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Expected to Work/Barriers to Full Employment Policy & Procedures

Published Date: August 01, 2010
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15 Administrative Procedures

CCD

Alerts

Purpose

An alert is a critical message on CCD that staff must review before dealing with the client. The alert facility allows staff to advise or warn other staff about a concern regarding a client or even a person who has never been a client.

Used By

The site contact, workers, fraud investigators, supervisors and managers use alerts.

Using Alerts

Whenever staff receive information that should become an alert, they must enter it on CCD. Whenever staff read the message ALERT EXISTS at the top of a screen, they must:

  • Check the alert.
  • Follow-up appropriately.
  • Pass the alert along to other staff who will work with the client.


The text that appears on the screen gives:

  • A brief summary of the situation.
  • The requesting office sufficient information to act without having to call the office that placed the alert.


Alerts are placed to provide:

  • Information about concerns on closed files if the client should re-apply
  • Other offices and after-hours workers with critical information.
  • Information about individuals who have not been clients but who may apply in the future, and about whom there are concerns.


Types of Alerts

Alerts are used only when the worker decides information about a client should be known to other staff who will access CCD before meeting with the client. The alert must be placed on CCD as text.

Only staff from the designated areas place alerts. For example, fraud investigators place the investigation alerts. The length of time the alert remains on CCD depends on the type of alert, and has been set by Headquarters. Some alerts are indefinite and some are time limited (e.g., three months). The indefinite alerts remain on CCD until they are removed by Community and Social Services office staff or until the file is purged from CCD.

At the time a file is reopened, all alerts on CCD are reviewed by the CEC to determine if the alerts should be:

  • Deleted
  • Extended
  • Updated


If the alert is extended or updated, the CEC:

  1. Replaces the current alert date with the date of review.


If there is enough space on the ALERT DETAIL screen, the CEC:

  1. Identifies the name of the person doing the update.


The date on all alerts should be the same or later than the last reopen date. If the date indicates the alert was not updated correctly by the CEC, the worker:

  1. Notifies their supervisor.


The supervisor:

  1. Contacts the supervisor of the worker who did not delete or update the alert appropriately to clarify the situation.

Note
Alerts cannot be placed for reasons other than those listed.

01 Approach With Caution
A client poses a threat to departmental staff. The client may have previously threatened or assaulted staff.

This alert remains on CCD until a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert or the file is purged from CCD.

02 Health Concerns
There are three types of health concerns alerts:

  1. A client is a known prescription drug abuser. After-hours workers are alerted about issuing drugs.
  2. A client requires urgent medical attention and whereabouts of the client are unknown.
  3. A client is suicidal.


This alert remains on CCD until a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert or the file is purged from CCD.

03 Eligibility Concerns
There are three types of eligibility concerns alerts:

  1. A client may be collecting Income Support in another province.
  2. A client may be receiving undeclared income.
  3. A client has been assessed ineligible in one office and there is concern they may appear in another office claiming different circumstances.


This alert remains on CCD for three to four months unless a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert.

04 Out of Province Income Support Concerns
Another province is advising staff they have concerns about a client who may apply for assistance in Alberta. Service Centre, regional office or Headquarters staff place the alert.

This alert remains on CCD for three to four months unless a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert.

05 Out of Province Child Welfare Concerns
Another province advises staff about Child Welfare concerns for a client who has limited finances and may apply for assistance in Alberta. Service Centre, regional office or Headquarters staff places the alert.

This alert remains on CCD for three to four months unless a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert.

06 Child Welfare Concerns
Alberta Children and Youth Services advises staff that they have child welfare concerns about a client who may apply for assistance in Alberta.

Service Centre, regional office or Headquarters staff places the alert.

This alert remains on CCD for three to four months unless a worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert.

07 Aboriginal Organization
A client is being provided Income Support services by an Aboriginal organization.

This alert is placed by Aboriginal organizations who have signed agreements to provide off-reserve services. Community and Social Services staff do not add, delete or update this alert. The alert text contains the band name and/or band number of the organization delivering the service; the spouse’s name, if applicable; family composition; start date for benefits issued by the organization; the date the organization closed the file; and a contact name and phone number for the Aboriginal organization.

This alert remains on CCD indefinitely.

08 AISH Asset Limit Exceeded
This alert code is placed when an applicant is denied AISH benefits due to excess assets as well as when a recipient’s file is closed due to excess assets.

This alert is placed by the AISH worker.

This alert remains on CCD indefinitely unless an AISH worker or supervisor manually deletes the alert.

09 Child Support Services Learner
This alert is placed by Learner Income Support Office (LISO) staff when a PID is created on CCD, for a learner. The sole purpose of this alert is to ensure the PID is not deleted from CCD before a CSS referral reaches TOMIS. The alert ensures the system does not delete the PID.

