(a) The Department shall establish required methods and procedures (as specified in § 602.21 of this part); and provide technical assistance as needed on the QC process.

(b) The Department shall consider and explore alternatives to the prescribed sampling, study, recordkeeping, and reporting methodologies. This shall include, but not be limited to, testing the obtaining of information needed for QC by telephone and mail rather than in face-to-face interviews.

(c) The Department shall maintain a computerized data base of QC case data which is transmitted to the Department under § 602.21, which will be combined with other data for statistical and other analysis such as assessing the impact of economic cycles, funding levels, and workload levels on program accuracy and timeliness.

The Department shall review QC operational procedures and samples, and validate QC methodology to ensure uniformity in the administration of the QC program and to ensure compliance with the requirements of this part. The Department shall, for purposes of determining eligibility for grants described in § 602.40, annually review the adequacy of the administration of a State's QC program.