Are general weigh-ins being conducted?

[lordmonar]

Okay...you got me.

But my points still remain.   If we are doing weigh ins at my once a month senior squadron.....we are not doing what we normally do.  So even a 30 minute delay to get all 20 of my members weighed is a MAJOR disruption of my operations.

Even if it was to get the monthly safety brief, and announcements.

[Eclipse]

Okay...you got me.

But my points still remain.   If we are doing weigh ins at my once a month senior squadron.....we are not doing what we normally do.

About darn time!

One extra meeting per year, or a Dr's note.  Buy everyone vegan, non-dairy pizza with a glass of water for coming out.

Done.

[lordmonar]

Okay...you got me.

But my points still remain.   If we are doing weigh ins at my once a month senior squadron.....we are not doing what we normally do.

About darn time!

One extra meeting per year, or a Dr's note.  Buy everyone vegan, non-dairy pizza with a glass of water for coming out.

Done.

And there you go....One extra meeting a year.   To what end?   Regulation enforcement?
LtCol IDONTCARE sends up his yearly report and still does what he did before.

Weigh ins are not going to miraculously make people go "Oh Snikeys!  We've been doing this all wrong!"

Having said that.....periodic non-mandatory, non-repport to higher headquarters weigh ins are a good tool to keep ahead of the situation and help every stay honest.

[RiverAux]

Patrick, keep in mind that no one has required any squadron to do this.  If your 20 member squadron is all slim and trim and there is no reason to think anyone is over the limit, then no one is making you do it.

You've slid way too far down the slippery slope here. 

[LSThiker]

Every time you take 30 minutes from a member...that is a MAJOR percentage of his time he is devoting to CAP.

And unlike the AD.....it is a little harder to say to a CAP member "well you just stay at work and catch up on all the work you missed because of the mandatory weigh in we had to do this morning".

Agreed.  However, there are a variety of easy to remedy solutions for this without wasting 30 minutes of a member's time or saying "well just stay late".  Using a little forethought and planning won't waste a member's time, unit efficiency, or cadet supervision.  Regardless, 20 members should never take 2 hours unless there is serious inefficiency involved.

[Mitchell 1969]

.....next thing you know...it is quarterly weigh in reports. 

I'm looking to avoid that slippery slope.

I hear you, Brother Patrick. 

I actually had to respond to concerns about scale calibrations, maintaining the calibration records, training scale operators (honestly!), HIPAA concerns about keeping records with "protected health information," necessary eServices permissions, etc.

As a long-term government employee at the local, state, and federal level I though I knew a thing or two about bureaucratic functions and concerns.  But CAP continues to surprise me.

There might well be a HIPPA concern. Simple solution is don't keep records. Weigh the guy, look at the chart, if he's within limits say "Thanks, Aloysius" and move on. If somebody doesn't fit the chart parameters, catch up with him by meeting end and say "Sorry, Ulysses, but you didn't fit the weight parameters. Want to do it again just to make sure I didn't read it wrong? No? OK, but, you know you can't wear the USAF type uniform until...you have these options...if you have any questions you can..."

My bigger worry is the scale calibration. I know how CAP works. Somebody's bound to show up with a raggedy scale that they picked up for a buck at a rummage sale and say "I thought I'd donate this to the squadron, looks like it's in good shape, it weighs "almost" the same as the one I have at home...can somebody give me a donation letter? I've seen those in the store going for $50..."

[SarDragon]

My bigger worry is the scale calibration. I know how CAP works. Somebody's bound to show up with a raggedy scale that they picked up for a buck at a rummage sale and say "I thought I'd donate this to the squadron, looks like it's in good shape, it weighs "almost" the same as the one I have at home...can somebody give me a donation letter? I've seen those in the store going for $50..."

I brought this up a while back, and was shouted down fairly quickly. In order to do this right, a calibrated balance scale is needed.

More here. Continue for several posts.

[LSThiker]

There might well be a HIPPA concern.

There is no HIPAA issue with weigh-ins

[PHall]

There might well be a HIPPA concern.

There is no HIPAA issue with weigh-ins

There is if the results are recorded. That makes it a "medical record".

[Ned]

By its terms, HIPAA  only applies to medical providers and insurance companies, of which CAP is neither.

That said, we have a responsibility to safeguard members' personal information.

Just not a HIPAA issue.

[Tim Medeiros]

There might well be a HIPPA concern.

There is no HIPAA issue with weigh-ins

There is if the results are recorded. That makes it a "medical record".

