2001 Edition
CSR Handbook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section I Purpose, Scope, and Effective Date
Section III Case Management Systems
Section IV Reporting Requirements
4.2 Private Attorney Involvement Cases
4.3 Reporting LSC-Eligible Cases and Certain Other Federally Funded Cases
Section V Documentation Requirements
5.2 Requirements Pertaining to Client Eligibility
5.3 Income Documentation Requirements
5.4 Asset Documentation Requirements
5.5 Citizenship and Alien Eligibility Documentation Requirements
Section VI Types of Case Services
6.2 Cases Involving Multiple Levels of Assistance
6.3 Cases Involving Repeated Instances of Assistance
7.1 Referrals of Ineligible Applicants
Section VIII Case Definitions & Closure Categories
CSR Category A -- Counsel and Advice
CSR Category B -- Brief Services (Other than Counsel and Advice)
CSR Category C -- Referred After Legal Assessment
CSR Category D -- Insufficient Merit to Proceed
CSR Category E -- Client Withdrew or Did Not Return
CSR Category F -- Negotiated Settlement Without Litigation
CSR Category G -- Negotiated Settlement With Litigation
CSR Category H -- Administrative Agency Decision
CSR Category I -- Court Decision
Section IX: Legal Problem Categories and Codes
Section I: Purpose, Scope, and Effective Date
The purpose of Case Service Reporting (CSR) is to gather quantifiable information on cases, as defined by this Handbook. Information about cases is an important indicator of the numbers of legal problems which programs address each year, and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) relies on this information in its annual request for Federal funding for legal services. Thus, the accuracy of case information submitted to LSC is vital to obtaining continued Federal funding for legal services.
This Handbook applies to the recording and reporting of cases, as defined by Section 2.1 of this Handbook and 45 CFR Section 1635.2(a). This Handbook sets forth requirements for using automated case management systems to account for both open and closed cases, and it includes requirements for reporting case service information to LSC. This Handbook does not apply to matters, as defined by 45 CFR Section 1635.2(b).
This Handbook is effective immediately, except for the repeal of Section 4.3(b) and a conforming amendment to the second paragraph of Section 5.2 which changes are effective January 1, 2002. Except for these two amendments (both of which have the same effect) it contains no changes from the June 15, 2000 edition of the 1999 CSR Handbook Revised.
For CSR purposes, a case is defined as the provision of permissible legal assistance to an eligible client with a legal problem, or set of closely related legal problems, accepted for assistance supported by LSC or non-LSC funds in accordance with the requirements of the LSC Act, regulations, and other applicable law. Sections VI and VII of this Handbook contain further guidance on when to treat legal assistance to an eligible client as a case.
Legal services programs may record and report the provision of legal assistance as a case only if:
(a) the client is financially and otherwise eligible to receive assistance under the LSC Act, regulations, and other applicable law;
(b) the client's case is within program priorities (or is an emergency case accepted under the program's emergency case acceptance procedures);
(c) the legal services program has actually accepted the client for service through its intake system or another established procedure for ensuring client eligibility;1
(d) the type of legal assistance provided to the client is not prohibited by the LSC Act, regulations, or other applicable law (e.g., a class action);2 and
(e) the legal problem(s) of the client are not of a type prohibited by the LSC Act, regulations, or other applicable law (e.g., an abortion case).2
For CSR purposes, a client is defined as a person (or group of persons as defined by 45 CFR Section 1611.5(c) ) who is:
(a) eligible for legal assistance under the LSC Act, regulations, and other applicable law, regardless of source of funding; and
(b) accepted for assistance through an intake system or other established program procedure for ensuring client eligibility.
To be eligible for and accepted for legal assistance, a client must meet the financial (including both income and assets), citizenship (including alien status), and other eligibility requirements of the LSC Act, regulations, and other applicable law.3
2.3 Who Can Provide Legal Assistance
Legal assistance in a case must be provided by an attorney authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction where assistance is rendered, or a person acting in the capacity of a paralegal under the supervision of a licensed attorney in accordance with local rules of practice in the jurisdiction where the grantee provides assistance. A person providing assistance in a case need not have the job title of "attorney" or "paralegal", but any such individual must be capable of providing legal assistance in accordance with local rules of practice, and must keep records of their time as required by 45 CFR Part 1635.
