LIFELINE Employee Assistance Program

Frequently Asked Questions

1. WHAT IS LIFELINE?
2. HOW DO EMPLOYEES ACCESS LIFELINE?
3. WILL MY CALL BE CONFIDENTIAL?
4. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF LIFELINE?
5. WHO CAN USE LIFELINE?
6. WHAT PROBLEMS WILL LIFELINE ADDRESS?
7. WHO PAYS THE BILL?
8. WHO HAS ACCESS TO LIFELINE INFORMATION?
9. WHAT TYPE OF RECORDS ARE KEPT
10. DO CALLERS HAVE TO FOLLOW LIFELINE RECOMMENDATIONS?
11. ARE EMPLOYEES EXPERIENCING JOB PERFORMANCE OR WORK CONDUCT PROBLEMS REQUIRED TO USE LIFELINE?
12. AS A SUPERVISOR, WHAT STEPS SHOULD I TAKE BEFORE CALLING LIFELINE REGARDING AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAS A PROBLEM AFFECTING WORK PERFORMANCE?
13. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND THE STATE'S DISCIPLINARY ACTION PROCEDURES?
14. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND LEAVE?
15. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND THE STATE OF KANSAS DRUG SCREENING PROGRAM?
16. WHO FUNDS THE LIFELINE PROGRAM?
17. AS A SUPERVISOR, HOW DO I COMMUNICATE INFORMATION ABOUT LIFELINE TO EMPLOYEES?

1. WHAT IS LIFELINE?
   
   LIFELINE is the State of Kansas Employee Assistance counseling and referral program. This program is designed to provide employees with the opportunity to receive confidential professional help in resolving personal problems. LIFELINE is a part of HealthQuest, the State of Kansas health promotion program.
   
   
2. HOW DO EMPLOYEES ACCESS LIFELINE?
   
   Employees can access LIFELINE by calling the toll-free, 24-hour telephone number, 1-800-284-7575, 7 days a week. Calling this number will put employees in contact with a professional counselor who will listen to their problems and then schedule an in-person appointment with a LIFELINE counselor in the employee's geographical area. LIFELINE counselors are professional counselors working for AlternativesEAP under contract to the State. LIFELINE counselors are not State employees. All counselors are certified or licensed in their field of expertise.
   
   
3. WILL MY CALL BE CONFIDENTIAL?
   
   Yes. Information about the call or visit is completely confidential. Only the LIFELINE user and the LIFELINE counselor will know what has been discussed. No one else has access to any information regarding the call or visit. The only exception is if child or elder abuse is suspected or if a person is in immediate danger of harming him/herself or others. State law requires such instances or suspected instances be reported.
   
   
4. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF LIFELINE?
   
   The goal of LIFELINE is to offer help to employees who are experiencing personal problems that may affect their job performance. LIFELINE provides self-referral opportunities to employees seeking professional assistance.
   
   
5. WHO CAN USE LIFELINE?
   
   All benefits eligible employees of the State of Kansas, non-state employer group participants, and their immediate families may use LIFELINE. Immediate family members are those individuals who are dependent upon or live in the home with the employee. There is no limit to the number of telephone calls that can be made to LIFELINE.
   
   
6. WHAT PROBLEMS WILL LIFELINE ADDRESS?
   
   LIFELINE can provide confidential help with all kinds of problems or questions. A sample of the situations where LIFELINE can provide help includes: marital problems, child care, financial trouble, family conflict, depression, problems with co-workers or supervisor, alcohol or drugs, child or adolescent problems, aging issues, and legal problems.
   
   
7. WHO PAYS THE BILL?
   
   The LIFELINE counseling program is free to eligible employees and their immediate family members. HealthQuest pays for these services. Referrals, made by the LIFELINE counselor for additional mental health counseling may be paid in whole or part by the employee's health insurance. Referrals to other resources may or may not be free depending upon the resource provider. If there is a fee, it is the employee's responsibility to pay the costs. However, every effort is made to match all referrals to the employee's ability to pay.
   
   
8. WHO HAS ACCESS TO LIFELINE INFORMATION?
   
   All information about the call or visit is completely confidential. Only the LIFELINE user and the LIFELINE counselor will know what has been discussed. No one else will have access to any information regarding the call or visit, unless the caller requests or authorizes a release of information. It is not necessary for the employee or family member to identify himself or herself unless a referral is made.
   
   The only exception to the confidentiality policy is if child or elder abuse is suspected or if a person is in immediate danger of harming him/herself or others. State law requires such instances or suspected instances be reported.
   
   
9. WHAT TYPE OF RECORDS ARE KEPT?
   
   The LIFELINE counselor maintains records on types of referrals made (e.g. financial, marital, emotional). A quarterly composite of types and numbers of calls is sent to the State LIFELINE coordinator for program evaluation purposes. These records contain no reference to individual callers.
   
   
10. DO CALLERS HAVE TO FOLLOW LIFELINE RECOMMENDATIONS?
    
    No. Individuals who use LIFELINE are free to decide for themselves whether to follow the recommendations given by a LIFELINE counselor.
    
    
11. ARE EMPLOYEES EXPERIENCING JOB PERFORMANCE OR WORK CONDUCT PROBLEMS REQUIRED TO USE LIFELINE?
    
    LIFELINE is voluntary for employees and their immediate families. There is one exception: employees in designated positions or commercial driver positions who receive a confirmed "positive" drug screen result or the equivalent will be required to contact the LIFELINE program.
    
    Supervisors are encouraged to recommend LIFELINE as one of several action options an employee may take to help improve job performance or work conduct problems. However, with the above exception, supervisors cannot require an employee to utilize the LIFELINE program.
    
    
12. AS A SUPERVISOR, WHAT STEPS SHOULD I TAKE BEFORE CALLING LIFELINE REGARDING AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAS A PROBLEM AFFECTING WORK PERFORMANCE?
    
    We ask that you first discuss the situation with your own agency personnel officer prior to calling LIFELINE. This will allow you and the personnel office to share information about the situation and follow up in an appropriate manner.
    
    
13. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND THE STATE'S DISCIPLINARY ACTION PROCEDURES?
    
    Use or non-use of LIFELINE will not result in any special privileges or exemptions from the State's disciplinary action procedures.
    
    
14. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND LEAVE?
    
    Employees referred for help as a result of contact with LIFELINE will be expected to use accumulated sick leave, annual leave or leave without pay if the appointment is scheduled during the employee's work hours.
    
    
15. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFELINE AND THE STATE OF KANSAS DRUG SCREENING PROGRAM?
    
    Employees in designated positions or commercial driver positions who have received a confirmed "positive" result on a drug screen test will be referred to LIFELINE. These employees are required to contact and follow the recommendations of LIFELINE.
    
    
16. WHO FUNDS THE LIFELINE PROGRAM?
    
    LIFELINE is funded through HealthQuest, the State of Kansas health promotion program.
    
    
17. AS A SUPERVISOR, HOW DO I COMMUNICATE INFORMATION ABOUT LIFELINE TO EMPLOYEES?
    
    Information on LIFELINE should ideally be communicated prior to the identification of a problem. Supervisors are asked to hold a short informational meeting to share information about the LIFELINE program with their employees. New employees will hear about LIFELINE during orientation. And, of course, employees experiencing performance problems should be reminded of the program.
    
    To request quantities of the the following LIFELINE materials, please contact us at healthquest@khps.ks.gov or call 785-296-5624:
    

• LIFELINE Posters
  
• LIFELINE Brochures
  
• LIFELINE Wallet Cards

For questions or concerns, contact the LIFELINE program administrator at 785-296-4304.