Rules committee forwards HSA call-recording surveillance policy to Board with positive recommendation

The Rules Committee voted unanimously on May 13, 2024 to forward to the full Board a surveillance-technology policy proposed by the Human Services Agency that would authorize use of call-recording technology at the agency’s call centers.

Susie Smith of HSA said authorization would be under "section 19 b 2 a" and that recordings would enable consistent service delivery, telephonic signatures for benefit applications and internal quality-control reviews. She noted that the Committee on Information Technology and the Privacy and Surveillance Advisory Board held public hearings on the matter in March and June 2023 and recommended approval to the Board.

Smith said the department’s call volumes increased during the pandemic and that similar practices are common in private-sector call centers. With no public comment, the committee voted to send the policy to the full Board with a positive recommendation.