Section III: Case Management Systems
3.1 Use of Automated Case Management Systems
Programs shall utilize automated case management systems and procedures which ensure that information necessary for the effective management of cases is accurately and timely recorded in a case management system. Such systems and procedures shall ensure that program management has:
(a) timely access to accurate information on cases; and
(b) the capacity to meet funding sources' reporting requirements.
To meet LSC reporting requirements, programs' case management systems and procedures shall include the ability to report cases by funding source, grant type (e.g., Basic Field, Migrant Farmworker, Native American), Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) component, and individual office.
Through the use of automated case management systems and procedures, programs shall ensure that cases involving the same client and specific legal problem are not recorded and reported to LSC more than once as required by Sections 6.1 through 6.5 of this Handbook. Such systems and procedures shall include a process for checking for duplication among both open and closed cases. The checking process may occur either:
(a) at the point when cases are first entered into the case management system; or
(b) at a later point in time when case information can be systematically reviewed.
One method for systematically reviewing case information involves the generation of case management reports which list instances where two or more open or closed cases involve the same client and legal problem. A review of cases identified in the reports would tend to indicate the extent to which duplicate records are present in the case management system. After identifying instances of multiple recording of cases, if any, programs shall take reasonable and necessary steps to eliminate duplicate cases prior to the reporting of case service information to LSC.
Programs shall ensure the timely closing of cases so that case service reports submitted to LSC contain current and accurate information about both open and closed cases for the grant year (January 1 through December 31). After the close of each grant year, LSC provides two months additional time to allow programs to take reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that cases in which legal assistance has ceased, and is not likely to resume, are closed prior to the submission of case service reports to LSC.
To the extent practicable, programs shall report cases as having been closed in the year in which assistance ceased, depending on case type:
(a) cases in which the only assistance provided to the client is Counsel and Advice, Brief Service, a referral after legal assessment (CSR Categories A, B, and C), shall be reported as having been closed in the year in which the counsel and advice or brief service was completed, unless:
(i) the case is opened after September 30, in which circumstance it may be reported either in the year opened or the following year; or
(ii) there is a determination (which should be noted in the file or in the case management system) that the case should be held open into the following year because further assistance is likely to be provided to the client.
(b) all other cases (CSR Categories D through K) should be reported as having been closed in the year in which program staff make a determination that further legal assistance is unnecessary, not possible or inadvisable, and a closing memorandum or other case-closing notation is prepared.
One method for ensuring the timely closing of cases involves the generation of case management reports which indicate the length of time cases have been open. A review of such reports would tend to indicate whether cases are being closed in a timely fashion, especially cases involving only counsel and advice, brief service, and referrals after legal assessment, which ordinarily would not remain open from one grant year to the next.
3.4 Management Review of Case Service Reports
Programs shall institute procedures for ensuring management review of case service information for accuracy and completeness prior to submission to LSC. At a minimum, such procedures shall include either a review of management reports such as those described in Sections 3.2 and 3.3 of this Handbook, or another method of review which ensures that cases are closed in a timely fashion and are not reported more than once in the same year.
In addition, the executive director, or a designee, shall review the program's case service reports prior to their submission to LSC in order to ensure that the information contained in the reports fairly represents the volume and types of case services which the program provided during the grant year. When necessary to determine the accuracy of case service information, programs shall have the capacity to generate a detailed listing of open and closed cases to support case service information reported to LSC.
Section IV: Reporting Requirements
For each grant year, recipients shall report case service information to LSC as part of the annual Grant Activity Report to be submitted in the first quarter of the following year. Case information reported to LSC shall include both numbers of closed cases and numbers of open cases. Detailed instructions on submitting case information to LSC are available through the Recipient Information Network, at http://www.rin.lsc.gov.
4.2 Private Attorney Involvement Cases
For each grant year, recipients of Basic Field grants shall report case information for their Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) components. This requirement does not apply to Migrant Farmworker and Native American grants. Programs reporting PAI cases shall do so separately in reports solely for Private Attorney Involvement. Beginning with 1999 case service reports (to be submitted to LSC in 2000), and for each succeeding year, programs shall report PAI cases only in PAI case service reports and not in Basic Field reports.
4.3 Reporting LSC-Eligible Cases and Certain Other Federally Funded Cases
Recipients should report all cases in which there has been an eligibility determination showing that the client meets LSC eligibility requirements, regardless of the source(s) of funding supporting the cases. However, cases without such determinations are not to be reported to LSC. This section does not require that programs document client financial eligibility for any cases not reported to LSC that are wholly funded by non-LSC funding sources.
