OAR 137-079-0130: Application Assistant Certification

(1) Application Assistants shall be designated by the Department upon satisfaction of the requirements included in this section and in compliance with ORS 192.826 and 192.854. (2) Requirements for designation of an Application Assistant serving domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and bias crime and incident victims and survivors shall include: (a) Current service in a public or private entity as described in ORS 192.854(1); (b) At least forty (40) hours of comprehensive training that covers domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking in-person advocacy, or is a certified advocate under ORS 40.264. Topic areas covered by such training shall include comprehensive safety planning and confidentiality; (c) Completion of training provided by the Department on the Program and the role of the Application Assistant; (d) Signing an Application Assistant Agreement with the Department, which will include the victim services agency where the Application Assistant is serving; and (e) Such other requirements as the Department may require in order to carry out the activities enumerated in ORS 192.820 through ORS 192.865. (3) Requirements for designation of an Application Assistant serving health care providers shall include: (a) Current service as a Hotline Advocate in the Civil Rights Unit at the Oregon Department of Justice; (b) Completion of training provided by the Department on the Program and the role of the Application Assistant; (c) Signing an Application Assistant Agreement with the Department; and (d) Such other requirements as the Department may require in order to carry out the activities enumerated in ORS 192.820 through ORS 192.865. (4) The Application Assistant Agreement shall be for a term of two (2) years from the date of approval. The Application Assistant may apply again at the end of the term. The new Application Assistant Agreement request must be submitted to the Program within thirty (30) days of the pending expiration date of the existing Application Assistant Agreement for there not to be a gap in time, and upon a determination by the Department in its discretion that the Application Assistant continues to fulfill the requirements for designation, including to continue to serve the agency specified in the Application Assistant Agreement, a new designation will be effective. (5) When an Application Assistant who has been designated leaves the victims service agency specified in the Application Assistant Agreement, the Agreement shall terminate, and the Application Assistant designation shall be cancelled upon the date the Application Assistant terminates their position with the agency. Termination due to leaving a position does not prohibit an Application Assistant from reapplying when eligible again. (6) The Department shall keep a list of agencies at which Application Assistants are currently designated and shall make the information available on the DOJ website. (7) If the Department fails to receive sufficient funding to allow the Program to operate, the Department shall notify each currently designated Application Assistant that the Program is no longer accepting applications from prospective participants and is terminating the Application Assistant Agreements. If, after sending such notice, the Department receives funding to allow the Program to resume, the Department shall notify each Application Assistant whose designation was cancelled due to lack of funding and shall consider a new application for designation.