Legal

Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Who we are

This notice applies to Vela Marriage and Family Therapy Inc., doing business as Vela Psychotherapy ("the Practice"), and to Jonathan Martin Vela, MA, LMFT, licensed in California (#146926), Arizona (#16403), and Utah (#14265893-3902).

Your rights

With respect to your protected health information (PHI), you have the right to:

• Get a copy of your record. You may ask to see or receive a copy of your clinical record, in paper or electronic form. We will respond within the timeframe required by your state: in California, we will allow inspection within 5 business days and provide copies within 15 days; in Arizona and Utah, we will provide access within 30 days, as required by federal law, with written notice if a brief extension is necessary. A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply for copies.
• A note about psychotherapy notes. "Psychotherapy notes" are the therapist's separate, private notes about your sessions, kept apart from your clinical record. Under federal law, these notes are not part of the record you have a right to access, and they receive heightened legal protection. This does not affect your right to access the rest of your clinical record, such as diagnoses, treatment plans, and progress notes.
• Ask us to correct your record. If you believe information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you may request an amendment. We may deny the request in writing, and you may submit a statement of disagreement.
• Request confidential communications. You may ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, only at a certain phone number or email). We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
• Ask us to limit what we use or share. You may request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures. We are not required to agree to all requests, but if you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you may direct us not to share that information with your health insurer, and we will comply.
• Get a list of those with whom we have shared information. You may request an accounting of disclosures for the six years prior to your request, excluding disclosures for treatment, payment, operations, and those you authorized.
• Get a copy of this notice. You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Choose someone to act for you. A legal guardian or person with medical power of attorney may exercise your rights on your behalf.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may file with the Practice using the contact information below, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at 200 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, by calling 1-877-696-6775, or online at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints. You may also contact your state licensing board (see Client Complaint Information). We will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your choices

You have both the right and choice to tell us to share or not share information with family or friends involved in your care, and in disaster relief situations. If you are unable to tell us your preference (for example, in an emergency), we may share information if we believe it is in your best interest. We never share psychotherapy notes, use your information for marketing, or sell your information without your written authorization.

Our uses and disclosures

We typically use or share your health information in the following ways:

• Treatment. We may use your information to provide and coordinate your care, and may disclose it to other professionals treating you, with your authorization where required by state law.
• Payment. If you use insurance, we may share information such as diagnosis, dates of service, and treatment codes to bill and receive payment from your health plan.
• Health care operations. We may use your information to run the Practice, improve care, and for required professional consultation or supervision, with identifying details protected.

We are also required or permitted to share information in these situations:

• Mandated reporting. We will report suspected abuse or neglect of children, and suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of elders and dependent or vulnerable adults, as required by California, Arizona, and Utah law.
• Serious threats to health or safety. Where a client communicates a serious threat of physical violence against an identifiable person, we will take protective actions required or permitted by law, including notifying the potential victim and law enforcement (Cal. Civ. Code § 43.92; A.R.S. § 36-517.02; Utah Code § 78B-3-502).
• Risk of self-harm. We may disclose information as necessary to protect a client at serious risk of harming themselves.
• Lawsuits, legal actions, and court orders. We will disclose information in response to a valid court order, and in response to a subpoena only as permitted by law and professional standards.
• Health oversight and public health. We may disclose information to licensing boards, health oversight agencies, and public health authorities as authorized by law.
• Workers' compensation, law enforcement, coroners, and other government functions as authorized by law.

Uses and disclosures not described in this notice will be made only with your written authorization, which you may revoke at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already relied on it. Psychotherapy notes receive heightened protection and are disclosed only with your specific written authorization, except as permitted by law.

State law protections

Where California, Arizona, or Utah law provides greater privacy protection than HIPAA, we follow the more protective state law. California's Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), Arizona's medical records statutes (A.R.S. § 12-2292), and Utah's mental health confidentiality statute (Utah Code § 58-60-114) provide additional protections for your records in those states.

Our responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
• We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. You may change your mind at any time by notifying us in writing.

Changes to this notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

Effective date: January 1, 2026. Privacy contact: Jonathan Martin Vela, MA, LMFT, Vela Marriage and Family Therapy Inc., 6815 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 201, Los Angeles, CA 90038 | (424) 262-2979 | jonathan@velamft.com