4.4 Inclusion of Certain Subrecipient Cases
Recipients entering into subgrant agreements as defined by 45 CFR Section 1627.2 shall report subrecipient cases supported in whole or in part with LSC funds only. Recipients may not report wholly non-LSC funded cases which a subrecipient handles outside of the scope of the subgrant agreement. However, beginning with reports to be submitted to LSC in 2000, recipients using non-LSC funds to meet the LSC PAI requirement may report non-LSC funded PAI cases, if the cases meet the definitions and requirements of this Handbook.
4.5 Reporting for Separate Service Areas
Recipients receiving funding for more than one LSC service area shall report case service information separately for each separate service area for which LSC funding is received.4
Section V: Documentation Requirements
5.1 General Requirement
For each case reported to LSC, programs shall record case and client information necessary for effective case management, either through notations on an intake sheet or other hard-copy document in a case file, or through electronic entries in an automated case management system database, or through other appropriate means. For each case reported to LSC, such information shall describe (at a minimum) the information required in §§5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.5 of this amended Handbook and:
(a) the client’s name;
(b) the client’s legal problem(s);
(c) the level(s) of service provided; and
(d) the source(s) of funding which support the case.
5.2 Requirements Pertaining to Client Eligibility
In addition, for each case reported to LSC, programs shall document that a determination of client eligibility was made in accordance with LSC requirements including sections 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5 below. The documentation of eligibility shall be recorded electronically in a case management system record, or in a simple form as provided by 45 CFR Section 1611.7(a), and shall be preserved for audit purposes for a period of five years.
The documentation of eligibility shall include income and asset information as set forth in Sections 5.3 and 5.4. Furthermore, all documentation of eligibility shall include information on citizenship or alien eligibility as set forth by Section 5.5.
5.3 Income Documentation Requirements
At a minimum, for each case reported to LSC, programs shall record the number of members in the applicant’s family unit and the total income received by all members of the applicant’s family unit.5 An amount must be recorded even if it is zero.6 For cases in which an applicant’s family unit has gross income exceeding 125% of the federal poverty guidelines in effect at the time of case acceptance, the documentation of eligibility shall also indicate the factual basis for the decision to accept the client’s case as required by 45 CFR Section 1611.4(b).
5.4 Asset Documentation Requirements
At a minimum, for each case reported to LSC, programs shall document the total value of assets--except for categories of assets (e.g., principal residence, work tools, or an auto needed for work) excluded from consideration pursuant to recipient Board guidelines adopted under 45 CFR §§1611.6(c) and (d) -- held by all members of the applicant’s family unit.7 . A total value must be recorded, even if it is below the program’s guidelines or zero.8 For cases in which the applicant’s family unit has assets which exceed the program’s assets ceiling adopted pursuant to 45 CFR Section 1611.6(a), the documentation of eligibility shall also indicate the factual basis for the decision to waive the assets ceiling as required by 45 CFR Section 1611.6(e).
If an applicant is currently receiving benefits under another means-tested program which has asset eligibility standards that are lower than the recipient’s Board adopted guidelines or that the recipient’s Board has accepted pursuant to its authority under 45 CFR 1611.6, as sufficient for client asset eligibility, a notation that the applicant is eligible under such program may be substituted for recording the total value of assets. In support of such notation, the program must have on file a resolution, minutes or other written evidence of action by its Board stating that eligibility for such program qualifies a client as asset-eligible.
5.5 Citizenship and Alien Eligibility Documentation Requirements
Pursuant to 45 CFR Sections 1626.6(a) and 1626.7(a), the level of documentation necessary to evidence citizenship or alien eligibility depends on the nature of the service provided to the client. For cases involving Counsel and Advice, Brief Service or Referral After Legal Assessment (CSR Categories A, B and C) provided exclusively over the telephone, the documentation of eligibility shall include a written notation or computer entry which reflects the client’s oral response to the program’s inquiry as to whether the client is a U.S. citizen or an eligible alien.9
For cases in which there is in-person contact with the client and an intake worker or case handler or continuous representation beyond advice and brief service, the documentation of eligibility shall include either: (a) a written attestation of citizenship, or (b) documentation of alien eligibility, as required by 45 CFR Sections 1626.6(a) and 1626.7(a). A client’s signature on an intake sheet or other document which contains a statement that the client is a United States citizen constitutes a signed attestation for the purposes of meeting this requirement.
