S.C. Code Regs. § § 19-212

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, November 22, 2024

Section 19-212 - Board Certification Process and Requirements

A. The Board shall certify a single South Carolina 211 Network Provider for each county. The minimum service delivery area for a South Carolina 211 Network Provider shall be a single county. This shall not preclude a South Carolina 211 Network Provider from serving multiple counties. To ensure the maximum use of the 211 number for information and referral services, the certified South Carolina 211 Network Provider shall be required to coordinate with all other information and referral services and the telecommunications companies within the designated county or counties. If the Board receives more than one application for South Carolina 211 Network Provider certification from organizations representing the same county, the Board will notify the organizations that the Board shall only accept one collaborative designation application per county.

B. In order to be considered to become a South Carolina 211 Network Provider, candidates shall submit to the Board a South Carolina 211 Network Provider Certification Application Form, as developed by the Board. Candidates shall also provide the Board with written documentation verifying that the organization meets the following criteria:

(1) provides 24 hour, 7 days a week coverage either on site or through written agreements with other information and referral organizations for after hours and emergency coverage, that shall be provided by personnel monitoring the 211 phone line and shall not be answered through an answering service or answering machine;

(2) adheres to the AIRS, Standards for Professional Information and Referral, which is incorporated herein by reference, and is AIRS accredited, or has initiated the written application process and shall become accredited within three years;

(3) has 25 percent or more of its staff that is eligible for certification through the AIRS certification program certified by AIRS as information and referral specialists or resource specialists;

(4) works collaboratively and has written agreements with specialized information and referral systems which shall include, but not be limited to, crisis centers, child care resource and referral programs, volunteer associations, elder help lines, homeless coalitions, designated emergency management systems, and 911 and 311 systems, where applicable;

(5) has an established automated information tracking system that maintains call center data that shall include, but not be limited to, call volume, number of abandoned calls, average speed of answering, average call length and other appropriate call center statistics;

(6) maintains a computerized information and referral system database that has up to date information and resource data and the capacity to collect caller information;

(7) uses the AIRS/INFO LINE Taxonomy and has incorporated the taxonomy into its resource data base;

(8) provides 211 services at no charge to callers and does not request or accept fees or compensation of any kind from referred organizations in return for referrals. Does not permit commercial advertisements to be heard on the phone lines or viewed via the internet if the 211 provider offers internet services;

(9) publicizes 211 services through a written public awareness, marketing, advertising and education plan to inform the public of available services;

(10) provides teletyping (TTY) services for speech and hearing impaired individuals and multilingual accessibility either on site, or through access to translators;

(11) has formal agreements with appropriate clearinghouse agencies that provide volunteer or donation management services;

(12) ensures quality of service and caller and customer satisfaction through the timely provision of services and appropriate follow up and written outcome evaluations;

(13) shares resource database information with other South Carolina 211 Network Providers and state and local governmental agencies, including submitting resource database information to a shared common website accessible by the public, if available;

(14) tracks information on inquirer needs, unmet needs, and barriers to services and shares this data with other South Carolina 211 Network Providers, and local and state agencies and organizations;

(15) uses a method common to all South Carolina 211 Network Providers to measure and evaluate outcomes for the operation of a 211 call center;

(16) provides proof of, or application for, authority to conduct business in the State of South Carolina;

(17) adheres to any applicable provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); and

(18) submits to the Board a prospective five year budget, including a description of projected sources of funding. Candidates shall also submit to the Board an audited financial statement. This statement shall be the most recent and complete audited financial statement available and for a fiscal period not more than eighteen months old at the time of submission. Such statement shall be by an independent, certified public accountant. In the event qualifying audited financial statements are not available, an unaudited statement along with the entity's federal income tax returns for the preceding two years may be submitted.

C. South Carolina 211 Network Providers must submit to the Board an annual report documenting the information and referral services provided during the previous year including geographical areas served, call volume, number of abandoned calls, average speed of answering, average call length, information on inquirer needs, unmet needs, and barriers to services. This report shall also include a prospective budget for the upcoming year, including a description of projected sources of funding. This report shall follow the state's fiscal year from July 1st through June 30th and shall be due to the Board on or before August 15th of each year. A provider shall also submit to the Board an audited financial statement for its most recently completed fiscal year. This statement shall be submitted no later than six months following the close of the provider's fiscal year.

