Week 4 Assignment

Application: Writing Letters of Assistance

Once community resources and applicable agencies are found, a case manager must then request assistance in writing on behalf of their clients. To legally appeal for the help of community groups and agencies, many case managers choose to incorporate their clients into the letter-writing process. Case managers first discuss with clients their need for different services. They next request that clients sign a letter of release. This letter of release is a consent form for case managers to advocate and share information on behalf of clients. Case managers can then work alongside clients to craft letters of assistance that sensibly enlist the help of agencies. The aim of these letters is to introduce clients’ general needs and to establish a meeting to initiate the rendering of services.

When writing letters of assistance, case managers must be mindful not to disclose information without client consent. Per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), there are rules and ethical guidelines that surround the sharing of patient information. As a case manager, you must adhere to these rules when writing letters of assistance.

In this week’s Assignment, you draft letters of assistance for your virtual clients.

To Prepare for this Assignment:

• Review Chapter 5 of Case Management from an Empowerment Perspective: Guide for Health and Human Service Professionals. Focus on the description of assessing community assets.
• Review the article, “Client-Controlled Case Information: A General System Theory Perspective.” Consider the impact of client involvement on the case management process.
• Review the media titled Virtual Client Case Files. Consider your virtual clients’ needs and what types of agencies you recommend for services.
• Think about the resources found within your community and consider which resources you might recommend for your virtual clients.
• Think about how you might construct a letter requesting services on behalf of your virtual clients to these agencies in your community.
• Review the Sample Letter of Assistance for guidance to help you compose your letters.

The Assignment: Five Letters

• Write letters of assistance to the appropriate agencies requesting services on behalf of your virtual clients. (Note: For your group case study, you write one letter for each of the three virtual clients presented. You should have five letters total.)
• Select a different agency for each virtual client.