Section VI: Types of Case Services
Section VIII of this Handbook defines categories of case services for reporting to LSC. When closing individual cases, programs shall report each case once according to the type of case service (or reason for closure) which best reflects, in the program's judgment and in accordance with the definitions and guidance contained in this Handbook, the level of assistance which the program provided during the course of the case.
6.2 Cases Involving Multiple Levels of Assistance
When a program provides more than one type of assistance to an eligible client during the same reporting period (i.e., grant year) when attempting to resolve essentially the same legal problem, as demonstrated by the factual circumstances giving rise to the problem, the program shall report only the highest level of service provided. For example, if a program initially provides brief service in an attempt to resolve a client's legal problem, and the program later negotiates a settlement with an opposing party with respect to the same legal problem, the program shall report the case once as a negotiated settlement.10
6.3 Cases Involving Repeated Instances of Assistance
When a program provides assistance more than once within the same reporting period to an eligible client who has returned to the program with essentially the same legal problem, as demonstrated by the factual circumstances giving rise to the problem, the program shall report the repeated instances of assistance to the client as a single case. For example, if a program assists a client on two or more occasions with an on-going habitability problem, the factual circumstances of which remain essentially the same over time, the program shall report its assistance to the client as a single case, even if the program has provided brief service or counsel and advice to the client on more than one occasion.
6.4 Cases Involving Related Legal Problems
Programs shall report related legal problems of an eligible client as a single case when the program representing the client attempts to resolve the related legal problems simultaneously through a single legal process. For example, if a client seeks assistance with related child custody and support problems, and the program assists the client by preparing a pleading or other document which addresses both problems, then the program shall report its assistance to the client as a single case.
Programs may not report an appeal as a separate case when the program has already provided representation in the same case prior to the appeal. For example, if a program represents a client in a case which results in a court decision, and the program later represents the same client as an appellant or appellee in an appeal of that court decision, the program shall report the case once as a single court decision.
6.6 Non-Traditional Forms of Service
Programs may report a non-traditional form of service as a case, provided that the service qualifies as a case, as defined by Section 2.1 of this Handbook, and the person receiving the service is a client as defined by Section 2.2, and provided that related services provided to the same client with respect to essentially the same legal problem are not separately reported to LSC as specified by Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of this Handbook.
Examples of non-traditional services include, but are not limited to, alternative dispute resolution, pro se clinics, and workshops.11 Programs may report services provided through these means in the CSR category which best fits the actual service provided, as specified by Section VIII of this Handbook. Thus, for example, if a program assists a client in a pro se workshop by preparing a court pleading or other document, the assistance would qualify as brief service as defined by Section VIII of this Handbook. But, if the program provides only advice to the client, the case would qualify as counsel and advice as defined by Section VIII.
7.1 Referrals of Ineligible Applicants
Programs may report as cases only those services provided to clients who are eligible for, and have been accepted for, legal assistance through a program's intake system or other procedure for verifying case and client eligibility. Referrals of applicants who are ineligible for assistance under the LSC Act, regulations, and other applicable law are matters which may not be reported as cases. Similarly, referrals of applicants who are not accepted for service because their legal problems are outside of program priorities are matters which may not be reported as cases.
7.2 Referrals of Eligible Applicants
Programs may not report the mere referral of an eligible applicant as a case, when the referral is the only form of assistance which the applicant receives from the program. Pursuant to 45 CFR Section 1635.2(b), assistance which does not involve direct legal advice or legal representation of a client is a matter and not a case. Therefore, the referral of an eligible applicant to another provider qualifies as a case only if:
(a) the applicant is eligible for and accepted for service as required by Section 2.2 of this Handbook;
(b) the applicant's case is within program priorities and is not prohibited by the LSC Act, regulations or other applicable law, as required by Section 2.1 of this Handbook; and
(c) the program provides either counsel and advice or another type of case service defined in Section VIII in this Handbook prior to referring the client.
7.3 Referrals to PAI Attorneys & Program Offices
Programs may not report referrals to PAI attorneys, subrecipients, or offices within the same program as closed cases. If a program refers a client to an attorney participating in the program's PAI component, the case may be reported as closed only after the PAI attorney has completed all work on the case and has reported the case as closed. Similarly, if a program refers a client to a subrecipient or to another office within the same program, the case may be reported as closed only after all work on the case has been completed by the subrecipient or other office, and the subrecipient or other office reports the case as closed.
