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Louisiana LIHEAP Service Delivery Guide 18 | P a g e

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c. Transmission Methods

When transmitting documents electronically, industry partners must use National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) compliant methods. Examples include putting the documents inside an encrypted wrapper, such as a password protected DOC, PDF, or ZIP file. Passwords should not be included in the same transmission as the documents. It is preferable to provide the recipient with the password by calling, texting, or in a separate email. LHC strongly recommends using an encrypted transfer mechanism such as a shared link with an encrypted cloud storage service, an encrypted mail service, or web encrypted transfer tools.

Other possible methods for transmitting electronic documents and data must comply with LHC’s security requirements. They may include but are not limited to the following:

 Removable electronic media, such as thumb drives or SD cards;  Direct access (i.e., providing login information to a system in order to access electronically signed and/or stored documents); and  Other compliant technology as developed. d. Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

All documents containing or conveying PII must be encrypted or transmitted in a secure manner in order to safeguard this information. When sending sensitive PII via email or via an unsecured information system, make sure the information and any attachments are encrypted.

Do not place PII on shared drives, multi-access calendars, on Intranet, or the Internet unless they are compliant with the terms of this Guide.

Do not let documents with PII sit on a printer, scanner, or fax machine where unauthorized employees or contractors can have access to the information.

e. Security

Data and information stored electronically must be maintained and used in ways that ensure the security, protection, and confidentiality