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Manual Title Chapter Page Revision Date Virginia Medical Assistance Eligibility M01 July 2020 Subchapter Subject Page ending with Page M0110.000 GENERAL INFORMATION M0110.110 5

G. Ownership of Records All client information contained in the agency records is the property of the agency, and employees of the agency shall protect and preserve such information from dissemination except as indicated. Original client records are not to be removed from the premises by individuals other than authorized staff of the agency, except by court order. The agency may destroy records pursuant to records retention schedules. H. Release of Client Information with Consent As part of the application process for MA, the client shall be informed of the need to consent to the release of information necessary for verifying eligibility. Whenever a person, agency or organization that is not performing one or more of the functions described in M0110.110 B above requests client information, the agency must obtain written permission to release the information from the client or the person legally responsible for the client whenever possible. A release for information obtained from the client by the requesting agency also satisfies this requirement. Certified Application Counselors and Navigators are designated on the MA application and are deemed to have client consent to release information without an additional release of information. The client may revoke his consent to the release of information at any time by notifying the LDSS verbally or in writing. The revocation of consent is to be documented in the case record. I. Release of Client Information without Consent Information from the applicant/recipient's case record may not be released to other agencies, such as public housing agencies, legal services, private organizations, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), school lunch programs, health departments or elected officials beyond what is specified in interagency agreements as described below without the client's consent. An exception applies to agencies with which there is an agreement for specific types of sharing of information, such as wage information from the VEC, Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) with USCIS, the State Verification Exchange System (SVES) with the Social Security Administration, etc. Client information may be disclosed without client consent in the following situations: 1. Social Services Employees to employees of state and local departments of social services for the purpose of program administration;

2. Program Staff in Other States to program staff in other states when a client moves or when there is a question of dual participation, or to verify the status of assistance in Virginia for applicants in another state; 3. DMAS & LDSS Staff between state/local department of social services staff and DMAS for the purpose of supervision and reporting;