a case is transferred from one county department to another; and, 4. To provide accountability for the county department's actions. B. The county department shall document all income, resources, and non-financial eligibility information into the statewide automated system. 1. The county department shall not omit case information from the statewide automated system based on the assumption that the information is unnecessary for eligibility determination. 2. All case information used to determine eligibility and changes in basic biographical information shall be updated at the time of redetermination. C. The county department shall document all case actions in case comments. This information shall include actions taken by the county department, the basis of such actions, and the result or outcome of the action taken on the case and must also include: 1. All case decisions related to prudent person principle; 2. All decisions related to the disposition of claims; 3. Any atypical interactions with the client; 4. Actions related to a county conference and/or state level fair hearing; 5. Cause of untimely processing of the application or redetermination; 6. Other information that would be critical to document county department actions and/or would be necessary to justify case decisions during a case review, audit, appeal, or lawsuit; and, 7. Information pertaining to eligibility, verifications, and collateral contacts. D. Unless otherwise specified in rule, all forms, packets, notices, and applications, shall be State-prescribed or State approved. E. The county department shall be responsible for securely storing paper and/or electronic case records and other confidential material to prevent accidental or intentional disclosure or access by unauthorized persons. If a county department shares building space with other county offices, case materials shall be stored in locked files. F. Case records are the property of and shall be restricted to use by the State Department and county department. G. Case files shall be kept for a minimum of three (3) years beyond the year of the case closure date unless there has been a claim, audit, negotiation, litigation or other action started before the expiration of the three-year period. In such cases, the retention period shall initiate at the conclusion of the claim, audit, negotiation, litigation, or other action.