Arlington, VA — Welfare Reform — Special Topics — Home

Ellen Weber,J.D.
National Center for Youth Law

The confidentiality of alcohol and drug treatment information is protected by federal statute and regulations. These federal standards, first enacted in the early 1970's, provide unique protections to ensure that individuals who need alcohol and drug treatment will enter programs and get the most effective care possible, without fearing that inappropriate disclosures of information about their condition will occur. State and local welfare officials, employment specialists and all others involved in the implementation of TANF should be familiar with the federal confidentiality law and regulations so thal they can work effectively with individuals who have alcohol and drug problems or are required to participate in treatment as a condition of receiving TANF; and treatment providers.

This session will provide a brief overview of the confidentiality regulations, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, and highlight the standards with which welfare officials, treament providers and others must comply. The session will discuss issues such as:

• what states must do to comply with the confidentiality regulations if they assess TANF applicants for alcohol and drug problems, diagnose and refer for treatment;
• the proper way to obtain information from treatment programs to monitor progress and ensure compliance, if treatment is a condition of receiving TANF;
• how and when information about drug or alcohol treatment can be shared with other case workers;
• the ability to conduct research about individuals who receive TANF and are in treatment; and
• the guidelines for establishing a statewide tracking system that identifies individuals as alcohol or drug patients.

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