Your Rights
Behavioral Health Services’ clients have rights regarding their treatment and provided services. The following information explains these rights, how client information is used, how to get help or file complaints, and who to contact for questions.
Clients may be entitled to other rights. Please visit the Optum Member Portal for more information.
For Beneficiaries of Medi-Cal/Drug Medi-Cal
Beneficiaries of Medi-Cal/Drug Medi-Cal have a right to receive medically necessary treatment services in both the Mental Health Plan (or MHP, for primary diagnosis of a mental health condition) and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (or DMC-ODS, for primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder). For a complete description of services, rights and responsibilities, please refer to the Integrated MHP and DMC-ODS Member Handbook.
You may also refer to the protected health information Notice of Privacy Practices.
When interacting with the County of San Diego, residents are entitled to free interpretation services which are available in over 200 languages.
Expand the following buttons for a summary of your rights or how to file a complaint.
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Summary of Your Rights
Please read the Member Handbook and the Notice of Privacy Practices linked above for a complete description of rights and responsibilities. Below is a short summary of your rights. You can:
- Participate in decisions related to your care
- See or get copies of your medical record
- Ask us to fix incorrect or incomplete information
- Ask us to limit how we share your information
- Ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location
- Request a list of those with whom we’ve shared your information
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Filing a Complaint
If you receive services and are not satisfied, you may file a complaint (known as a grievance) with the following programs:
- For inpatient/residential services contact Jewish Family Service (JFS) Patient Advocacy Program by calling 800-479-2233.
- For outpatient services contact Consumer Center for Health Education and Advocacy (CCHEA) by calling 877-734-3258.
If you do not agree with the County of San Diego’s decision regarding your treatment, you have the right to file an appeal. If you still do not agree with the County of San Diego’s decision following an appeal, you have the right to file a state hearing.
The Agency Compliance Office
The Agency Compliance Office is responsible for dealing with compliance, privacy, or information security issues and ensuring standards, training, and monitoring throughout the Health and Human Services Agency. For more information about any of the Agency Compliance Office policies or procedures, to ask questions, or to report a concern or complaint, reach out to the appropriate Agency Compliance Office team below.
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Agency Compliance Office Teams and Contact Information
- For Compliance Issues contact Compliance.HHSA@SDCounty.ca.gov or call 619-338-2807.
- For Privacy & Confidentiality Issues contact PrivacyOfficer.HHSA@SDCounty.ca.gov or call 619-338-2808.
- For Information Security Issues contact InformationSecurity.HHSA@SDCounty.ca.gov or call 619-338-2634.
For Recipients of Housing Services
In collaboration with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH), Behavioral Health Services provides permanent supportive housing throughout the county using the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The HMIS network allows homeless service providers to efficiently manage homeless caseloads and distribute housing assistance.
The Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to people who are entered into the HMIS. Personal information is used to provide services and is legally required to remain confidential. The notice explains the privacy practices that personnel and service providers must follow when handling their information, and how it can be accessed. Please read it carefully.
Expand the following buttons to learn more about how your information is used, a summary of your rights, or how to file a complaint.
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How We Use Your Information
- To coordinate your services
- To remind you about appointments or offer helpful services
- For administrative purposes
- For research purposes
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Summary of Your Rights
- You can ask to see or get copies of your information
- If something is incorrect, you can ask us to fix it
- You can ask us to limit how we share your information
- You can ask us to contact you in a specific way or at a specific location
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Filing a Complaints
If you think your privacy rights are being violated, you can file a complaint. You won’t be punished for doing so.
To file a complaint, contact the RTFH in writing:
Regional Task Force on Homelessness
4699 Murphy Canyon Rd., San Diego, CA 92123
If you have questions, you can contact your service provider or
the RTFH at 858-292-7627.


