Corporate Compliance

The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence seeks to make certain that its activities comply with its mission as well as with all applicable rules and regulations of the federal, state, and local government. All affected individuals (persons who are affected by our risk areas including employees, the CEO, other senior administrators, managers, contractors, agents, subcontractors, independent contractors, the governing body corporate officers, and people supported), are strongly advised to learn and use the laws and policies under which we operate.

Josie Clary is The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence's Corporate Compliance Officer

Compliance means:

• Abiding by all applicable laws, regulations and policies
• Being aware of legal and ethical obligations
• Keeping an open eye to areas of vulnerability and reporting suspicious or improper activities to the appropriate people
• Creating systems that are responsive to changes in the regulatory environment

A Corporate Compliance Program is a set of formal organizational systems intended to prevent, detect and respond to misconduct committed by employees and other agents. The Compliance Plan consists of seven elements that are summarized and may be viewed by clicking on the “Corporate Compliance Plan Summary.”

The federal and state government have created a number of laws and regulations that detail compliance expectations of our organization and our affected individuals. The goal of these laws and regulations is to detect and prevent fraud and abuse so as to protect the people we support as well as the government’s health care programs. We must ensure routine self-evaluation and monitoring of identified compliance risk areas. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in civil and criminal penalties of both the organization and the individual(s) acting in noncompliance. Those found guilty may be subject to monetary penalties and even prison time under state and federal law. An individual who fails to comply may also be subject to disciplinary action by the agency.

• Fraud is a misrepresentation, omission or concealment that is calculated to deceive. Fraud is intentional.
• Waste is overutilization of services.
• Abuse is performing acts that are inconsistent with acceptable business practices.

The Corporate Compliance Officer (CCO) is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of our compliance program. The CCO also provides compliance related guidance, assists with legal/compliance issues and monitors the effectiveness of our compliance program.

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Compliance Reporting

When reporting an issue on the Compliance/Ethics Helpline, you have the option of identifying yourself or reporting anonymously. You will not be contacted at work for follow up, so it is very important that you leave other contact information such as your home or cell phone number. If you are reporting anonymously, specific information must be provided such as who, what, when and where. The name of the worksite and parties involved are essential to conducting an investigation. Examples of activities that should be reported include:

• Submission of inaccurate or fraudulent billing
• Misuse of agency funds or property
• Violation of agency compliance policies or Code of Conduct
• Engaging in activities that could be perceived as a conflict of interest

Remember this is only a list of examples and is by no means all inclusive. If you suspect any type of fraudulent or abusive activity, it is your responsibility to report.

Fill a Confidential Communication Form and send to CCO

or

Contact Corporate Compliance/Ethics Helpline at 315-379-0340

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT – NOTICE REQUIREMENT

The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence:

• Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
  • Qualified sign language interpreters
  • Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)
• Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
  • Qualified interpreters
  • Information written in the following languages: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, French Creole (Haitian Creole), Korean, Italian, Yiddish, Bengali, Polish, Arabic, French, Urdu, Tagalog, Greek, Albanian
• Available on the website. Please click here.

If you need these services, contact Josie Clary.

If you believe that The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with:

Josie Clary, Director of Corporate Compliance        
6 Commerce Lane        
Canton, NY 13617        
Telephone number: 315-764-0267        
Fax: 315-379-0834        
Email: Contact Me

You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, Josie Clary is available to help you. You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201, 1–800–368–1019, 800–537–7697 (TDD).

The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.