Personal Touch Home Care Inc.

Review: As an early intervention occupational therapist, I contacted the agency to set up an interview for independent contract services. [redacted] emailed me requesting the receipt of my personal identification information prior to setting up an interview. This information included the completion of the Statewide Central Register Database Check application with my complete name, date of birth and the names of my two minor children and their date of births, all the addresses I have resided for the past 26 years. In addition, I was required to provide my Professional licence number, Department of Health Early Intervention ID number, my professional liability policy number, a completed medical history form signed by my physician. After emailing this information to [redacted], she requested my presence for an interview during my working hours at 4:30 on Wednesday April **, 2014. I replied the days I am available to attend (total of 11 days) and made myself available all day. She responded she is unable to meet my request for an interview and will therefore not interview me. I am concerned with my personal and professional information as well as my two minor children. This employee did not state to me the conditions of her VERY limited availability to interview prior to demanding my personal information.Desired Settlement: I am requesting a signed and dated letter stating the agency, employees and anyone that has access to my personal information will not distribute the information and/or use the information in any way

Business

Response:

[redacted],

Thank you for speaking to your [redacted]. Below please find our response.

As we discussed on the phone, as a provider of early intervention services, Personal Touch Home Care is required to obtain information about potential employees, including that the prospective employee be cleared by the Statewide Central Register Database. The prospective employee fills out this form, and it is submitted by the prospective employer. This form is only one of many that are required to be completed as part of the hiring process for a licensed Early Intervention Program. As [redacted] notes in her complaint, she provided some of the required information. As with many other jobs, additional information, such as references and copies of degrees, are requested. Despite [redacted]’s failure to provide all the information requested by Personal-Touch, Personal-Touch attempted to schedule an interview with [redacted] with the expectation that the requested information would be provided prior to the scheduled interview.

Since many interviews are scheduled for various positions, Personal-Touch schedules days in which interviews are conducted. Interviews are generally scheduled to begin at 10:00am and end at 4:30pm, with a break for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30. [redacted] indicated that those times would not work, but that she would be available after 4:00 on most days. To accommodate [redacted], Personal-Touch agreed to schedule her interview at 4:30 on April --, 2014, a day that had been designated to conduct interviews. The 4:30 time slot was after the time interviews are usually completed, and at a time [redacted] indicated she would be available. [redacted] responded that she was unavailable at that time, and requested an interview during spring break, on Monday, when she would be available all day. Our staff was not available during spring break, and indicated to [redacted] that they could not accommodate her request. [redacted]’s response, in pertinent part was “given your inability to accommodate me, you leave me no choice but to report you and the agency the Better Business Bureu.”

As required by law, all information pertaining to an applicant or an employee is maintained in confidential personnel files, and only those individuals with permission are able to access the data. To the extent that [redacted] provided confidential or private information, such information will be protected in accordance with our policies for such information.

I trust that this response will resolve the complaint lodged by [redacted]. Please advise if there is any further information you require.

Thank you,

-------------

---------