Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon Inclusion/Exclusion Policy

1. Purpose

   The Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) of Oregon is a specialized statewide system providing unbiased information about short and long-term services and supports in Oregon for older adults, individuals of all ages with disabilities, veterans, and family caregivers.

   To support this work, the ADRC of Oregon has set forth inclusion and exclusion guidelines for the integrated statewide information and referral database. These guidelines will be uniformly applied so both providers and consumers are aware of the scope and limitations of the database.

2. Statement of Responsibility

   Inclusion in the ADRC of Oregon database should in no way be construed to constitute an endorsement of an entity or its services, nor should exclusion be construed to constitute disapproval. The ADRC of Oregon provides referrals, not endorsements, recommendations or ratings of potential service providers.

   The ADRC of Oregon collects this information to include in a public resource database for community information and referral. The ADRC of Oregon reserves the right to make changes in order to ensure compliance with database style guidelines and indexing needs.

3. Inclusion Criteria

   Government entities, private nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses that offer targeted short and long-term services and supports to older adults, individuals of all ages with disabilities, veterans, and family caregivers can be considered for inclusion if they meet the following criteria:

1. Entity must be located within or provide a service to residents of Oregon. Entities located outside of Oregon may be considered for inclusion on a case-by-case basis.
2. Entity must provide consistent access to services by phone, web or open hours at a physical location.
3. Entity must employ at least one staff person, either paid or volunteer, who is regularly available to communicate with the ADRC of Oregon resource staff.
4. Entity must have been in existence for at least one full year, or demonstrate substantial proof of viability to the satisfaction of the ADRC of Oregon.
5. Entity must maintain and provide proof of current licensure, certification or registration if required by a federal, state, or local government agency.
6. Entity does not refuse services on the basis of age, color, race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexuality, nationality, disability, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
7. Entity must meet minimum data requirements for all program listings, including full disclosure if they require membership or participation in religious activities to receive a service.
4. Exclusion/Removal Criteria

   Approval for inclusion in the ADRC of Oregon database does not guarantee immediate or permanent inclusion. Entities may be removed or excluded from the database at the discretion of the ADRC of Oregon for any of the following reasons:

1. Entity does not meet or no longer meets inclusion criteria.
2. Entity makes material misstatements, misrepresentations or omissions regarding services provided, licensing status, or any other pertinent matters.
3. Entity provides information or public awareness that is only of a political nature.
4. Entity has a prolonged period of unavailable services or inactivity.
5. Complaints have been made to regulatory bodies regarding the practices of the entity.
6. Entity violates local, state or federal laws.
7. Entity provides information primarily of a commercial nature or uses services meeting inclusion criteria to promote other commercial services not meeting criteria.
8. Entity does not respond to request for updated information within the specified time.
9. There is a lack of demand by ADRC of Oregon consumers for the service offered by the entity.
10. There are already adequate resources included in the database that offer the service.
11. Another community information & referral service maintains the entity's record.
12. A list of providers offering a similar service is maintained by a licensing or regulatory board included in the ADRC of Oregon database. Examples are private practitioners or group practices of professional services and professionals such as doctors, dentists, attorneys, etc.
5. Prioritization Criteria

   The ADRC of Oregon strives to provide timely responses to requests for inclusion in the database. When workload demands are high, entities appropriate for inclusion may be prioritized for inclusion based on the following criteria:

1. The degree of demand/need by ADRC of Oregon consumers for the service offered.
2. The number of entities in the database currently offering the service.
3. Entities offering a unique service that meets a critical community need.
4. Entities offering a service to the ADRC of Oregon's targeted consumers that is free of charge or offers a sliding scale fee option.
5. Entities offering a service for which fees are paid by a government or private nonprofit agency.
6. Methods for Updating

   In order to maintain the accuracy of resource information, the ADRC of Oregon will contact the organization at least once every 12 months for a full review and update of the record. Records in the database will be updated using a variety of methods. Entities should inform the ADRC of Oregon of interim program or service changes as they occur in order to ensure the accuracy of their records.

7. Complaints

   The ADRC of Oregon reserves the right to remove or exclude any organization from the database at any time. Application for inclusion in the database does not guarantee inclusion.

   Complaints regarding the delivery of a service to a client will be submitted to the local ADRC Program Manager for inquiry. ADRC of Oregon staff may follow-up with the complainant if requested.

   ADRC of Oregon staff will not take any intervening action to resolve the issues prompting a complaint. Complaints will be handled according to the procedures outlined in the "ADRC of Oregon's Policies and Procedures for Complaint Intake and Handling".

   In the event that egregious service non-delivery, fraud, discrimination, or misrepresentation is identified, the ADRC of Oregon reserves the right to remove the entity from the database immediately.

8. Appeals

   Appeals regarding the exclusion, inclusion, description, removal or indexing of an organization or its service(s) may be submitted in writing to the ADRC of Oregon Resource Specialist responsible for the service area of the provider. All appeals will be considered in light of the ADRC of Oregon Inclusion/Exclusion Policy. The party filing the appeal will be notified in writing of the final decision and justification thereof.

   Any further objection to the decision of the Resource Specialist must be submitted in writing to the Oregon Department of Human Services, State Unit on Aging Manager, whose determination will be returned to the complainant in writing. All decisions by the Oregon Department of Human Services, State Unit on Aging Manager are absolute.