Justmehere
Sponsor
Several years ago, I stopped my university education due to PTSD symptoms. I don’t want to get into details about how it happened. My old school was fined by the Office for Civil Rights with both the Dept of Education and the Dept of Human Services for how my old school handled it.
The old school decided that if I ever go back, they would require me to sign “open releases” for them to speak to my primary care doctor and therapist in order for them to even process my application to return. They sent this letter a few months ago. This letter gets passed on to any new school I apply to and have any of my many credits transferred to. Pretty much every public university in my state is requiring I do what that letter requires in order for them to consider admission at a new institution and that my records would no longer be protected under HIPAA. They would be under FERPA, educational records law, and accessible by anyone at my university or anyone at another institution, “with a legitimate educational interest” – which I have been told is basically anyone and rarely ever enforced or tracked.
It is not entirely clear to me why they are requiring this, and it is besides the point. I can see a place for a limited release of information regarding my ability to attend and do school without PTSD symptoms getting in the way. My doctors and therapist are glad to write letters and have phone conversations regarding that singular matter.
I have offered this to the universities. I have been told that I need to follow instructions and sign the release forms that allow them to request and review all medical records for the past 10 years of my life.
I called the office for civil rights and the state’s division of higher education. I was told that this is ok for universities to do. I protested, “but wait… so let’s say I had a miscarriage, and that’s in the records from my primary care doctor, my school now gets those records and can be a part of any information they pass on to other schools?”
“in certain circumstances, yes.”
They said if I had a concern about this, then I could call the Lt. Governor. I did. Why do I do this? I get mad and I get ridiculous amounts of courage.
So I call the Lt. Governors office. I explained what happened. The person taking my info on the phone said, “so what is the problem with this? I don’t see any issue with this.”
So I decided to try to give him an example that would take PTSD and anything about being female out of the picture. I wanted to know his reaction and how far he was willing to take his stance. I wanted to know if he could see how ridiculous this is.
I replied, “well sir, let’s say your son stops school due to, let’s say a drinking problem at age 19. At age 20 your son’s genitals are infected with an STD, and so there are medical records generated about this. Later, an entire decade later, he decides he didn’t like his secretarial job and wanted to get a different one and finish a graduate degree. He applies to a university and they say, in order for us to process your application to get your engineering degree, we need all your medical records, which happens to include the records about his STD infection. Your son offers rehab records about his drinking problem, and supporting letters from doctors and even a forensic psychologist. But no, the school is clear, it must be all records about all medical conditions from all appointments ever, including any records about any STDs. Oh, and by the way, once he hands those records over, that school can give them to almost anyone they want, including his professors. God knows why they would want to know, but they would have that right to know. He has been required by the school to waive all HIPAA protections for those STD records. Then, only then, will they will process his application for admission. Gosh, you know what, you are right, I see NO PROBLEM with the school demanding all my medical records for all conditions ever too.”
The Lt governor’s assistant got angry, said “Well that would not be ok and I never said it would be ok.”
“Oh, I see, so it’s only wrong if it is a girl, who doesn’t want ob/gyn records being made part of her educational record. It’s only wrong if the student stopped school due to a drinking problem, and not because of PTSD problems from being raped.”
“That is different. Well, no, I guess it is not.”
“No it is different. It is worse. Your hypothetical son had a choice to drink. I didn’t have a choice in developing PTSD.”
He put me on hold. I hung up. I can’t believe I even said “raped.” WTF is wrong with me?! It’s all true, but holy cow. I tape recorded the whole series of calls and I swear I am not making any of this up. I have already gotten three calls from people stating they would like to clarify their stance. They can send me a letter to clarify this NONSENSE.
Besides, I know I handled my part in this very very badly. I was clam, but my words were… well, I argued. You can read it! I am losing my sh*t right now. I am a MAGNET for injustice and screwed up authority figures saying STUPID stuff. And I got mad. I wanted them to see how stupid this is.
Is it stupid? Not even the movie theater shooter's medical records of him being actively psychotic on a different campus prior to the shooting are considered a part of his educational record and releasable to other educational institutions. My PTSD made me suicidal. Not homicidal. I don't understand why I have to give up all privacy now?
