Section 11325.93.

(a) Team members may disclose to one another information about, and view records on, members of an assistance unit to the extent permitted by this section, for CalWORKs clients in the targeted population. In the operation of the pilot projects authorized by Section 11325.9, information disclosed or records viewed by team members shall be limited to relevant information or records necessary to formulate an integrated services plan or to deliver services to children and families. All information or documents, or copies of documents, to be disclosed by team members shall be necessary to the prevention, identification, and treatment of a parent's or guardian's barriers to employment.

(b) If team members require records held by other team members, copies may be provided subject to the limitations of subdivision (c). Requests for copies shall be limited to the records necessary to formulate an integrated services plan, or to deliver services to children and their families.

(c) (1) Team members who receive information or records pertaining to a member of an assistance unit shall be allowed to establish and maintain a common computer data base for the purpose of planning and delivering services. The data base may contain demographic data and data on the level of individual involvement with an assistance unit member. The data base shall be for the use and disclosure only within the program, except by properly authorized consent of the CalWORKs recipient. A memorandum of understanding shall be established that specifies what types of information may be shared and for what purposes.

(2) Juvenile probation services shall be involved in the integrated welfare system for the limited purpose of providing information that directly affects the parent's or guardian's ability to participate in employment training or employment.

(3) Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 56) of Division 1 of the Civil Code, shall apply to the programs or services providing integrated services. Programs or services that seek access to an individual's medical information, including mental health and drug treatment records, shall be required to obtain informed authorization from the individual or from the custodial parent or guardian if the individual is a minor, unless a minor is authorized to give consent. Medical information shall not be disclosed to any individual who is not authorized to have that information pursuant to the authorization. Medical information shall not be disclosed for any purpose not authorized by the authorization. A client shall have access to his or her medical information and the right to correct any inaccurate information.

(4) The pilot program may authorize use of information contained in the data base for bona fide evaluation and research purposes, unless otherwise prohibited by law. No information disclosed under this paragraph shall permit identification of the CalWORKs recipient or his or her family members.

(5) The release of copies of records protected by evidentiary privileges, as defined in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 930) of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, may take place only after the team has received a form permitting release of records on the assistance unit member, which is signed by the member or the member's custodial parent or guardian if the member is a minor. This paragraph shall not be construed to waive any right of privilege contained in the Evidence Code, except in compliance with Section 912 of that code.

(d) The sharing of information permitted under subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) shall be governed by memoranda of understanding among the agencies represented on the team. These memoranda shall specify the types of information that may be shared without a signed release form, in accordance with subdivision (c), and the process to be used to ensure that current confidentiality requirements, as described in subdivision (e), are met.

(e) Every team member shall be under the same privacy and confidentiality obligations and subject to the same confidentiality penalties as the person disclosing or providing the information or records. The information or records obtained shall be maintained in a manner that ensures the maximum protection of privacy and confidentiality rights.

(f) This section shall not be construed to restrict guarantees of confidentiality provided under federal law.

(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the authority of a health care provider to disclose medical information pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 56.10 of the Civil Code.

(h) Information and records communicated or provided to the pilot programs by all providers, programs, and agencies, as well as information and records created by the program in the course of serving CalWORKs recipients and their families, shall be deemed private and confidential, and shall be protected from discovery and disclosure by all applicable statutory and common-law protections. Civil and criminal penalties shall apply to the inappropriate disclosure of information held by the pilot programs. This section shall not affect the authority of a health care provider to disclose medical information pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 56.10 of the Civil Code.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 919, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2000.)