HAR §17-610-4. Complaint procedures

(a) Any com- plaint received by the branch or department alleging discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, disabled, sex, national origin, political beliefs, or religious creed shall be handled as specified in section 17-610-3. (b) Any complaint received by the branch or department regarding a determination of eligibility or level of benefits by a specific household shall be handled as specified in chapter 17-602.1. (c) Any complaint received by the branch or department regarding such areas as processing standards, service to participants, potential participants, or other individuals or groups shall be handled as described in this section. (1) At the time of application, each household shall be informed in writing of the complaint procedure available to participants, poten- tial participants, and other concerned individuals or groups. Complaints: (A) May be made orally, in writing, or in person; and (B) Shall be reported within ten days of the incident. (i) Complaints made orally or in person shall be resolved by the individual receiving the complaint, if possible. (ii) If the complaint cannot be resolved by the individual receiving the complaint, the complaint shall be referred to the individual next in command, until the complaint is resolved. §17-610-5 610-9 (2) Complainants wishing to file a complaint shall be encouraged to submit their complaint on the department's complaint form. (A) Complaints shall be submitted to the branch administrator for resolution. (B) The branch administrator shall include any significant patterns of deficiencies and their causes in the branch's corrective action plan. (C) SNAPO shall review the complaints periodically as part of the performance reporting system review. [Eff 3/19/93; am and comp 6/24/13] (Auth: HRS §346- 14) (Imp: 7 C.F.R. §271.6)