Introduction
Development and Approval of Policy and Procedure
Development
Each chapter of the State Policy Manual is administratively assigned to the Commissioner or one of the Assistant Commissioners. It is the responsibility of the designated official to ensure that policies and procedures under his or her jurisdiction are reviewed at least annually and maintained in a manner that is clear, concise, current, and consistent with federal and state laws. The designated official is also responsible for proposing new policies and procedures whenever the need arises.
Peer groups shall review at least annually all policies and procedures within their areas of subject matter expertise and propose appropriate amendments.
Correction
Whenever substantive or typographical errors are found, the reader is encouraged to report the error to the designated official and the Executive Director of Legal Services. Errors should be reported in writing and include the name of the policy or procedure, its reference number, the language the reader finds problematic and suggestions for improvement. See Form for Reporting Errors.
It is the responsibility of the designated official for that policy or procedure to determine if an error exists and, if so, to obtain the necessary approvals to correct any error as soon as possible.
Approval
The State Board shall approve all policies. However, the Commissioner is authorized to approve policy changes involving typographic errors or minor changes without substantive effect. Upon request, the Commissioner shall notify the State Board of such changes in policy.
Whenever appropriate or practical, new or proposed policy revisions shall first be presented to the Presidents' Council for review and approval.
Prior to submission to the State Board for approval, proposed changes to the Policy Manual shall be routed through the Executive Director of Legal Services for legal review and to ensure consistency of style.
Once approved by the State Board, the appropriate Assistant Commissioner shall provide an electronic version of the approved policy to the Executive Director of Legal Services for updating the Policy Manual.
Procedures contained in the Policy Manual do not require State Board approval. However, procedures should be approved by the appropriate Assistant Commissioner before submission to the Executive Director of Legal Services for review and updating the Policy Manual.
The Executive Director shall ensure that policies and procedures, once properly approved, are added to the Policy Manual in a timely manner.
References
Procedure: Form for Reporting Potential Errors in Policy or Procedure
Procedure: Procedure for Development, Correction and Approval of Policy and Procedure
Created: April 23, 2001
Revised: September 25, 2001
Approved