Actually, we are not a covered entity under HIPAA (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/index.html see also http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/HIPAA-Administrative-Simplification/HIPAAGenInfo/Downloads/CoveredEntitycharts.pdf) therefore, we do not fall under HIPAAs rules.


Edit: Ned beat me to it.

[Alaric]

By its terms, HIPAA  only applies to medical providers and insurance companies, of which CAP is neither.

That said, we have a responsibility to safeguard members' personal information.

Just not a HIPAA issue.

Which is what concerns me with the new Form 161s.  They wan't an awful lot of information and we leave it in the hands of people who are not trained in the protection of personal information.  I was just at a SAREX and I had to turn my 161 into a cadet!  I don't see why they need my insurance information anyway, if you are taken to a hospital in an emergency, they must treat so it doesn't matter if I have insurance.

[Huey Driver]

By its terms, HIPAA  only applies to medical providers and insurance companies, of which CAP is neither.

That said, we have a responsibility to safeguard members' personal information.

Just not a HIPAA issue.

Which is what concerns me with the new Form 161s.  They wan't an awful lot of information and we leave it in the hands of people who are not trained in the protection of personal information.  I was just at a SAREX and I had to turn my 161 into a cadet!  I don't see why they need my insurance information anyway, if you are taken to a hospital in an emergency, they must treat so it doesn't matter if I have insurance.

While I also don't see the need for insurance information on the form, why does the Form 161 concern you? Aside from the insurance info, there's no new fields that weren't on the Form 60.

It's the Form 160 and Form 162 that really have the sensitive stuff, and the Form 160 has a confidentiality notice right at the top.

[Mitchell 1969]

By its terms, HIPAA  only applies to medical providers and insurance companies, of which CAP is neither.

That said, we have a responsibility to safeguard members' personal information.

Just not a HIPAA issue.

CAP appoints medical officers, has badges for them, sets qualifications for them, trains "Ranger Medics," and collects various forms for activities that contain medical information with some pretty vague instructions regarding purpose, retention and destruction of same.

Yet, claims to be "not a medical provider" and thus exempt from HIPPA.

It has a certain "Through the Looking Glass" quality to it.

[Alaric]

By its terms, HIPAA  only applies to medical providers and insurance companies, of which CAP is neither.

That said, we have a responsibility to safeguard members' personal information.

Just not a HIPAA issue.

Which is what concerns me with the new Form 161s.  They wan't an awful lot of information and we leave it in the hands of people who are not trained in the protection of personal information.  I was just at a SAREX and I had to turn my 161 into a cadet!  I don't see why they need my insurance information anyway, if you are taken to a hospital in an emergency, they must treat so it doesn't matter if I have insurance.

While I also don't see the need for insurance information on the form, why does the Form 161 concern you? Aside from the insurance info, there's no new fields that weren't on the Form 60.

It's the Form 160 and Form 162 that really have the sensitive stuff, and the Form 160 has a confidentiality notice right at the top.

The insurance information is what concerns me, and yeah I'm not thrilled with the 160 either especially when events want them weeks in advance.  Unless there will be a doctor or nurse there, I see no reason to give that level of medical information.  Cadets should have no access to any of that information at any time.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

It's the Form 160 and Form 162 that really have the sensitive stuff, and the Form 160 has a confidentiality notice right at the top.

That is no guarantee that confidentiality would be honoured.

I knew in the ANG that to reveal things I was aware of would very likely bring the hammer of the UCMJ down on me.

CAP can only suspend, demote or 2B someone.

We had a very heated discussion in my squadron on these forms.

Our CC said he had no problem if we put "INFORMATION WITHHELD" in any section we did not feel comfortable with.

That is what I did.

[Alaric]

It's the Form 160 and Form 162 that really have the sensitive stuff, and the Form 160 has a confidentiality notice right at the top.

That is no guarantee that confidentiality would be honoured.

I knew in the ANG that to reveal things I was aware of would very likely bring the hammer of the UCMJ down on me.

CAP can only suspend, demote or 2B someone.

We had a very heated discussion in my squadron on these forms.

Our CC said he had no problem if we put "INFORMATION WITHHELD" in any section we did not feel comfortable with.

That is what I did.

The problem is your CC can't abrograte the regs and I have seen people turned away from events for failure to provide the information.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

It's not abrogating the regs.

If an individual member does not feel comfortable providing a virtual long medical history, putting something in the blank is not the same as leaving it blank.

There are things in my medical history that are no-one's [darn] business except mine and my doctors'.

[Storm Chaser]

Just leave the field on the form blank.

[JeffDG]

Just leave the field on the form blank.

I fill it in with NYDB.

If asked (rarely), I simply say "None of Your [darn]ed Business"