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North Carolina

41 CONFIDENTIALITY

The Division complies with State and federal laws/regulations as it pertains to confidential information. North Carolina General Statute Sec. 108A-80 states that it is unlawful for information to be released from a family’s records, except for the purposes directly connected with the administration of programs of public assistance and social services. The law requires the Division to establish and enforce policies governing restrictions on the use and disclosure of any information concerning applicants and recipients of public assistance and comply with applicable provisions of the Social Security Act concerning confidentiality.

FAMILY VIOLENCE OPTION

North Carolina has adopted the Family Violence Option. The state has developed standards and procedures to notify all Work First applicants and recipients about domestic violence to identify applicants and recipients with a history of being a victim of domestic violence. These individuals are referred to counseling and supportive services (while maintaining their confidentiality) and may receive a temporary waiver from one or more Work First requirements if domestic violence is preventing them from meeting these requirements.

The Department has adopted the option to waive Work First requirements such as time limits, participation in work activities, child support cooperation, and family cap provisions in cases where there is good cause to show that compliance would make it more difficult for the recipient to escape domestic violence. These waivers also apply to situations that would unfairly penalize someone who is, or has been, a victim of domestic violence. The length of waivers is determined on a case-by-case basis, but may not exceed six months at a time, and may be reevaluated as appropriate.

A substantial body of research has established that having an unmet resource need — including experiencing food insecurity, housing instability, unmet transportation needs and interpersonal violence or toxic stress — can significantly and negatively impact health and well-being. It can also increase healthcare utilization and costs. With this in mind, North Carolina is launching the Healthy Opportunities pilots as part of its Medicaid Transformation efforts. The pilots are an opportunity for payers, providers and community-based organizations to have the tools, infrastructure and financing to integrate non-medical services directly related to improved health outcomes into the delivery of care. During the 2019-2022 TANF plan, we will strategically align with increased resources and opportunities to address interpersonal and family violence identified within the Health Opportunities pilots.

LOCAL DEMONSTRATIONS OR PILOT PROGRAMS

Counties may request approval from the Division of Social Services to design and operate demonstrations or pilot programs to investigate various ways of meeting the Work First program purposes and goals. These demonstrations will likely be in areas where the county lacks the authority to make specific program changes. Funding, in addition to the county’s local block grant, may or may not be provided. There may be instances in which the State asks for proposals to address a specific topic. In other