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Volume III | Chapter 1 17 The agency making the request must make its own request to the other agency. 3. The hearing record must contain the material on which the contested eligibility decision was made; hence, any such medical material must be available in the hearing record for examination by the client or his authorized representative. Do not supply copies of this material to the client or his representative. DISCLOSURE TO ELECTED OFFICIALS When an applicant for or recipient of TANF, SNAP or Child Support makes a complaint, usually by letter, to a public official such as a Senator, Congressman, County Board of Supervisors, etc., about his denial, inadequate receipt, or other action taken about his request for assistance, the State or County office handling the complaint may include that information in the reply which will provide an adequate explanation of the action taken by MDHS. That is, when the person or authorized representative sets out facts about the individual's circumstances and enters a request to MDHS, this implies the consent of the individual for MDHS to reply to the complaint. Determine first that the individual himself knows that the other person is writing MDHS about his dissatisfaction with the action or lack of action. When the individual or his authorized representative writes a public official, either local, State or Congressional, or other public agency, the public official usually sends the letter, so that the County or State Department knows that the inquiry or complaint is from the client. Do not include more information than is necessary to explain the MDHS position or action. DISCLOSURE TO COUNTY OR DISTRICT PROSECUTING ATTORNEY The County and District Prosecuting Attorneys shall have access to information from the case records for the following reasons: 1. Making an investigation of an alleged violation of the sections in the State statutes on fraudulent receipts of TANF, SNAP or Child Support. 2. Locating deserting parents or putative fathers, establishing paternity, and securing support for children. For further discussion concerning the location of deserting legal or putative parents and the failure or refusal of the mother to establish paternity and obtain support for the TANF children, refer to Volume III, Chapter 3 and Volume VI. When acting in their official capacity on behalf of MDHS, County and District Attorneys are authorized to review, without written request, case record material in the case of the individual 1058 MISSISSIPPI

[GENERAL: CONFIDENTIALITY] Revised 02-01-