Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) for domestic violence victims

Revised date
Purpose statement

To describe the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP), run by the Office of the Secretary of State.

Overview

The ACP program is in place to protect the address of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or trafficking. Participants use a substitute address in place of their actual physical or mailing address.

Rules for the Address Confidentiality program are found in WAC 434-840-001 through WAC 434-840-310 and are governed by the Office of the Secretary of State.

Clarifying information

The ACP provides the following services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or stalking:

  1. Helps the participant maintain the secrecy of home, work, or school address.
  2. Provides the participant a substitute mailing address.
  3. Forwards first class mail from the substitute address.
  4. Helps the participant obtain many state and local agency services without revealing the physical or mailing address.
  5. Helps the participant to register to vote or obtain a marriage license without having those records available to the public.

Participants are given a laminated authorization card the size of a driver license. The card has the individual's signature, substitute address, expiration date, and a toll-free number to the ACP office for information. The toll-free number is 800-822-1065. The TTY number is 800-664-9677.

Worker responsibilities

When an individual states they are enrolled in ACP and have an assigned Private Mail Box (PMB) address:

  1. If the individual is currently certified in the ACP:
    1. Use the ACP mailing address and participant code number (PMB number) as shown on the card in place of the individual's physical address on the ACES address screen or in Washington Healthplanfinder.
      Example:
      • Jane Doe
        1453 (PMB number)
        PO Box 257
        Olympia, WA 98507-0257
    2. Mail all correspondence for the individual to the substitute address:
    3. Do not ask the individual to provide their actual address. Do not record the individual's physical address in Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES) Online, Barcode, Healthplanfinder (HPF) or Customer Service Application (CSA) or retain copies of any documents that list the individual's physical address.
    4. When verifying residency, household composition, or shelter costs, do not ask the individual to provide documents that state their physical address. Accept any document that lists the ACP address and reasonably verifies the eligibility factor. See verification for instructions on determining reasonableness.
    5. If the individual provides a document that lists the physical address:
      1. Do not keep the document.
      2. Explain to the individual that if we have anything in the case record that lists their physical address, we may have to reveal that information if we are issued a subpoena.
      3. Document in the narrative:
        1. What documents were used as verification.
        2. What eligibility factor the documents verify; and
        3. Why copies of the document are not in the record.
    6. Allow the individual to provide any document that has the physical address concealed.
  2. If the individual is not currently certified in the ACP:
    1. Do not enter the ACP mailing address and participant code into ACES.
    2. Require the individual to provide a current mailing address.
    3. Record the address in ACES or Washington Healthplanfinder; and 
    4. Follow the normal verification procedures as described in Verification.

Verification of active ACP participant

If the individual's enrollment in ACP is questionable or we get returned mail from their ACP address, government agencies may call the ACP office at 360-753-2972 to verify that the individual is an active ACP participant.

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