Section 755.135  ITAP Filing Requirements

a)         ITAC, on behalf of the carriers, shall file with the Commission for approval pursuant to the provisions of the Act and this Part, the following tariff items:

1)         A tariff describing any equipment distribution program offered pursuant to Section 755.100(a) with a detailed description of the equipment the carriers provide pursuant to ITAP, including:

A)        the manufacturers of the equipment,

B)        the model numbers of the equipment,

C)        the model names of the equipment,

D)        a description of the operating functions and specifications of the equipment, and

E)         the recipient disability certification requirements for receipt of each specific equipment offered.

2)         A tariff sheet that describes the voucher program pursuant to Section 755.100(b), including the applicable recipient disability certification requirements.

3)         At a minimum, ITAC, on behalf of the carriers, shall give written notice of any tariff filing made under subsection (a) to each of the following: Staff Liaison, Chairperson of the Advisory Council, distribution centers, and local chapters of the Illinois Association for the Deaf, Association for Late-Deafened Adults, and Self Help for Hard of Hearing, as well as the social service agencies. This notice shall be given no later than the date of the tariff filing and shall describe generally the nature of the filing.

4)         Notwithstanding the requirements of subsections (a)(1)-(3), ITAC, on behalf of the carriers, may purchase or otherwise obtain a limited number of pieces of equipment for distribution and use on a trial basis, for the purpose of evaluating whether they should be offered to recipients pursuant to Section 755.100, without filing a tariff under subsection (a).  However, the distribution and use shall be limited to ITAC employees, ITAC board members, members of the Advisory Council, and the persons identified by ITAC whose use characteristics will enable realistic testing of the equipment.  The trial shall not exceed 100 pieces of equipment, shall not exceed one year in duration, and shall be preceded by written notification to the Director of the Commission's Consumer Services Division, the Staff Liaison, and the Chairperson of the Advisory Council. At the conclusion of the trial, ITAC shall provide a report indicating the results of the trial to the Director of the Commission's Consumer Services Division, the Staff Liaison, and the Chairperson of the Advisory Council.

b)         With reference to the provision of ITAP services, the carriers, or ITAC on their behalf, shall file for approval by the Commission all personal services contracts in excess of $40,000 and all other contracts in excess of $140,000.  All contracts entered into by ITAC that are below these amounts shall be filed with the Commission on an informational basis.

c)         ITAC, on behalf of the carriers, shall file with the Commission an annual report (to be filed no later than March 31 of each year) that shall contain the following information:    

1)         Updates on administration procedures for ITAP,

2)         Description of program activities of the past year, including at a minimum the number of applications received, the number of and type of equipment and/or vouchers distributed, the number and location of regional centers, and the number of maintenance/repair/exchange incidents, and

3)         Description and brief evaluation of program effectiveness including at a minimum the following information:

A)        the number and type of complaint incidents,

B)        the average period of time needed to process a typical application,

C)        the average period of time between the processing of an application and the receipt of the equipment or voucher, and

D)        a list of issues or problem areas identified by the Advisory Council and any action taken by the carriers or ITAC in response.

(Source:  Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 1, 2004)