Basic Data Sheet

Personal Information

Contact Information

Monthly Take-Home Income

** All sources of income used for living expenses.

Monthly Living Expenses

E. Creditors

List all debts/creditors not included under "MonthlyLiving Expenses" in the previous section. Round off all figures to the nearest dollar.

Nondiscrimination Policy Credit Counseling of Arkansas strives to serve all members of the community and does not discriminate in the selection of clients in our programs or services with respect to age, race, religion, color, gender, or disability.

Counseling Services Agreement

1. I understand that Credit Counseling of Arkansas (CCOA) will provide me with a confidential, comprehensive, personal counseling session on money management.
2. I understand there is no charge for counseling. My session will be conducted by a certified credit counselor or qualified professional counselor. All action plans will be reviewed by a certified credit counselor.
3. I understand that CCOA is primarily funded by creditors who make "fair share contributions." These contributions are usually calculated as a percentage of the payments I make through the DMP— up to 15% of each payment received. However, my accounts will always be credited with 100% of the payment made. CCOA will try to work with all of my creditors, even those who do not make this contribution. The DMP serves the dual role of helping me repay my debts and helping my creditors receive the money I owe them.
4. I hold CCOA, its employees, agents and volunteers harmless from any claim, suit, action or demand of my creditors, myself or any other person resulting from advice or counseling given.
5. I will receive a written Plan of Action with recommendations to aid in resolving my financial obligations. These recommendations may include one or more of the following:

   Handle On My Own → I may continue to handle my finances on my own.

   Debt Management Plan → I may choose to enroll in the Debt Management Plan (DMP), in which case CCOA serves as a neutral third party between me and my unsecured creditors. I understand that CCOA charges a monthly maintenance fee for the DMP service. The fee is tiered, and tied to the amount of the monthly disbursement to my creditors (<$199 disbursed monthly=$15/month fee, $200-$274 disbursed=$20 fee, $275-$374=$25 fee, $375-$474=$30 fee. $475-$774=$35, $775-$1099=$40 fee,>$1099 = $45 fee/month). I further understand that there is a $40 one-time Start-up fee to begin the program. I may discuss a fee waiver with my counselor if I feel the fee would be an unaffordable burden. I also understand that my participation in the Debt Management Plan may affect my credit report either favorably or unfavorably, since my creditors have the option of reporting that they are accepting payments through CCOA.

   Legal Help → I may be advised to contact a bankruptcy lawyer for further assistance. My counselor may answer general questions about bankruptcy, but cannot give legal advice.

   Other Agencies → I may be referred to the services of another agency to assist with my particular situation as identified during the counseling session.

6. I understand that in order to assure the quality and improvement of CCOA's services, its records may be reviewed by an independent accreditation team. As part of this quality control process, members of an outside review team may have access to the records CCOA keeps on my case.
7. I understand that in the event I am dissatisfied, I can utilize the Complaint Resolution Process below

   Step 1: I will try to resolve the issue with the staff member involved.

   Step 2: If step one is not possible or successful, I may write or call the Director of Counseling, who may ask to meet with me or seek more information from the staff member. The Director of Counseling will respond within 15 days.

   Step 3: If my issue is still unresolved, I may appeal in writing directly to the Executive Director who will provide a concluding decision within 15 days.

Statement of Privacy and Confidentiality

All information shared both verbally and in writing will be managed within legal and ethical considerations. Your personal financial information – such as your total debt information, income, living expenses and personal data concerning your financial circumstances – will only be provided to creditors, and possibly others, with your specific authorization.

As a member agency of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), we may also share case file information with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) for the purpose of evaluating our services, gathering valuable research information and designing future programs. No personally identifiable information will be shared with the NFCC. The NFCC is bound by law to protect all information received from CCOA. Your anonymity will be maintained through the use of your CCOA client number, by using aggregate data, or by using redacted information.

In all other situations, your information may be released to appropriate individuals or agencies ONLY UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST OR when our staff has been served by a valid subpoena.

The following PRIVACY PRACTICES detail circumstances under which we will release your information to a third party:

1. We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law.
2. We may compile data and aggregate information that you give to us, but this information may not be disclosed in a manner that would identify you in any way.
3. We may disclose some or all of the information that we collect, as described below, to creditors, or third parties that you have authorized who need this information in order for us to assist you after a counseling session.
4. We may disclose all of the information that we collect, as described below, to creditors and related financial institutions that need this information in order to put you on a Debt Management Program (DMP).
5. As referenced above, we collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:
   • Information we received from you on our applications or other forms you provide;
   • Information about your transactions with us, your creditors, or others; and
6. We may disclose the following kinds of nonpublic personal information about you:
   • Information we receive from you on applications or other forms, such as your name, address, Social Security number, assets, and income.
   • Information about your transactions with us, your creditors, or others, such as your account balance, payment history, parties to transactions and credit card usage; and
   • Information we receive from a credit reporting agency, such as your credit history.

We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide services to you. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information.