*NOTE: This section includes amendments by emergency legislation that will expire on November 8, 2026. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation, click this link: Permanent Version.*

For the purposes of this chapter, the term:

1. (1) “Agency” means an agency, department, unit, or instrumentality of the District of Columbia government, or any subdivision of such agency, department, unit, authority, or instrumentality.
2. (2) “Disclosure” means the release, transfer, provision of access to, or distribution of information in any manner by an entity holding the information to a person outside of the entity.

3. (3) “Health and human services information” means any information that relates to:

   1. (A) The past, present, or future physical or mental health of an individual or family;
   2. (B) The provision of health care or human services, including benefits or supports, to an individual or family; or
   3. (C) The past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care or human services to an individual or family.
4. (4) “HIPAA” means the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, approved August 21, 1996 (110 Stat. 1936; 42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq.), and the regulations issued pursuant to it.
5. (5) “Human services” means programs, assistance, supports, or benefits of any kind to improve quality of life or to meet the social, physical health, housing, and mental health needs of an individual.
6. (6) “Identified individual” means a natural person to whom health and human services information pertains.
7. (7) “Individually identifiable health information” shall have the same meaning as it does in HIPAA.
8. (8) “Person” means a natural person, firm, company, association, corporation, service provider, or government instrumentality or agency.
9. (9) “Service provider” means an entity that provides health or human services to District residents pursuant to a contract, grant, or other similar agreement with an agency.
10. (10) “Use” means the sharing, employment, application, utilization, examination, or analysis of health and human services information.

History

Dec. 4, 2010, D.C. Law 18-273, § 101, 57 DCR 7171

Aug. 10, 2026, D.C. Act 26-409, § 3(a)

Mayor's Orders

Establishment of a Health and Human Services Integrated Case Management Initiative; Establishment of a Health and Human Services Integrated Case Management Executive Committee; and Delegation of Rulemaking Authority to the Department of Human Services, see Mayor’s Order 2011-169, October 5, 2011 ( 58 DCR 8843).

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 101 of Data-Sharing and Information Coordination Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2010 (D.C. Act 18-582, October 20, 2010, 57 DCR 10118).

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 101 of Data-Sharing and Information Coordination Emergency Amendment Act of 2010 (D.C. Act 18-530, August 6, 2010, 57 DCR 8099).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 3(a) of Health and Human Service Programs and Benefits Eligibility and Delivery Data-Sharing Clarifications Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Act 26-409, Aug. 10, 2026, 0 DCR 0).

Section References

This section is referenced in § 4-209.04, § 4-1303.06, and § 16-2332.