§ 17b-6 — Department of Social Services: Regional administrators. Agency goals.

Connecticut § 17b-6

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 17b: Social Services
• Ch. 319o: Department of Social Services

Text

(a) There shall be a regional administrator who shall be in unclassified service for each of the regions established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, to oversee and coordinate programs and services within the region. (b) The Commissioners of Social Services and Public Health, and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, on behalf of other state agencies, shall ensure that the following intra-agency and interagency goals are addressed and met: (1) The establishment by the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to section 16a-4a of not more than six uniform regional service delivery areas to be developed in consideration of (A) geographical size; (B) general population distribution; (C) agency target population and caseload; (D) location of department facilities; (E) the accessibility of transportation for clients to service delivery offices and for workers to clients and (F) any federal requirements; (2) the coordination by the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to section 16a-4a of the regional service delivery areas of other state agencies which provide services closely linked with health and human services programs with the regional service delivery areas developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection; (3) the decentralization of the service delivery operations of each agency to provide as much autonomy as possible to each regional office enabling the office to respond effectively to the particular service needs of the region; (4) coordinated control and direction for programs to ensure consistency and uniformity among the regions in the development and provision of services; (5) the development of a strategic planning unit in the office of each commissioner to centralize policy development and planning within the agency and promote interagency coordination of health and human services planning and policy development; (6) development of a common intake process for entry into the health and human services system for information and referral, screening, eligibility determinations and service delivery; (7) the creation of a single application form for client intake and eligibility determinations with a common client identifier; (8) development of a commonly-linked computerized management information system with the capacity to track clients and determine eligibility across programs; (9) the coordination of current advisory boards and councils to provide input and expertise from consumers, advocates and other interested parties to the commissioners; and (10) the encouragement of collaborations that will foster the development and maintain the client-focused structure of the health and human services system, as well as involve partnerships between clients and their service providers. (c) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any agency participating in the commonly-linked computerized management information system developed pursuant to subdivision (8) of subsection (b) of this section shall provide the name, address, date of birth and Social Security account numbers of the agency's clients to any agency using said system. Such information shall only be utilized by agencies participating in the system for accomplishing the goals set forth in subdivisions (6) and (8) of subsection (b) of this section. The information supplied by the agencies under this subsection shall not be subject to disclosure under sections 1-200 and 1-210 to 1-212 , inclusive.

Legislative History

(S.A. 92-20, S. 3 (a), (d); P.A. 93-262, S. 7, 87; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; 95-293, S. 1, 2; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11, S. 1, 65.) History: P.A. 93-262 added a health care financing unit to the list of department of social services units, specified the divisions within each unit, deleting prior provisions naming divisions, provided that the office of policy and management shall establish the six uniform regional service delivery areas and required that there be a regional administrator for each area, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-293 deleted provisions establishing units within the department and added requirement that regional administrators be in unclassified service, effective July 1, 1995 (Revisor's note: A reference in Subsec. (b) to proposed “Commissioner of Developmental and Rehabilitative Services” was deleted editorially by the Revisors pursuant to Sec. 1 of May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-3); June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11 amended Subsec. (b) to extend duty of addressing goals to Secretary of Office of Policy and Management, on behalf of other state agencies, and added Subsec. (c) re shared information access among agencies participating in linked computerized information system, effective July 1, 1997.