PURPOSE: This rule sets forth the information which must be submitted by an agency in order to be approved by the Division of Aging to be a sponsoring agency in the OVSB program and to delineate the roles and responsibilities of an agency.

1. (1) Approval Process.

   1. (A) In order to be approved by the director to be a sponsoring agency in the Older Volunteer Service Bank (OVSB) program, an agency shall submit a proposal to the division which contains, at a minimum, the following information:

      1. 1. Name, address and contact person of

the agency;

1. 2. Explanation of the organizational

structure of the agency and how the OVSB project will fit into the operation of the agency including, but not limited to: 19 CSR 15-3

1. A. A plan for recruiting and assigning

volunteers; and

1. B. An explanation of how the organi-

zation plans to work with other community service and health agencies in obtaining referrals for service;

1. 3. Volunteer training plan in accordance

with 13 CSR 15-3.030(4);

1. 4. Copy of liability insurance policy cov-

ering volunteers in the program. If a copy of the policy is not available at the time of submission of the proposal, a note should be included indicating planned coverage and the name of the insuring agency. Final approval of the agency will not be given, however, without a copy of the policy;

1. 5. Assurance that volunteers will adhere

to the Code of Ethics as given in 13 CSR 15- 3.030(5) and quality assurance method; and

1. 6. Contribution policy in accordance

with 13 CSR 15-3.020(5).

1. (B) Upon receipt of a proposal from an agency, the director or his/her designee will review the material for completeness and determine whether or not all elements are covered in accordance with requirements set forth in this chapter.
2. (C) If the proposal is complete and all conditions are met, the director and a representative from the agency shall sign an agreement which delineates the roles and responsibilities of both the agency and the division. This agreement shall be subject to cancellation without cause by either party provided there is at least thirty (30) days’ prior notice given.

1. (2) A sponsoring agency shall be either—

   1. (A) An independently approved agency which recruits and trains volunteers, evaluates and screens requests for service, matches volunteers with appropriate beneficiaries, handles recordkeeping, reports volunteer hours to the division and provides on-going support and assistance to volunteers and those being served;
   2. (B) An agency which is part of a local or regional consortium of agencies, each approved by the division but each responsible for certain aspects of the program’s operation in that area—with the responsibilities defined as part of the agency’s proposal for approval by the division; or
   3. (C) An umbrella agency with one (1) or more satellite organizations or agencies, known as participating agencies, which are under its sponsorship, each of which is able to handle some aspect of the program such as generating volunteers and submitting hours, training volunteers, matching volunteers and recipients and supervising volunteers.
2. (3) If a sponsoring agency is an umbrella agency, it shall have a written agreement with the participating agencies which are cooperating with it. The agreement shall outline in detail the roles and responsibilities of each agency; shall be dated and signed by the directors of each agency; and a copy of the signed agreement shall be submitted to the division within ten (10) days of signing.

3. (4) A sponsoring agency shall have the following responsibilities, either directly or through participating agencies, or in cooperation with a consortium of agencies:

   1. (A) Recruiting, training and registering volunteers;
   2. (B) Taking requests for service and registering recipients and contacting the caregiver within at least two (2) working days to discuss options and explain the role of volunteers;
   3. (C) Matching volunteers and recipients either directly or by giving names of trained volunteers to the recipient or family member to interview and choose the volunteer independently;
   4. (D) Maintaining contact with volunteers by offering continuing training and support;
   5. (E) Maintaining contact with recipients to assure satisfaction with assistance received; and
   6. (F) Submitting time reports of hours served by volunteers to the division for entry into the volunteer’s bank account and maintaining supporting documentation for time submitted. Time shall be submitted to the division in whole or one-half (1/2) hour units and within two (2) months of the volunteer service.

4. (5) A sponsoring agency shall choose one (1) of the following systems for handling program contributions and volunteers shall be informed of the policy in their initial and ongoing training:

   1. (A) The agency will neither solicit contributions nor inform service recipients of the opportunity to contribute and will not accept contributions;
   2. (B) The agency will neither solicit contributions nor inform service recipients of the opportunity to contribute; however, unsolicited contributions will be accepted and a policy for handling contributions will be developed; or
   3. (C) The agency will inform the respite care recipient of the opportunity to contribute. Methods of providing information to the recipient may include distribution of contribution envelopes, sending a contribution letter to service recipients no more often than every six (6) months or publishing the agency’s contributions policy in agency newsletters.

5. (6) Each sponsoring agency shall have comprehensive written policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of information. Screening and recordkeeping procedures shall be developed that will ensure that no information about an older person involved in the OVSB program is disclosed by the agency in a form that identifies the person without informed consent of the person or of his/her legal representative unless the disclosure is required by court order or for program monitoring by authorized state personnel. Policies shall cover, at a minimum, the following:

   1. (A) The physical safeguarding of all records;
   2. (B) Who should have access to what and under what circumstances;
   3. (C) Special policies regarding volunteer records and related materials;
   4. (D) Protection of records of current and inactive service recipients;
   5. (E) Retention and destruction of records;
   6. (F) The handling of disclosures by phone;
   7. (G) Disclosures when making transfers to other agencies; and
   8. (H) Clear and concise lines of authority for clearance or interpretation of the policy.
6. (7) Records related to provision of service shall be maintained for at least three (3) years after the last date of service.
7. (8) No income tests shall be used to determine the need for services.

8. (9) Insurance.

   1. (A) Insurance coverage shall address, at a minimum, liability for the agency and liability coverage for the volunteer. Insurable interests at issue are injury to the volunteer, injury to the recipient, property damage and professional liability for the training and supervision of the volunteers.
   2. (B) A sponsoring agency may require an OVSB volunteer or recipient to sign a waiver of liability form related to consequential damages.
   3. (C) The division shall have no direct relationship to volunteers and shall assume no liability for their actions.

AUTHORITY: sections 208.300–208.305, RSMo Supp. 1987.* This rule previously filed as 13 CSR 15-3.020. Original rule filed Sept. 15, 1988, effective Jan. 27, 1989. Moved to 19 CSR 15-3.020, effective Aug. 28, 2001.

*Original authority: 208.300–208.305, please see Revised Statutes of Missouri.