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Flexible Records when cutoff

Records Management
Updated February 10, 2022
asked on February 9, 2022

The basic question, is there a way to cutoff a record to editing existing documents, but still allow for new documents to be added to the folder.  

The issue, our appeals attorneys will complete an appeal and close the case out, which will trigger the records to be cutoff, then receive correspondence from the client 6 mos, or even 5 years or sometimes even longer, post cutoff.  They want to be able to add those correspondence into the folder with the existing record, which by the way we need to keep for 80yrs or the life of the client.  

Any suggestions? 

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Answer

SELECTED ANSWER
replied on February 9, 2022

Hi Glenn,

You can uncutoff items, but that usually isn't a great option due to the privilege's needed for that. 

The question I'd start with is to confirm that you actually need to cutoff items. As of Laserfiche 10.4, cutoff is now optional because it became more and more apparent that these days it isn't necessary for a lot of organizations - that is, what really mattered was retaining for 80 years, not the end of year cutoff operation. If you don't specifically need items in a cutoff state, you could look at closing the folders without the cutoff aspect. Folders that are closed still lock down access, but you can reopen them to add more content in without having to go through major RM operations. The overall retention period would still apply. 

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View 1 previous reply
replied on February 10, 2022

Thank you Justin, this sounds like the answer I needed.

Glenn

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replied on February 10, 2022

@████████  I'd certainly be interested in hearing more about this.  This would certainly address many client headaches.  I didn't know cutoff was optional.

It's my understanding that the clock starts on retention when document is eligible for cutoff (not necessarily cutoff).  So are you saying that we would give the document a cutoff instruction but not cut it off?  Because it has a cutoff instruction, the retention date is based on that instruction?

 

Two simple examples come to mind:

1.  Keep a document for 10 years with a cutoff of calendar quarterly.  So the 10 year date starts after the quarter is up even if we don't cut it off?

2.  Keep a document 5 years after termination.  If we give it a cutoff instruction with an event date (termination), retention starts at that time and not when its cutoff?

In both, the documents will come back in a search when searching for documents up for final disposition if applicable?  We do records management on a document level and not with record series or folders if that matters.   

If the documents still come back in records searches for disposition, and they can be disposed of even if not cutoff that's great.  

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replied on February 10, 2022

Hi Chris, 

This a relatively new, and part of the 'flexible records management' update in Laserfiche 10.4 and 10.4.1 (optional cutoff was specifically in 10.4.1). There's a few places to find more information on it:

  1. There's a module on it in Laserfiche Aspire. I think Flexible Records Management (csod.com) works to link to it but you have to be logged into Aspire first, or just search for Flexible Records Management. 
  2. Slides from Empower where I introduced the content (although I'm not sure that slides without me presenting it is all that helpful): PRD147: Simplify Compliance with New Flexible Records Management - Education Resources (laserfiche.com)) 
  3. What's New in Laserfiche 10.4 - Education Resources has some information as well.

 

Basically it allows you to assign and require retention rules without being forced to use record series or certain specific scenarios like cutoff if the organization doesn't actually need those (hence flexible). So for example you can assign a retention schedule to a folder directly within the folder tree. One aspect of it was making cutoff optional - if cutoff is optional, retention will be based off of the filing date.

Note that you do still need cutoff for event scenarios because triggering 'the start of retention' is really the whole point of cutoff. This is where there isn't necessarily a trigger point like that or, in the scenario above, where it seems more that closing the folder is not directly retention specific. 

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replied on February 10, 2022

Alright, thank you for the resources Justin.

We are already doing this flexible approach on a document level  so fairly comfortable with that.  I guess I was confirming the cutoff instructions vs actually cutting off. 

I certainly understand that triggering cutoff is meant to indicate the start of retention.  However, as far as I am aware, if I put a cutoff instruction of calendar yearly with a retention period of 5 years, and I DON'T cut it off at the calendar year mark but do it the following year, it still knows that it was up the year before.  So it would be up in 4 years from the time of actual cutoff but still 5 years from when it should have been.  This also follows that you can uncutoff a record and then re-cut it off and it keeps the correct retention (not resetting the clock).

Good to know about the event too.  A bummer on the un- cutoff part is that you loose the event date.  It would be great to have retention trigger on the event date alone so you would not loose info if you needed to un-cutoff if a change is needed.  Will do some exploration in our VM environment to see.

 

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