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The purpose of this paper is to explore unstably housed persons satisfaction with representative payee services.

Surveys were distributed through two different methods, which consisted of mailings and dispersal by program staff members.

Participants overwhelmingly reported that they were satisfied with representative payee services with 77 percent of the stand-alone housing participants and 86 percent of the scattered site participants reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with representative payee services. Similarly, 92 percent of stand-alone participants and 82 percent of scattered site participants reported being satisfied with their abilities to care for their needs. The lowest reported satisfaction with the program was with the timeliness of getting spending checks, with 85 percent of participants being satisfied in the stand-alone location and only 63 percent of participants reporting satisfaction in the scattered site setting.

This research is limited by the fact that it is an evaluation of one program and does not have a comparison group. Additionally, clients self-selected to participate in the research and results are not generalizable. Future research should ascertain whether aspects of harm reduction and peer staff have an impact on client outcomes as well as representative payee satisfaction. The study was conducted in a metropolitan area in the Northeast USA, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Given that this region includes both city and suburban areas, it is likely the results are translatable to multiple geographic areas.

Results of this research indicate that use of harm reduction and peer staff could be factors in client satisfaction with representative payee services thereby increasing the possibility that clients will sign up for this service and receive the benefits of the program.

Having a representative payee program imposed on clients whether voluntarily or involuntarily can be an extremely anxiety provoking experience. Increasing satisfaction with this service will lend to improved quality of life for clients as well as improved relationships with providers which may lead to more engagement in care.

This paper provides a new perspective on representative payee programs since it shows positive satisfaction, as well as use of harm reduction and peer staff, which varies from previous studies.

Eliciting client narratives and creating community-informed interventions have been effective methods of engaging those who are unstably housed in care. Previous studies have shown that these approaches foster client empowerment and provide insight as to the importance of creating community-driven solutions. However, few studies report the impact of these methods on homeless people living with HIV. The purpose of this paper is to describe methods used to engage consumers in sharing their stories, including formative focus groups, qualitative interviews, and feedback from peer staff.

Data for the case study were derived from program notes, board minutes, and feedback from founding board members of The Open Door. Two researchers who were involved with the program from its inception reviewed these data and then developed a schematic of the methods used to develop and inform the program itself. The authors determined that three methods were used to elicit client and community narratives to inform program decisions. These include a formative focus group that helped to structure and implement the program in its earliest stages; qualitative interviews, which helped to pinpoint effective program components and enabled the rapid expansion of the service delivery model; and feedback from peer staff, which has consistently allowed for the refinement and prioritization of services. Data were collected for the purposes of program development and improvement but since qualitative interviews were conducted by faculty affiliated with an academic institution, the institutional review board of that institution was consulted and the qualitative interviews were determined to be exempt from review.

The focus group informed the authors that they wanted to live in their own apartments but have on-site supports. They also indicated that traditional housing program rules such as abstinence were too restrictive for them to navigate. In the qualitative interviews, the clients reported an increased sense of community with peers and peer staff members, which helped to reduce stigma. Second, residents reported that supportive services helped them to connect to and maintain in HIV clinical care. Third, residents reported that the representative payee services were a key factor in helping them improve housing and financial stability.

There are a number of limitations to this case study that demand the need for caution in interpreting results. Although the authors used several different methods to elicit client narratives and community feedback, sample sizes were small, control groups were not utilized, and data were specific to individuals receiving services through one housing program. Thus, results are not generalizable. In addition, the methods reported herein mix those conducted for the purposes of research (in-depth qualitative interviews) with others conducted specifically to inform program delivery and improvement (focus group and peer staff feedback). Thus, rigor is not equally applied across all methods. In addition, the individuals conducting research and authoring this paper were directly involved with the creation of the program and ongoing service delivery. Therefore, interviewer and reporting bias also present threats to validity.

There are many strengths involved in utilizing the narrative feedback of the residents and peer staff to inform the practice. One is that this method is an incredibly cost-efficient way to assess client and program needs to inform intervention development and improvement. The results are also very transparent and easily translatable to the agency’s everyday work. These methods are practical in both their approach to clients and their ability to be easily incorporated into the daily work of clients and staff. These methods allow for rapid application as results are immediate and feedback can be implemented quickly.

