33-103.007: Appeals to the Office of the Secretary
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose and effect of the proposed rule is to amend Chapter 33-103, F.A.C., for clarity and to simplify the grievance process for inmates and Department employees.
SUMMARY: Rule 33-103.007, F.A.C., is amended regarding the requirements of HIPAA related grievances, direct grievances to the Secretary, reflect the changes made to Rule 33-103.002, F.A.C., and for clarity. The requirement that attachments be submitted in triplicate has been removed.
SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS: No Statement of Estimated Regulatory Cost was prepared.
Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 944.09 FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 944.09 FS, 45 C.F.R. Part 160, 164.
IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN FAW.
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Perri King Dale, Office of the General Counsel, Department of Corrections, 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2500
THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:
33-103.007 Appeals and Direct Grievances to the Office of the Secretary.
(1) No change.
(2) Procedural Requirements.
(a) through (b) No change.
(c) Attachments that are a continuation of Part A, grievance statement, shall be submitted in triplicate. If the inmate fails to submit the continuation of his grievance statement of complaint in triplicate, it may result in no copy of the continuation pages being returned to the inmate with the response;
(d) through (g) renumbered (c) through (f) No change.
(3) If the grievance appeal is not a direct grievance to the Office of the Secretary, the inmate shall:
(a) Attach a copy of his formal grievance and response;
(b) Attach a copy of his informal grievance and response, except when appealing grievances on disciplinary action (excluding corrective consultations), medical issues, admissible reading material, placement in close management and subsequent reviews, violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, grievances regarding the return of incoming mail governed by subsection 33-210.101(14), F.A.C., or grievances involving gain time governed by Rule 33-601.101, F.A.C., Incentive Gain Time;
(c) Attach any other documentation that the inmate has that is pertinent to the review and that the inmate wants reviewed. Attachments as required by the rule that do not meet the requirements of this rule may result in the grievance being returned to the inmate;
(d) Submit the complete form with attachments to the Office of the Secretary in accordance with subsection 33-103.006(8), F.A.C. Failure to submit a complete grievance shall result in the grievance being returned to the inmate without action.
(e) If the inmate is filing an amendment to a previously filed grievance or appeal, the inmate shall clearly state this at the beginning of PART A of the Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, Form DC1-303.
(3)(4) The Office of the Secretary has designated the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals to receive, review, investigate, evaluate and respond to appeals and direct grievances filed with the Office of the Secretary. Appeals and direct grievances to the Office of the Secretary shall be turned over that same date to the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals which shall ensure that the grievance is date-stamped in on the date of receipt. Upon receipt the appeal or direct grievance by the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals, the following shall occur:
(a) The decision of whether or not the grievance has been timely filed by the inmate shall be made based upon the following comparisons:
1. In the case of an appeal being filed with the central office, by comparing the receipt date on the DC1-303 form to the response date of the formal grievance.
2. In the case of a grievance being filed directly at the central office level, by comparing the receipt date on the DC1-303 form to the date of the incident or situation giving rise to the complaint.
(4)(5) Upon receipt of the grievance appeal or direct grievance, the Chief of Inmate Grievance Appeals shall cause the following to occur:
(a) through (c) No change.
(d) A grievance appeal or direct grievance may be returned to the inmate for any one or more of the reasons stated in Rule 33-103.014, F.A.C., without further processing.
(e) No change.
(f) The response shall state whether the appeal or direct grievance is approved, denied, or being returned and shall also state the reasons for the approval, denial or return. The criteria considered in approving, denying or returning an appeal or direct grievance will vary with the facts of the grievance.
(5) Grievance appeals If the grievance appeal is not a direct grievance to the Office of the Secretary, the inmate shall:
(a) through (e) No change.
(6) Direct Grievances.
(a) Emergency grievances, grievances of reprisals, or grievances of a sensitive nature may be filed directly with the Office of the Secretary using the Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, Form DC1-303. Grievances alleging a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be filed directly with the Office of the Secretary using the Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, Form DC1-303. The following shall apply:
1. The inmate shall state at the beginning of Part A of Form DC1-303 that the grievance concerns either an emergency, or is a grievance of a reprisal, or a grievance of a sensitive nature. When alleging HIPAA violations, the inmate shall state that the grievance concerns HIPAA at the beginning of Part A of Form DC1-303.
2. The inmate must clearly state the reason for not initially bringing the complaint to the attention of institutional staff and by-passing the informal and formal grievance steps of the institution or facility, except in the case of a HIPAA violation grievance which must be filed directly with the Office of the Secretary.
3. The inmate may forward grievances of these four three types to the Office of the Secretary in a sealed envelope by following the procedure set out in paragraph 33-103.006(8)(d), F.A.C. When a direct grievance alleging violation of HIPAA is received at the Office of the Secretary, the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals shall forward the grievance to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Services for investigation and response. The disclosure of medical information in a grievance authorizes staff to review the information and to use and disclose the medical information necessary to investigate in order to respond. Following preparation of a response and signature of the responding employee, the grievance shall be returned to the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals to ensure appropriate filing and routing.
(b) Emergency Grievances. An emergency grievance may be filed directly with the Ssecretary. Upon receipt, staff of the Bureau of Inmate Grievance Appeals shall take the following actions as soon as possible, but no later than two calendar days following receipt:
1. through 4. No change.
(c) Grievances appeals filed directly with the Office of the Secretary that are grievances of reprisal, or grievances of a sensitive nature, or a grievance alleging a violation of HIPAA shall be responded to according to established time frames.
(d) Grievances alleging violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be filed directly with the Office of the Secretary using the Request for Administrative Remedy or Appeal, Form DC1-303, and shall be responded to according to established time frames. The inmate shall state at the beginning of Part A of Form DC1-303 that the grievance concerns HIPAA.
(d)(e) No change.
(7) through (8) No change.
Specific Authority 944.09 FS. Law Implemented 944.09 FS., 45 C.F.R. Part 160, 164. HistoryNew 10-12-89, Amended 1-15-92, 12-22-92, 4-10-95, 8-10-97, 12-7-97, 10-7-98, 2-17-99, Formerly 33-29.007, Amended 8-1-00, 6-29-03, 2-9-05, 8-21-06,________.
