Frequently Asked Questions

Administrative Policies & Procedures
1. What are Administrative Policies & Procedures?
UCLA APPs are official policies and procedures
that are considered legal records of information and have broad campus-wide
applicability and institutional impact. Faculty, Staff, Students, Members
of the Health Sciences workforce, volunteers, affiliates, vendors, visitors
or others who have a connection with UCLA may all be subject to APPs, depending
on the specific APP. Well-formulated Policies and Procedures
promote consistent and fair business practices, improve organizational
communication, reduce organizational risk and exposure, and
contribute generally to satisfying the overall internal control requirements
of the University.
2. Are Administrative Policies & Procedures all UCLA policies?
Not all campus Policies are APPs, there are many important departmental unit
and UC policies that are published elsewhere and are accessible
via the
Policies Directory
.
3. What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?
A policy describes the 'what", the "who", and the "why." Policies are
the University's guiding principles or statements that are expected to be followed by members of the University.
A procedure describes the "how" and are the steps to accomplish the policy.
4. Who is responsible for Administrative Policies and Procedures?
The Responsible Department, listed at the top of each APP, designates a
Responsible Policy Official who is responsible for the content and administration
of that policy/procedure.
The
Policy Manager
coordinates with the Responsible Department in the review, update,
evaluation, and publication of APPs.
5. Whom do I contact if I have questions about a particular Administrative Policy/Procedure?
At the top of each APP is the contact information of the Responsible Policy
Official. More general questions about APPs can be referred to the
Policy Manager
6. When are new policies added?
Apps are published on the APP website on a continuous basis. Circumstances that may warrant the development of or revisions to an existing APP generally arise from directives from UC Office of the President, applicable new or
revised federal or State laws and regulations or campus departments that may need
to add a new APP to provide guidance or control in a specific area applicable to all campus entities.
7. What is the process for drafting a new policy?
A department/unit that wishes to sponsor a new APP should read
UCLA Policy 100
,
Policy on Policies and contact
the
Policy Manager
who will determine the level of review needed, recommend
revisions and assist the department with the overall
policy process
.
8. Who can modify an existing Administrative Policy or Procedure?
The sponsoring department for the given APP should contact the
Policy Manager
if interested in revising a policy or procedure. The authority to supersede or
rescind an existing APP ultimately rests with the APP's Issuing Officer.
9. How current is a given APP?
Each APP has an Effective Date identified at the top of the APP. APPs are reviewed at a minimum every 5 years, to ensure that they are still up-to-date. If such a review has taken
place since the APP was published/revised, the most recent review date is listed adjacent to the effective date.
10. Where can I find a list that includes all policies pertaining to UCLA?
Many, but not all policies and procedures affecting UCLA can be found via the
UCLA Policies Directory Web Site.
11. The responsible department has a different version of the policy posted on their Web site. Which one is the official policy?
The APP Web site is the home of official campus policies. "Policies" posted on department Web sites are not official. Departments should provide links back to this Web site when referencing official campus policy.
Departments can develop their own departmental policy that may be posted on their own Web sites. Those policies would apply only to the
personnel within that department. Departmental policy can be more restrictive, but cannot be more permissive than campus policy.
12. I work at an off-campus location. Do these policies still apply to me and my department?
Yes, APPs apply to all UCLA units regardless of location, including the UCLA Health System.