When seeking client and staff feedback, it is important to be cognizant of believing the client and recognizing that all people have their own personal perspectives, including their own version of the “truth.” Eliciting this type of feedback puts individuals in a vulnerable place, so it is critical to guarantee their safety. All information solicited must be regarded in a positive light to inform improved service delivery and not as a means to receive information that “tells on” clients or peer staff. Feedback should be reviewed as an opportunity for learning and not as a mechanism for retaliation.

The clients and staff have been significantly marginalized in the society. It is possible that having providers be kind and respectful to them and asking for their opinions is a very new experience which might make them feel grateful and more likely to be favorable in their responses. Clients may feel loyal to the program and be much more likely to speak of it positively. Regardless of these potential biases, the quantitative results of improved health outcomes published elsewhere indicate that the clients may not just be being nice, but may in fact be receiving interventions that are working.

The Social Security Administration publishes a series of pamphlets and leaflets designed to distribute information about Social Security programs and policies. In general these publications are of high quality: succinct, well‐written, informative, and highly readable. Most of these publications are frequently revised, many on an annual basis.

This study illuminates the experiences of adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and intellectual disabilities (IDs) and their challenges and successes in receiving quality healthcare services. Individuals with developmental disabilities often experience health issues associated with aging at earlier ages and at higher rates than the general population. This population has a higher incidence of chronic health conditions that require regular medical attention.

The intent of this project was to learn directly from adults and their caregivers how well healthcare providers understand autism, explore their experience with how well their care is coordinated between primary healthcare and other specialty services, and identify factors which could impact access to care and to discover what other barriers which may potentially influence health outcomes for ASD adult.

A qualitative study conducted with semi-structured interviews with 12 adults diagnosed with ASD and/or their guardians/caregivers.

Some of the adults interviewed experienced negative health outcomes and suboptimal relationships with healthcare providers; others seemed to have positive relationships. Clinical and communications accommodations were necessary to make healthcare provision more comfortable. Barriers to accessing healthcare services existed in many forms.

The healthcare needs of the growing population adults diagnosed with ASD/ID are anticipated to be significant. This challenge is further exacerbated given there are few trained healthcare providers who are prepared or dedicated to serve this population. Continuing to build awareness of the health needs of the ASD/ID adult population is critical.

This project is highly innovative as it is the first attempt to understand how the adult autism population accesses care and perceives their healthcare interactions. This study serves as a starting point to suggest new opportunities for further research for this growing population.

Due to the deinstitutionalization, many individuals with severe mental illness are able to live independently nowadays, by making use of supported accommodation. The financial well-being of these individuals significantly influences their overall quality of life, yet this aspect remains underexplored. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the financial circumstances of supported accommodation clients and the specific support mechanisms they rely on.

This investigation involved an examination of electronic patient records from a large supported accommodation organization. Additionally, an online questionnaire was distributed to staff members to elucidate the prevalence of financial support among clients, the nature of such support and the extent of financial challenges they face.

In total, 25% of clients were found to be in debt, with a majority carrying debts exceeding €5,000. Financial support was extended to over half of the supported accommodation clients. Notably, 17% of clients with intricate financial issues were assigned to a budget coach. The most common forms of support included assistance with financial administration and protective guardianship, whereas clients with more complex problems primarily received support in budget management and financial skill development.

This study highlights a significant prevalence of financial challenges among supported accommodation clients. Recommendations include investing in staff training programs to further develop knowledge and skills. Additionally, the effectiveness of current financial support initiatives requires further investigation.

Financial assurance rules, also known as financial responsibility or bonding requirements, foster cost internalization by requiring potential polluters to demonstrate the financial resources necessary to compensate for environmental damage that may arise in the future. Accordingly, assurance is an important complement to liability rules, restoration obligations, and other regulatory compliance requirements. The paper reviews the need for assurance, given the prevalence of abandoned environmental obligations, and assesses the implementation of assurance rules in the United States. From the standpoint of both legal effectiveness and economic efficiency, assurance rules can be improved. On the whole, however, cost recovery, deterrence, and enforcement are significantly improved by the presence of existing assurance regulations.

