Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A.
Official form defined: An
official form is any form with the HCA logo and a number assigned in central
office. An official form must include a statement as to the purpose of the form
and instructions for completion, distribution, and retention of the form.
(1) All statements regarding participant
rights and responsibilities which appear on forms must be exactly as they are
in the policy manual.
(2) Forms
used in ISD field offices will be indexed in the forms
manual.
B. Forms covered
by these procedures and forms not covered by these procedures: All forms used
in ISD county offices and intended for public use are to be developed in
accordance with these procedures. Forms intended for internal office use only
may be developed by an office without using these procedures. Internal use
forms are forms not sent out of the office and not used, received, or reviewed
by program participants.
C. Sources
for new and revised forms and pamphlets: New forms and pamphlets, and revisions
to existing forms and pamphlets, may be proposed and developed by each
division, as well as other HCA staff. In addition, the public information
officer may also initiate new pamphlets and revisions to existing pamphlets in
coordination with the appropriate program staff.
D. Assigning form numbers: Each division is
responsible for developing its own forms numbering system. Numbering systems
should appear in some reasonable order. It is recommended that this be done in
the order in which forms are used in case processing. Sufficient space should
be left between form numbers to allow for expansion of the system.
E. Responsibilities:
(1) Forms - program specific: The division,
or program area responsible for the policy which is addressed by a form will
have primary responsibility for the development and revision of the form. Each
division will assign its own form numbers and maintain a log of its form
numbers. A central log of all form numbers will also be kept by the graphics
unit.
(2) ISD forms - program
shared: Forms which are shared by more than one program and forms which do not
involve any specific program will be assigned the suffix "ISD." The ISD form
numbers log will be maintained by the ISD forms manager. The division or
program area which proposes a new form or revision to an existing form will
have primary responsibility for developing the new form or revising the
existing form. The cost of producing the new or revised form will be prorated
among the program areas which rely on the form. This proration will be based on
caseload size.
(3) Forms - other
sources: If the proposal for a new form or a revision comes from a field staff
person or unit, the appropriate program, or division will review and approve
the form prior to submission to the forms advisory team
(4) Pamphlets: Pamphlets should provide
information and improve access to HCA programs. The most common purposes for
the development of pamphlets are:
(a) HCA
implements new programs;
(b) HCA
makes significant policy changes; or
(c) auxiliary services are
available.
(5)
Responsibility for each pamphlet will reside with the which has primary
responsibility for the policy issues addressed in the pamphlet. The unit which
originates and develops the pamphlet will have responsibility for the
distribution of the pamphlet within the HCA and elsewhere as required by the
governing federal oversight agency. The public information officer will handle
any other distribution of the pamphlet.
(6) All other situations: In the absence of
clear responsibility, the forms advisory team will assign responsibility for
the design and development of the new or revised form. The division forms
manager is available for consultation on forms manual issues.
F. Forms review procedures: All
proposed new forms will be typed or printed in draft for review. Drafts of
revisions to existing forms will be submitted on copies of the existing forms
with changes marked clearly in red. Once the draft of the form and its
instructions are complete, it may be necessary for the draft and instructions
to be submitted to various agencies for review. Not all forms will be reviewed.
Some will be reviewed in all four areas below and some will receive no review
in these areas.
(1) Literacy review: All
applications and forms pertaining to the eligibility process must be reviewed
for appropriate literacy level. This will be accomplished by the office which
develops the new form or revises an existing form.
(2) Review by general counsel: Any form to be
sent to or completed by HCA clients or applicants must be reviewed by the HCA
Office of general counsel in order to assure compliance with current legal
standards. All drafts of pamphlets and informational items for general
distribution to the public must also be reviewed by the office of general
counsel before being sent to the public information officer for final
approval.
(3) Approval by the
public information officer: Following review by the office of general counsel,
all drafts of pamphlets and informational items for general distribution to the
public will be sent to the public information officer for final approval (see
PIO-033.1).
(4) Review by inspector
general: Forms authorizing certain payment, e.g. client medical travel expense,
may also require review by the office of the inspector general. This
requirement may change periodically. Those developing or revising forms of this
nature should first consult with the OIG. Forms requiring review in any of
these areas must be returned for re-review if any changes are made.
G. Forms advisory team review:
After the new or revised form has been given all necessary review, the form and
its instructions will be forwarded to the ISD forms manager. The forms manager
will acknowledge receipt of the form and notify the primary program of the date
of the review by the forms advisory team. A member of the program staff should
be present when the forms advisory team meets to review the new or revised
form.
(1) For new and revised forms, the forms
advisory team will consider:
(a) Does the form
address a new policy or program change?
(b) Does the form address a significant
policy change?
(c) Is a form
necessary or would clear procedural instructions meet the needs of
implementation?
(d) If the form is
necessary, is it user friendly and time efficient, and will it enhance the
accuracy rate of the HCA?
(2) For revised forms, the forms advisory
team will also require that one of the following three conditions be met:
(a) the current form no longer addresses all
policy issues;
(b) the revision
will streamline the user's completion of the form; or
(c) the revision is necessary to comply with
audit/accountability/program policy requirements.
(3) Once the form has been reviewed and
approved by the forms advisory team, it will be returned to the originating
staff for submission to the graphics unit for
printing.