This alert remains on CCD for 12 months, at which time it is automatically deleted by the system.

21 Investigation
A closed file is under investigation and the Fraud Investigator has a specific concern. The text of this alert explains the concern of the Fraud Investigator.

This alert is placed by the Fraud Investigation staff.

This alert remains on CCD until the worker manually deletes the alert when the file is reopened, or until the Fraud Investigator manually deletes the alert when it is no longer needed.

23 Non-Compliance
A file is to be closed or was closed because the client has not followed through with the Service Plan or did not cooperate with the worker.

This alert is placed by the worker.

This alert remains on CCD for 6 to 7 months unless the worker manually deletes the alert.

24 Student Funding
This alert is automatically placed on clients who are funded through the Shared Service Agreement with Alberta Advanced Education and states:

“This client has been approved for funding 200x/xx/xx to 200x/xx/xx. If the client reapplies for income support, the worker reviews the reason for the request. If the applicant remains a student or a labour market training participant, all funding needs are met through Community and Social Services Shared Service Agreement with Alberta Advanced Education and Alberta Labour. If the applicant applies during periods of non-enrolment (e.g., summer break) and is eligible for income support, the applicant must complete a Service Plan and apply for continued student funding for the next academic year.”

The alert may be updated with additional comments in the remaining space, if required.

This alert remains on CCD for 12 to 13 months unless the worker manually deletes the alert, i.e., the person is no longer in school and re-applies for income support.

25 Relocation
If the client returns to Alberta and receives income support benefits within 12 months of receiving the Relocation Allowance (Need Code 1833), the client must repay all of the repatriation costs. Income Support, Training and Health Benefits (ISTHB) Regulation, section 7

This alert is placed by the worker when benefits under Need Code 1833 are issued in excess of one month’s benefits.

This alert remains on CCD for 12 to 13 months unless the worker manually deletes the alert. The worker deletes the alert if the client is issued benefits within 12 months of their move.

26 Recovery
In rare situations the Minister has the authority to suspend recovery deductions.

If a client’s recovery deduction is suspended, the text of this alert explains the reason for the R Flag 3 and, if applicable, the length of time for the suspension.

The worker places the alert when entering an R Flag 3. The worker removes the alert when the R Flag 3 is no longer required.

27 Sponsored Immigrants
The worker must place an alert only for sponsored immigrants (family class) where sponsorship default has occurred.

This alert remains on CCD indefinitely.

The worker puts the following information on the alert.

  • Name (surname, first name, middle name) of the sponsor,
  • Sponsorship number as identified on the IMM 1000 Record of Landing or the IMM 5292 Confirmation of Permanent Residence, and
  • Terms of the sponsorship agreement


28 Non-Compliant Child Support Services
To alert a worker that clients previously on Income Support were non-compliant with Child Support Services (formerly Family Maintenance).

This alert is placed by the worker when notified by Child Support Services that a client has not followed through with the Child Support Services. Income and Employment Supports Act (IESA), section 6(2)(d)

This alert remains on CCD for 12 months unless the worker manually deletes the alert (e.g., the applicant has been seen by a Child Support Services worker and the non-compliance no longer exists).

29 Underpayment Owing
This alert is placed on CCD when there is:

  • an underpayment owing to a client, and
  • the file is closed, and
  • the worker is unable to locate the client.


This alert remains on CCD indefinitely unless the worker manually deletes the alert. The worker deletes the alert if the client is located and is issued the underpayment owing to them.

Placing an Alert
Service Centre or regional office staff enter alerts directly on the CCD ALERT screen.

Note
Workers do not need supervisor approval before entering alerts on CCD. Workers must document the details supporting the alert.

The worker enters alerts in CCD as soon as possible to maximize their effectiveness. However, workers must use caution when placing and wording alerts to avoid over-reaction or overstating situations. The alerts should be based on facts and written as if the client were to get a copy.

Reviewing Alerts
When a worker re-opens a file that has an alert, the worker:

  1. Reviews the alert text to determine if the circumstances that caused the alert are still valid.


If the alert should remain, even after the file is re-opened, the worker:

  1. Changes on the ALERT TEXT screen the original date of the alert to the date of the review to indicate to others that the alert has been updated or reviewed.


If the alert is no longer needed, the worker:

  1. Deletes the alert.


Deleting an Alert
There is an automatic purge of some alerts from CCD as indicated in the description of each alert. Alerts are removed from CCD using the following criteria:

Automatic Purges
If staff have not deleted these alerts from CCD, many of the alerts are automatically purged at the end of three full months after the month they were added.

Manual Purges
Alerts remain on CCD until:

  • The required action is completed and the worker deletes the alert.
  • At the time of reopening a file, the worker reviews the alert and is satisfied the alert is no longer needed, and deletes the alert.