S-3473.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6168

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Fairley, Patterson and Kline

Read first time 01/10/2000.  Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

Requiring the department of social and health services to have a phone system that facilitates access to a departmental employee rather than voice mail.

    AN ACT Relating to the department of social and health services phone answering system; adding a new section to chapter 43.20A RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that persons in need of services provided by the department of social and health services are often frustrated in their attempts to receive information or resolve problems with the department by the use of complex automated voice mail systems.  Instead of being able to access a live person, who could answer their questions or direct their calls, clients of the department are subjected to a series of automated voice mail options, often with no forwarding to a live employee.  Messages left on voice mail frequently do not receive a prompt response.  In view of the serious, and at times even life-threatening, nature of many of the calls to the agency responsible for the protection of children, the frail and elderly, and the mentally ill, as well as families in poverty, the legislature finds it is unacceptable to prevent access by blockading the public with voice mail, unreturned calls, and long hold times.

    The legislature intends that the department staff its primary public access telephones with a live person option, providing those in need for whom voice mail options are inappropriate with the opportunity to speak promptly with a department employee trained to respond to their questions, or direct their calls.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.20A RCW to read as follows:

    The department shall not be allowed to use an automated telephone system for answering telephone calls placed to the department's primary public service phone numbers, during regular hours of operation, unless the automated telephone system provides, as the first menu option, an option that permits a caller to speak directly to an employee of the department, without listening to the entire recorded message.  Incoming telephone calls on primary public service numbers shall be answered promptly, and the department shall monitor length of time any incoming call is put on hold, with the goal of reducing hold time to five minutes or less.  No employee of the department may use an automated phone answering system to screen telephone calls for the purpose of refusing to communicate with any person if the subject matter of the telephone message or the identity of the caller relates to a duty or responsibility of the division or unit of the department for which the employee performs services, or relates to a duty or responsibility of the employee.  The department of general administration shall ensure that each division or unit of the department of social and health services establishes a procedure for answering telephone calls placed to the department during regular business hours that conforms to the requirements of this section.

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