Part II of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 introduced major changes to the way in which construction contracts are administered. The payment and adjudication provisions, in particular, have been well received by the United Kingdom construction industry and can be viewed as a success. However, avoidance tactics aimed at reducing liability for payment and discouraging payees away from adjudication became commonplace. The response from Parliament is contained in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, which came into force on 1 October 2011. The purpose of this paper is to analyse stakeholders’ first impressions of the new Act and disseminate the insights gained to the industry and policymakers.

Following a review of the current and proposed legislation, industry views were collected by an electronically administered survey. The views of construction industry stakeholders on how the new Act will operate and its prospects of delivering the intended outcomes were ascertained and are presented.

The survey findings indicate there is broad support for the original Act and for the amendments made in the new Act, tempered with pessimism about the likely inability of the new measures to address issues around entrenched industry practice. Avoidance and evasion of key terms is contemplated, for instance in relation to extending payment terms and drafting contracts in favour of the paying party.

The conclusions reached call into question the extent to which improvement of this aspect of the construction industry can be achieved by statutory intervention alone, particularly in testing economic circumstances.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the increased exposure to cyber crime which would result if one‐day cheque clearance were introduced in the UK.

This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the UK and US cheque‐clearance systems, examines the enhanced vulnerability to fraud occasioned by a one‐day cheque clearance system and considers the resulting evidential difficulties encountered in US cheque fraud prosecutions. The paper then anticipates the UK experience and examines recent cyber‐crime cases in the UK. Finally the paper explores the possibility of biometric fingerprint authorisation as a prevention strategy.

The introduction of one‐day cheque clearance in the USA heralded an increase in cyber‐crime banking fraud and a reduction of the ability of the prosecuting authorities to bring cases to court because of the paucity of documentary evidence. The same pattern of activity would be likely to occur if one‐day cheque clearance were to be introduced in the UK. Banks should lobby for the replacement of cheque banking with biometric fingerprint authorisation of electronic banking transactions as the best way forward.

This paper indicates the most pragmatic way forward for banks targeted by this type of cyber‐crime and warns the legal profession of the evidential difficulties in US prosecutions.

This paper is of value to legal practitioners, academics, students and financial market professionals with interests in banking, fraud, and cyber‐crime.

The paper aims to explore the present cheque clearance system in the USA and its possible misuses in the practical sense. Cheque kiting has been a way of creating fictitious cash balances on the balance sheet, which is a fraud. This practice can be prevented by a different accounting treatment.

The paper compares the cheque clearance system in the USA with the author’s own experiences from Turkey. It purports the riskiness of the present cheque clearance system on the financial statements and suggests a practical accounting application to prevent possible financial statement misrepresentations.

The paper explores that if the present accounting treatment is changed both for the banks and the businesses, the possibility of cheque kiting and misrepresentation of cash balances on the balance sheet will end. Basically, cash is the amount that can be used by the customer, the rest is not cash, it is “cheques in collection” and it should be treated as an account receivable until it is collected.

Financial statements are vital for the business world. Based on these statements, banks lend money, governments collect taxes and people buy and sell stocks. They need to be presented fairly. The present accounting application on cheque clearance is not transparent enough in the USA, and this might lead to misrepresentation of financial statements. The paper suggests a practical solution to this problem. By changing the accounting treatment, the companies will only show cash in their cash accounts and not the cheques in the collection process.

Fair treatment is the motto for any situation we face in our daily lives. One may be a poor or rich person but the treatment should be fair unless he/she is a fraudster. A rich person’s cheque is deposited in his/her bank account the next business day, and a poor person’s cheque might take days to be credited. This is not a fair treatment. The paper suggests that there must be a one-way accounting treatment, regardless of the depositor’s financial situation.

This paper has been prepared based on the author’s past business experience in Turkey and his study of the US cheque clearance system, comparing the two. It reflects the real-world examples of cheque kiting and its negative consequences in the USA and proposes a solution.