7.004 - 1 Caseload Management

Revised August 2019 VII. Caseload Management – Appointment Scheduling by Priorities

PROCEDURE 7.004 Implementing Office: Community Health Administration (CHA) Revised August 2019

Approved by:

_______________________ LaQuandra S. Nesbitt MD, MPH; Agency Director Review by Legal Counsel:

____________________ Phillip Husband, Esq.; General Counsel Effective Date:

I. Authority USDA

II. Reason for the Policy CFR § 246.7(f)(2) Timeframe for Processing Applicants

III. Applicability DC WIC State Agency and Local Agency Staff

IV. Policy Statement New Assessment Appointments:

a. New pregnant and breastfeeding women, and infants and children who are potentially Priority I - III, or members of migrant households are to be given priority for WIC assessment appointments. Appointments for these priorities must be made available for these individuals within 10 calendar days of telephone or on-site requests.

b. Applicants who are not potential Priority I, II, or III are to be scheduled for an eligibility assessment appointment within 20 calendar days of telephone or on- site requests. These appointments are to be scheduled in priority order.

Subsequent Assessment Appointments:

a. Participants must receive at least 15 days advance notification of the end of their certification period.

b. Participants must be scheduled for subsequent assessment appointment within 30-days before or after the end of their current certification period based on priority (See letters “c” and “d” below).

c. The WIC clinic must designate sufficient appointment slots for women and children expected to fall within Priorities I, II, or III for subsequent assessment appointments.

d. Priorities I, II, and III participants will be scheduled for subsequent assessment appointments before the end of the current certification period.

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e. Priority IV - VI participants, with the exception of Priority IV pregnant women who plan to breastfeed their infants, will not be scheduled for subsequent assessment appointments before the end of the current certification period, but must be informed to call for an assessment appointment at or near the end of the certification period.

V. Procedure for new assessment appointments The following procedure should be followed when scheduling new assessment appointments:

1. Schedule potential Priority I, II, and III applicants within 10 days of initial request or earlier.

2. Schedule potential Priority IV, V, and VI applicants within 20 days of request or earlier.

If appointment cannot be made within 20 days of initial request, start a wait list. See Policy and Procedure 7.007-7.009 for instructions on starting a wait list.

VI. Procedure for Subsequent Assessment Appointments The following procedure should be followed when scheduling new assessment appointments:

1. At the last check pick-up before the certification period ends, or at least 15 days before the end of the current certification period, inform the participant or authorized representative verbally when the current certification period will expire.

2. Automatically schedule the following participants for subsequent assessment appointments: Priority I, II, and IV pregnant women who plan to breastfed their infants; Priority I pregnant women whose current risk criteria would place them in Priority III postpartum; Priority I and II infants; and Priority III children. Give a Notice of Assessment Appointment (See Appendix 7.004A).

3. Use the following document Check Pick-Up Report to identify potential Priority I, II, and III participants for subsequent assessment appointments.

4. Record appointments in the appointment scheduler and give a written appointment notice to the participants.

5. Inform participants in Priorities IV-VI to call for a subsequent assessment appointment at least two weeks before the end of their certification period.

VII. Appendix 7.004A Notice of Assessment Appointment

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VIII. Reference 7.007 Waiting List Overview 7.008 Non-Pre-Certified Waiting List 7.009 Pre-Certified Waiting Lists