Section VIII: Case Definitions & Closure Categories
This section includes definitions of common types of case services which programs provide to eligible clients during the course of a case, as well as categories of circumstances which lead to case closure prior to the resolution of a client's legal problem, such as a change in client eligibility, the withdrawal of a client, or a determination that a case lacks sufficient merit to warrant further representation.
All legal assistance recorded and reported to LSC as a case must:
(a) qualify as a case, as defined by Section 2.1 of this Handbook and 45 CFR Section 1635.2(a);12
(b) be provided to an eligible client, as defined by Section 2.2 of this Handbook, and
(c) be documented as required by Section V of this Handbook.
CSR Category A -- Counsel and Advice
A case closed as the result of the provision of advice to an eligible client in a case, e.g., the review of relevant information and the counseling of the client on action(s) to take to address a legal problem.
CSR Category B -- Brief Services (Other than Counsel and Advice)
A case closed as a result of an action taken at or within a few days or weeks of intake on behalf of an eligible client, e.g., the preparing of a short letter, the making of a telephone call, or the preparation of a routine legal document such as a simple will.
CSR Category C -- Referred After Legal Assessment
A case closed in the course of providing assistance to an eligible client because the client is referred outside the program (e.g., to a social service agency or a non-LSC provider) because information in the case indicates that the program should not handle the case, or that the client would be better served by a referral outside the program.13
CSR Category D -- Insufficient Merit to Proceed
A case closed after an applicant has been accepted as a client because new facts or circumstances arise or become apparent leading to the conclusion that there is an insufficient basis, in law or in fact, to pursue the case.
CSR Category E -- Client Withdrew or Did Not Return
A case closed because the client failed to return to the program during the course of representation and could not be contacted. This category also includes case closures where the client decides not to proceed with the case, e.g., a client in an eviction case decides to move out instead of proceeding with legal action.14
CSR Category F -- Negotiated Settlement Without Litigation
A case closed through negotiation prior to initiation of court or administrative action.
CSR Category G -- Negotiated Settlement With Litigation
A case closed through negotiation during a court or administrative action, e.g., the resolution of a dispute after an action has been filed.
CSR Category H -- Administrative Agency Decision
A case closed as a result of an action taken by an administrative agency or body, e.g., a welfare department.
CSR Category I -- Court Decision
A case closed as a result of an action by a court.
CSR Category J -- Change in Eligibility Status
A case closed through discontinuance of representation of a client because the client no longer meets financial or other eligibility requirements due to new circumstances, e.g., a change in employment status or family income, incarceration, or a change in immigration status.
CSR Category K -- Other
A closed case that does not fit any of the preceding ten CSR case closure categories. Cases in which there is no opposing party, but in which the services provided are too extensive to fit the brief service category, such as the preparation of a complex contract or a complex medical power of attorney, may be closed in this category. Cases which fit two or more CSR categories may not be closed in this category, but should be closed in the category which best reflects the level of service provided.
Section IX: Legal Problem Categories And Codes
This section lists common types of legal problems experienced by clients. Each closed case is assigned a numeric Legal Problem Code ranging from 1 to 99 describing the type of legal problem. These Legal Problem Codes are grouped in ten broad Legal Problem Categories. The Legal Problem Codes are set out below by Legal Problem Category:
01 – Bankruptcy/Debtor Relief
02 – Collection (Including Repossession/Deficiency/Garnishment)
03 – Contracts/Warranties
04 – Credit Access
05 – Energy (Other than Public Utilities)
06 – Loans/Installment Purchase (Other than Collection)
07 – Public Utilities
08 – Unfair Sales Practices
09 – Other Consumer/Finance
11 – Education
21 – Job Discrimination
22 – Wage Claims
29 – Other Employment
30 – Adoption
31 – Custody/Visitation
32 – Divorce/Separation/Annulment
33 – Guardian/Conservatorship
34 – Name Change
35 – Parental Rights Termination
36 – Paternity
37 – Spouse Abuse
38 – Support
39 – Other Family
41 – Delinquent
42 – Neglected/Abused/Dependent
49 – Other Juvenile
51 – Medicaid
52 – Medicare
59 – Other Health
61 – Federally Subsidized Housing Rights
62 – Homeownership/Real Property
63 – Landlord/Tenant (Other than Public Housing)
64 – Other Public Housing
69 – Other Housing
71 – TANF/Other Welfare
72 – Black Lung
73 – Food Stamps
74 – Social Security
75 – SSI
76 – Unemployment Compensation
77 – Veterans Benefits
78 – Workers Compensation
79 – Other Income Maintenance
81 – Immigration/Naturalization
82 – Mental Health
84 – Disability Rights
89 – Other Individual Rights
91 – Incorporation/Dissolution
92 – Indian/Tribal Law
93 – License (Auto & Others)
94 – Torts
95 – Wills/Estates
99 – Other Miscellaneous
______________________
1 The point at which a case is "accepted" for service depends on the type of service provided and the process by which the program provides the service. For example, when an eligible applicant seeks advice over the telephone, "acceptance" occurs when a staff member or participating private attorney determines that the applicant qualifies for service and indicates acceptance of the case through assignment of a case number or other means of demonstrating case acceptance.
