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ethnicity will be self-determined, the Department is required to classify household race and ethnicity according to federally defined categories. The applicant's race and ethnicity will represent the race and ethnicity of the entire household. • The Department must determine an applicant's eligibility for program benefits in accordance with timeliness standards (see Chapter 2: Processing Timeframes in Part III). Applicants must be notified in writing of the Department's eligibility determination. If an applicant is denied benefits, the applicant must be informed of the reason for the denial and the right to appeal the determination (see Section 3.4: Denied in Part III and Chapter 10: Notice of Adverse Action in Part VIII). • The Department is required to give timely and adequate notice to all recipients if the Department has determined a change in benefits including a plan to: o discontinue, o terminate, o suspend, o reduce benefits, or o change the manner or form of benefits • The Department is required to give notice to applicants/recipients of any reduction in or termination of benefits. The notice must contain the following: o the specific reasons and legal authority for the intended action or decision, o the conditions under which benefits and assistance are continued, o his/her right to a fair hearing on the proposed action, o the method for obtaining a fair hearing, o the right to representation, and o the availability of free legal counsel. • The Department is required to make the case record available to an applicant, recipient, an authorized representative of the household, or the legal representative of the household for examination during normal business hours upon request of the applicant/recipient or his/her authorized representative. However, the Department may withhold confidential information provided about the household without the household's knowledge, and the Department may withhold information concerning the nature or status of an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution. However, the Department may not withhold information that forms the basis of an adverse action. • The Department will publicize the procedures for handling civil rights complaints, the Department's policies of non-discrimination, the procedures for reporting a civil rights violation, and the policies and procedures regarding fair hearings and agency conferences.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION 3.5

ALL All information regarding applicants/recipients will be held confidential by the Department and will not be disclosed to anyone without the prior notification and authorization of the individual or the individual's authorized representative. However, the Department is mandated to disclose certain information, with or without prior authorization or notification of the individual, under the following circumstances: The Department, its staff, and official agents are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department's Children and Family Services Agency (CFSA) and/or the District hotline for child abuse and neglect. In addition, the Department must share information with CFSA upon request. The Department, its staff, and official agents are required to report on suspected crimes and