Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) For the protection of clients, any
information about a client or case is confidential and shall be used only for
purposes directly related to the administration of the assistance programs. The
following shall be considered as included in the administration of the
programs:
1) The establishment of a client's
initial or continuing eligibility for public assistance;
2) The establishment or the extent of an
individual's need for financial assistance, medical assistance or other
services; and
3) The establishment
of procedures assuring the health and safety of the client.
b) Use or information for
commercial, personal, or political purposes is specifically
prohibited.
c) Local office staff
shall inform all agencies and governmental departments to whom information is
furnished that this material is confidential and must be so considered by the
agency or governmental department.
d) Aid to Families with Dependent Children
(AFDC):
1) The Department shall release or
provide information for use concerning individuals applying for or receiving
financial assistance or services only to persons or agency representatives who
are subject to standards of confidentiality which are comparable to those
maintained by the Department.
2)
Whenever possible, the Department shall inform a family or individual of a
request for information from an outside source, and shall obtain permission to
meet the request. In an emergency situation when prior consent for the release
cannot be obtained, the Department shall notify the family or individual
immediately after the release.
3)
In the event a subpoena is served on the Department for it to produce a case
record or for a Department representative to testify concerning an applicant or
recipient, the Department shall call the court's attention through proper
channels to the statutory provisions and its policies, rules and regulations
against disclosure of information.
4) This section shall apply to all requests
for information from an outside source, including a governmental authority, the
courts or a law enforcement official.
5) The current address of clients who are
fugitive felons shall be disclosed to State and local law enforcement officers
without client consent. A fugitive felon is a person who has been convicted of
committing a felony such as murder or arson, and who is evading arrest for the
charges upon which the felony conviction was based. The current address of
clients shall be disclosed only to properly identified (i.e. law enforcement
badge and/or identification card) State and local law enforcement officers who:
A) Provide the Department with the name and
social security number of the client; and
B) Satisfy the requirements of
45
CFR
205.50(a)(v)(A)-(C)(1984).
The client shall not be advised of the disclosure of such
information.
e) Food Stamps
1) For the protection of food stamp
households use or disclosure of individual or case information obtained from
the household is restricted to the following:
A) persons directly connected with the
administration or enforcement of the provisions of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (
7 U.S.C.
2011 et seq.) or regulations;
B) persons directly connected with other
Federal or federally aided, or State means-tested assistance
programs;
C) Illinois State
agencies involved in investigations of reports of child abuse or neglect,
including the Department of Children and Family Services;
D) employees of the Comptroller General's
Office of the United States for audit examination;
E) local, State or Federal law enforcement
officials, upon their written request for the purpose of investigating an
alleged violation of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 or regulations. The written
request shall identify the official making the request and the authority to do
so; the violation being investigated; and the identity of the person on whom
the information is requested.
2) If a written request to review materials
in the case record is submitted by a responsible household member, the
household's currently authorized representative or a person acting in the
household's behalf, the material and information in the case record shall be
made available for inspection during normal business hours. However, the local
office may withhold confidential information, such as the names of individuals
who have disclosed information about the household without the household's
knowledge, or the nature or status of pending criminal prosecutions.