2 See 45 CFR Section 1610.2 for a list of prohibited legal problems and assistance.
3 Examples of LSC eligibility requirements can be found at 45 CFR Part 1611, Eligibility, 45 CFR Part 1620, Priorities in Use of Resources, 45 CFR Part 1626, Restrictions on Legal Assistance to Aliens, and 45 CFR Part 1637, Representation of Prisoners.
4.A program may have more than one service area in a specific category of funding, such as Basic Field, or may have service areas in more than one category of funding, such as Basic Field and Migrant. In either case, each service area is to be reported separately.
5Most programs record considerably more information about household income, including information about each family member’s income and about the types of income received. LSC encourages this, but, because of the variety of systems used and information collected by different programs, the requirement of Section 5.3 is limited to recording total income. However, programs’ intake procedures must include instructions to ask sufficient questions of the applicant to determine the total amount of household income with reasonable accuracy and the program must be able to provide reasonable evidence that staff practice follows these procedures.
6The requirement that an amount be recorded is not satisfied if a computer program defaults to zero; program staff must make an actual entry to record an amount of household income in each case.
7 Many programs record more assets information than is required by Section 5.4. LSC strongly encourages this and recommends recording at least the following:
Liquid Assets: Bank Accounts (including checking and savings)
Other Liquid Assets (such as investments)
Non-Liquid Assets: Personal Property
Real Property
Whatever is actually recorded, programs’ intake procedures must include
instructions to ask sufficient questions of the applicant to determine the total
amount of household assets with reasonable accuracy and the program must be able
to provide reasonable evidence that staff practice follows these procedures.
8 The
requirement that a value be recorded is not satisfied if a computer program
defaults to zero; program staff must make an actual entry to record an amount of
household assets in each case.
9 The requirement for a written notation is not satisfied if a computer program defaults to an indication of eligibility; program staff must make an actual entry to record eligibility in each case.
10 This requirement applies during the course of the case service reporting period, i.e., the grant year. If a program has already closed and reported a case in one year, and the client returns for additional service in a subsequent year, the program may report the additional service as a separate case in the subsequent year, provided that the case otherwise meets the requirements and definitions of this Handbook.
11 Although 45 CFR Section 1635.2(b) defines the operation of a pro se clinic as a "matter", the provision of "direct legal advice" to an attendee at a pro se clinic qualifies as a case when the provision of advice meets the definition of a case in Section 2.1 of this Handbook and the person receiving the advice meets the definition of a client in Section 2.2 of this Handbook.
12 As specified by Section 6.6 of this Handbook, the provision of direct legal advice to a client in a pro se clinic or workshop qualifies as a case which may be reported to LSC if the provision of advice meets the definition of a case found in Section 2.1 of this Handbook and the person receiving the advice meets the definition of a client found in Section 2.2 of this Handbook.
13 Pursuant to Section 7.3 of this Handbook, a case referred to another office of the same program, to a subrecipient, or to a private attorney participating in the program's PAI component, may not be reported as a closed case until the other program office, subrecipient, or PAI attorney has completed all work on the case and has reported the case as closed.
14 Cases in which a client withdraws after the program has already obtained court or agency action, e.g., a temporary restraining order, should not be closed in this category. Such cases should be closed as court or agency decision. Similarly, cases in which a client withdraws after the program has negotiated a settlement for the client should be closed as negotiated settlement.