The old school decided that if I ever go back, they would require me to sign “open releases” for them to speak to my primary care doctor and therapist in order for them to even process my application to return. They sent this letter a few months ago. This letter gets passed on to any new school I apply to and have any of my many credits transferred to. Pretty much every public university in my state is requiring I do what that letter requires in order for them to consider admission at a new institution and that my records would no longer be protected under HIPAA. They would be under FERPA, educational records law, and accessible by anyone at my university or anyone at another institution, “with a legitimate educational interest” – which I have been told is basically anyone and rarely ever enforced or tracked.
It is not entirely clear to me why they are requiring this, and it is besides the point. I can see a place for a limited release of information regarding my ability to attend and do school without PTSD symptoms getting in the way. My doctors and therapist are glad to write letters and have phone conversations regarding that singular matter.
I have offered this to the universities. I have been told that I need to follow instructions and sign the release forms that allow them to request and review all medical records for the past 10 years of my life.
I called the office for civil rights and the state’s division of higher education. I was told that this is ok for universities to do. I protested, “but wait… so let’s say I had a miscarriage, and that’s in the records from my primary care doctor, my school now gets those records and can be a part of any information they pass on to other schools?”
“in certain circumstances, yes.”
They said if I had a concern about this, then I could call the Lt. Governor. I did. Why do I do this? I get mad and I get ridiculous amounts of courage.
So I call the Lt. Governors office. I explained what happened. The person taking my info on the phone said, “so what is the problem with this? I don’t see any issue with this.”
So I decided to try to give him an example that would take PTSD and anything about being female out of the picture. I wanted to know his reaction and how far he was willing to take his stance. I wanted to know if he could see how ridiculous this is.
I replied, “well sir, let’s say your son stops school due to, let’s say a drinking problem at age 19. At age 20 your son’s genitals are infected with an STD, and so there are medical records generated about this. Later, an entire decade later, he decides he didn’t like his secretarial job and wanted to get a different one and finish a graduate degree. He applies to a university and they say, in order for us to process your application to get your engineering degree, we need all your medical records, which happens to include the records about his STD infection. Your son offers rehab records about his drinking problem, and supporting letters from doctors and even a forensic psychologist. But no, the school is clear, it must be all records about all medical conditions from all appointments ever, including any records about any STDs. Oh, and by the way, once he hands those records over, that school can give them to almost anyone they want, including his professors. God knows why they would want to know, but they would have that right to know. He has been required by the school to waive all HIPAA protections for those STD records. Then, only then, will they will process his application for admission. Gosh, you know what, you are right, I see NO PROBLEM with the school demanding all my medical records for all conditions ever too.”
The Lt governor’s assistant got angry, said “Well that would not be ok and I never said it would be ok.”
“Oh, I see, so it’s only wrong if it is a girl, who doesn’t want ob/gyn records being made part of her educational record. It’s only wrong if the student stopped school due to a drinking problem, and not because of PTSD problems from being raped.”
“That is different. Well, no, I guess it is not.”
“No it is different. It is worse. Your hypothetical son had a choice to drink. I didn’t have a choice in developing PTSD.”
He put me on hold. I hung up. I can’t believe I even said “raped.” WTF is wrong with me?! It’s all true, but holy cow. I tape recorded the whole series of calls and I swear I am not making any of this up. I have already gotten three calls from people stating they would like to clarify their stance. They can send me a letter to clarify this NONSENSE.
Besides, I know I handled my part in this very very badly. I was clam, but my words were… well, I argued. You can read it! I am losing my sh*t right now. I am a MAGNET for injustice and screwed up authority figures saying STUPID stuff. And I got mad. I wanted them to see how stupid this is.
Is it stupid? Not even the movie theater shooter's medical records of him being actively psychotic on a different campus prior to the shooting are considered a part of his educational record and releasable to other educational institutions. My PTSD made me suicidal. Not homicidal. I don't understand why I have to give up all privacy now?
