Schedule Appointment Page – Client Assistance Coordinators (CACs)
If an applicant or client wishes to meet or speak with a Client Assistance Coordinator (CAC) assigned to their office, and the CAC is not available, a CAC appointment must be made for the client.
The Schedule Appointment page in BEACON is used to schedule, reschedule, update, view, track, cancel, or print all appointments for clients. CACs can access this page by clicking the Schedule Appointment icon that is found on each Accommodations view.
If an applicant or client (hereafter known as client) wishes to speak over the phone or meet in person with a CAC, and the CAC is not available the CAC must schedule an in person or telephonic appointment for the client.
The Schedule Appointment page is used to schedule/reschedule, update, view, track, cancel or print all appointments for clients. CACs can access this page by clicking the Schedule Appointment icon that is found on each Accommodations view.
You can also access the Schedule Appointment page by:
- Performing a Client Search from the Home page and clicking on the Schedule Appointment icon on the Client Search results list toolbar for the selected client, or
- Through the Calendar page or the Appointment Book page in the Appointments menu selection on the My Office tab of the Home page
Note: For any systems generated appointments, such as TAFDC reevaluations, BEACON will check to see if there is an ADA Accommodation for an appointment time or a type restriction and schedule the appointment within those parameters.
An appointment will never be automatically scheduled for a client who requires an ASL interpreter or home visit.
Prior to making any appointments, check to see if the client has an ADA Accommodation. If the client has an ADA accommodation, check the Accommodation Special Assistance Disposition page to determine the accommodation remedies. If at least one of the remedies is:
- Appointment Day/Time Restrictions
- Auxiliary Aid – ASL Interpreters (on-site and remote)
- Auxiliary Aid – CART
- Auxiliary Aid – CDI/ASL
- Working with DTA
- No in-office appointments - home visit (CAC Only)
then make sure that the appointment complies with the accommodation remedy. For instance, the appointment must be within the date and time stated in the accommodation remedy.
If you try to schedule an appointment that is not within the date and time stated in the remedy, or not in the appropriate location, you will get a popup message that states: “The appointment time and/or day preference does not match the ADA accommodation remedy for an interview time restriction or interview location. The appointment time restriction is {time}. The accommodation day restriction is {day}.” Different combinations of times and days may occur.
If you try to schedule an appointment where an ASL interpreter is required, you will get a popup message that states: “An appointment cannot be scheduled until arrangements are made for an ASL interpreter. Please make arrangements for the interview.”
If you try to schedule an appointment where a home visit is required, a popup message will state “An appointment cannot be scheduled until arrangements are made for a home visit. Please make arrangements for the interview before completing the appointment letter.”
If the client has both an Accommodation type of an ASL interpreter and home visit as remedies, popup messages will be displayed for each.
Important: Client Assistance Coordinators must select CAC Appointment as the appointment type on the Schedule Appointment page. A CAC Appointment Letter will automatically be generated.
To Schedule an Appointment
- Click Client Search on the My Office tab of the Home page.
- Enter the client’s information.
- Click Search to search for the client.
- Select the client from the Client Search results list.
- Click the Schedule Appointment icon on the tool bar of the Client Search results list. The Schedule Appointment page will open and populate with the selected client’s name, Worker, and Appointment location fields. You may change these fields by clicking on the icons next to each field and selecting the particular information needed for the appointment.
- Select the purpose of appointment scheduled from the Type drop-down box, either Client Assistance Coordinator – In-Office, or Client Assistance Coordinator – Telephone.
- If a client wishes to conduct a virtual meeting, select the Telephone option and print the appointment letter locally. Call the client to provide the meeting information, such as how to access the meeting, including Meeting ID and Passcode. See: Virtual Meeting Procedures for CACs
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Important: If the client requests to schedule a Virtual Interview, they must also have the DTA Initiated – email communication (CAC only) accommodation added to their file.
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- If a client wishes to conduct a virtual meeting, select the Telephone option and print the appointment letter locally. Call the client to provide the meeting information, such as how to access the meeting, including Meeting ID and Passcode. See: Virtual Meeting Procedures for CACs
- Select the date of the appointment in the Start field (The Start field defaults to the current date and therefore must be changed).
- Enter the time of the appointment in the Start time field.
- Enter the time the appointment will end in the End time field (This field is optional for your use. The appointment end time will not appear on the appointment letter).
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Note: The CAC’s schedule is prepopulated in the Status drop-down box.
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- Select the Local or Central print location from the Printing location drop-down box.
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Note: If Central is selected for the Printing location, the appointment letter will be printed centrally and automatically mailed to the client. A Notice Preview is not displayed for you to view when an appointment letter is printed centrally.
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- Click the Save button. The Notice Preview pop-up page will appear with the appointment letter.
- Select English or Spanish for the appointment letter language from the Language drop-down box at the top of the Notice Preview popup page.
- Click the Print button to print the appointment letter.
- If Local is selected, give or mail the appointment letter to the client. If Central is selected, the appointment letter will be mailed automatically.
When scheduling an appointment if you enter a date that is a holiday or other non-working day the following message displays: “The date you entered is not a working day. Would you like to change it to another day?” click Yes, and enter another date.
Once you have scheduled and printed the appointment letter, on the Schedule Appointment page, you may click the Clear button to clear all the fields previously entered, and enter data for a new appointment, if desired.
Using Interpreters in Virtual Meetings
If a client requires an interpreter during their virtual meeting, follow procedures in Connecting an Interpreter to a Virtual Meeting. While verbal interpreters are available on-demand, video interpreters need to be scheduled in advance. Do so at the time of scheduling the appointment with the client.