§ 496. Confidentiality. 1. Unless an investigation of a report\nconducted pursuant to this article has been substantiated, all\ninformation, including information identifying the subject of the report\nand other persons named in the report, shall be sealed forthwith by the\nvulnerable persons' central register, the state oversight agency and the\nfacility or provider agency. Such reports may only be unsealed and made\navailable, consistent with any other applicable state or federal law,\nto:\n (a) the state agency operating, licensing or certifying a facility or\nprogram for the purpose of monitoring or licensing such facility or\nprogram;\n (b) any state agency operating, licensing, or certifying a facility or\nprovider agency when investigating a report of suspected abuse or\nneglect involving the subject of a previously sealed report accepted by\nthe vulnerable persons' central register;\n (c) the subject of the report;\n (d) a court of relevant jurisdiction or a law enforcement official\nwhen such court or official verifies that the report is necessary to\nconduct an active investigation or prosecution of a violation of\nsubdivision four of section 240.50 of the penal law;\n (e) the justice center medical review board, for the purposes of\npreparing a fatality report pursuant to section five hundred fifty-six\nof the executive law;\n (f) the independent agency designated pursuant to subdivision (b) of\nsection five hundred fifty-eight of the executive law, provided that\nsuch information is relevant to a matter within the legal authority of\nsuch agency; or\n (g) other persons named in the report, as defined in subdivision\nthirteen of section four hundred eighty-eight of this article which\nincludes, but is not limited to, the service recipient's parent,\nguardian or other person legally responsible for such person; provided,\nhowever, that the names and other personally identifying information of\ncustodians and other service recipients shall not be included unless\nsuch custodians and service recipients authorize disclosure.\nNotwithstanding the prohibitions on non-redisclosure set forth in the\nclosing sentence of this subdivision, the service recipient, and such\nservice recipient's parent, guardian or other person legally responsible\nfor such service recipient may disclose information and reports made\navailable pursuant to this paragraph to an attorney, who shall not\nfurther disclose except as is necessary for use by such attorney in\nrendering advice, assistance and representation.\nWhen a report is unsealed, persons given access to it shall not\nredisclose such reports except as necessary to conduct such appropriate\ninvestigation or prosecution and shall request that the court redact any\ncopies of such reports produced in any court proceeding to remove the\nnames of those persons irrelevant to the proceeding such as the source\nof the report, the name of the subject, and other persons named in the\nreports; or that the court issue an order protecting the names of the\nsubjects and other persons named in the reports from public disclosure.\n 2. Reports made pursuant to this article and found to be substantiated\nas well as any other information obtained, reports written or\nphotographs taken concerning such reports in the possession of the\njustice center, a state oversight agency, a delegate investigatory\nentity, facility or provider agency covered by this article shall be\nconfidential and shall not be disclosed to any other party unless\nauthorized pursuant to this section or any other applicable state or\nfederal law. In the event that other applicable state or federal law\nprovisions are more restrictive than the provisions of this section, the\nprovisions of such other state or federal law shall apply. In accordance\nwith this section, such information shall be made available only to:\n (a) a person who is the subject of the report;\n (b) other persons named in the report, which includes, but i
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