D. Candidates that submit a South Carolina 211 Network Provider Certification Application Form, with accompanying written documentation that verifies compliance with the Board's certification criteria, and have AIRS accreditation shall be certified for five years as a South Carolina 211 Network Provider.

E. Candidates that submit a South Carolina 211 Network Provider Certification Application Form, with accompanying written documentation that verifies compliance with the Board's certification criteria, and that have applied for, but not yet received, AIRS accreditation shall be certified for one year as a South Carolina 211 Network Provider. Prior to certifying a candidate who does not have AIRS accreditation, the Board may conduct an onsite visit to review the candidate's compliance with the Board's certification criteria.

F. Within ninety days of the receipt of the initial South Carolina 211 Network Provider Certification Application Form, the Board shall notify a candidate of whether the candidate is in compliance with the Board's certification requirements. Such notification shall include a statement of deficiencies for candidates that are determined not in compliance with the certification requirements. Candidates determined by the Board to not be in compliance with the certification requirements, shall submit a plan of correction to the Board for review and approval within twenty one days of receipt of the statement of deficiencies. The plan of correction shall include a list of corrective actions the candidate will take to remedy identified deficiencies and shall include the date by which each action shall be completed. The Board shall notify candidates whether their plan of correction has been approved. Candidates shall conform to the certification criteria within forty five days of receipt of the Board's notification of approval of the plan of correction, or shall be ineligible for certification by the Board. Candidates that fail to submit and adhere to an approved plan of correction shall not be certified by the Board as a South Carolina 211 Network Provider. Candidates shall be eligible to reapply for Board certification after one year from the date of notification by the Board.

G. If a South Carolina 211 Network Provider loses AIRS accreditation, yet is in compliance with the Board's certification criteria, the provider shall be granted a one year provisional certification by the Board as a South Carolina 211 Network Provider, if after consulting with AIRS, the Board determines that the provider is eligible to reapply for reaccreditation. The Board shall notify the provider that it has one year from the date of loss of accreditation by AIRS to obtain reaccreditation. Within forty five days of notification, the provider shall submit to the Board for approval a plan to secure AIRS accreditation within the provisional timeframe.

H. If the Board receives a written complaint that a South Carolina 211 Network Provider is not in compliance with the Board's certification criteria, the Board shall initiate an investigation of the complaint within forty five days of notification.

I. If the Board determines that a South Carolina 211 Network Provider is not in compliance with the Board's certification criteria, the provider shall be notified that it shall conform to the standards within forty five days of receipt of notice or lose certification by the Board.

J. The Board shall renew the certification of a South Carolina 211 Network Provider which has AIRS accreditation for an additional five years, if the provider submits a new South Carolina 211 Network Provider Certification Application Form, with accompanying written documentation that verifies compliance with the Board's certification criteria, at least ninety days prior to the termination of the certification period.

K. The Board shall renew the certification of a South Carolina 211 Network Provider which does not have AIRS accreditation, if the provider submits the following at least ninety days prior to the termination of the certification period: a new 211 South Carolina Network Provider Certification Application Form, with accompanying written documentation that verifies compliance with the remainder of the Board's certification criteria, and a written plan of how the provider intends to obtain AIRS accreditation. Prior to recertifying a provider that does not have AIRS accreditation, the Board may conduct an on site visit to review the provider's compliance with the Board's certification criteria. The Board shall renew certification for one year for a provider that does not have AIRS accreditation if the Board determines the provider is in compliance with the certification criteria. The Board shall notify the provider if it is not in compliance with the Board's certification criteria. The provider shall have forty five days from receipt of such notification to become compliant. Providers who become compliant with the certification criteria within forty five days shall be granted an additional one year of certification.

S.C. Code Regs. § 19-212

Added by State Register Volume 30, Issue No. 4, eff April 28, 2006.