County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency HHSA CalFresh Program Guide Confidentiality Number Page 63353 1 of 2 Revision 03012021 BackgroundConfidentiality regulations outline under what circumstances and to whom information may be released These regulations pertain to all case records electronic files papers and communications administered or supervised by HHSA including CalFresh CalFresh Employment and Training CFET and the AbleBodied Adults Without Dependents ABAWD Work Programs These regulations were created to protect customers from identification or exploitation Additional information regarding HHSA policies for Confidentiality in SelfSufficiency Programs may be found in the Eligibility Policy and Procedure Guide PurposeThe purpose of this policy is to protect the agencys records while providing authorized persons access to information This revision updates the section to the new format There are no changes due to State legislation PolicyNames addresses and all other eligibility information concerning the circumstances of any customer including whether that person is or is not an applicantrecipient will not be disclosed for any purposes not directly related to the administration of public social services programs 1 Collateral Contacts Before a collateral contact is initiated the customer must be informed of their option to get the required information themselves without using County forms Except for Bureau of Public Assistance Investigations BPAI staff the customers signed consent must be obtained and made part of the case record prior to initiating collateral contacts 2 Unauthorized Disclosure of Confidential Information Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by a County employee is a misdemeanor and may lead to criminal or civil liability for both the employee and the County 3 Case Records Case records are the original and permanent records of HHSA and are maintained for reference and audit purposes to document eligibility All information in case records is considered confidential and will be safeguarded References MPP 19000 and 632013 Welfare and Institutions WI Code 10850 EPPG Confidentiality Sunset Date This policy will be reviewed for continuance on or by 02292024 Approval for Release County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency HHSA CalFresh Program Guide Confidentiality Number Page 63353 2 of 2 RICK WANNE Director SelfSufficiency Services