Letter of Understanding Overview

AdminSchedulerSupervisor

The Letter of Understanding (LOU) is the formal agreement between your organization and a caregiver that documents the terms of a specific event assignment. It details the assignment logistics, compensation, expectations, and policies that the caregiver must acknowledge and sign before being deployed.

What Is an LOU?

An LOU is a digitally generated document that consolidates all the information a caregiver needs to understand about their assignment. It serves as both a communication tool and a compliance record.

A typical LOU includes:

Section	Description
Assignment Details	The event name, facility, unit, specialty, and shift schedule the caregiver is assigned to.
Dates	The start date, end date, and any orientation or training dates.
Compensation	Pay rates, overtime policy, per diem, and any bonuses or incentives.
Travel and Lodging	Whether travel and lodging are provided, and any relevant details.
Expectations	Attendance requirements, dress code, code of conduct, and professional standards.
Policies	Cancellation policy, no-show policy, and other organizational policies.
Electronic Signature	A signature field where the caregiver signs to acknowledge and accept the terms.

Why LOUs Matter

LOUs serve several critical functions in the event workflow:

1. Clarity -- Caregivers receive a single, comprehensive document with all assignment details, reducing confusion and miscommunication.
2. Commitment -- The electronic signature represents a formal commitment from the caregiver, reducing no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
3. Compliance -- Signed LOUs provide a documented audit trail for legal and regulatory compliance.
4. Consistency -- Template-based generation ensures all caregivers receive standardized terms and language.

LOU Status Workflow

Every LOU progresses through a defined status workflow. The status indicates where the document is in its lifecycle and what actions are available.

Draft --> Sent --> Viewed --> Signed --> Accepted --> Active
                                  \
                                   --> Declined

Status Definitions

Status	Description	Next Possible Statuses
Draft	The LOU has been generated but not yet sent to the caregiver. It can be edited or customized before sending.	Sent
Sent	The LOU has been emailed to the caregiver. The caregiver has not yet opened it.	Viewed
Viewed	The caregiver has opened the LOU email or clicked the link to view the document.	Signed, Declined
Signed	The caregiver has reviewed the LOU and provided their electronic signature. The signed document is pending administrative review.	Accepted, Declined
Accepted	An administrator or scheduler has reviewed the signed LOU and accepted it. The agreement is finalized.	Active
Active	The LOU is fully active and the caregiver is cleared for deployment. This is the terminal status for a successful LOU.	-- (Terminal)
Declined	The caregiver declined to sign the LOU, or an administrator rejected the signed LOU. This is a terminal status.	-- (Terminal)

Status Transition Details

Draft to Sent

The LOU is sent to the caregiver via email. This can happen automatically (triggered by a caregiver's confirmation survey response) or manually from the caregiver detail page. Once sent, the LOU content is locked and can no longer be edited.

Sent to Viewed

The status automatically updates to Viewed when the caregiver opens the email or clicks the link to view the LOU document. This transition is tracked automatically and requires no manual action.

Viewed to Signed

The caregiver reads the LOU and provides their electronic signature through the signing interface. The signature is captured digitally and stored as part of the LOU record.

Viewed to Declined

If the caregiver chooses to decline the LOU, they can indicate this through the signing interface. The system records the declination along with an optional reason.

Signed to Accepted

An administrator or scheduler reviews the signed LOU and marks it as accepted. This step provides an opportunity for human review before the caregiver is cleared for deployment.

Signed to Declined

In rare cases, an administrator may decline a signed LOU (e.g., if the assignment has changed or the caregiver is no longer eligible). The caregiver is notified if their signed LOU is declined.

Accepted to Active

Once accepted, the LOU transitions to Active. This final transition indicates that all agreement formalities are complete and the caregiver is cleared for travel booking and deployment.

info

The Viewed status is automatically set by the system based on email open tracking and link clicks. All other transitions are driven by caregiver actions (signing or declining) or administrator actions (accepting or rejecting).

LOU and the Event Lifecycle

LOUs fit into the broader event workflow as follows:

Caregiver Import --> Availability Survey --> Confirmation Survey --> LOU Sent --> LOU Signed --> Travel Booking --> Deployment

The LOU typically comes after the caregiver confirms their participation via a Confirmation survey and before travel is booked. In some workflows, the LOU is sent automatically when the caregiver completes their Confirmation survey.

tip

Configure automatic LOU sending (triggered by Confirmation survey completion) to eliminate manual steps and speed up the pre-deployment pipeline. This setting is available in Settings > LOU Configuration.

Electronic Signatures

LOUs require an electronic signature from the caregiver. The signing process works as follows:

1. The caregiver receives an email with a link to view their LOU.
2. Clicking the link opens the LOU in a secure web browser.
3. The caregiver reviews the full document.
4. At the bottom, they are presented with a signature pad where they can:
   • Draw their signature using a mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen.
   • Type their name, which is rendered in a signature-style font.
5. The caregiver checks a confirmation box ("I have read and agree to the terms above") and clicks Sign.
6. The signed document is recorded, timestamped, and stored.

Signed LOUs can be downloaded as PDF documents that include the caregiver's signature, the date and time of signing, and the IP address from which the signature was submitted.

Role-Based Access

Action	Admin	Scheduler	Supervisor
View LOUs	Yes	Yes	Yes
Create/Edit LOU Templates	Yes	No	No
Send LOUs	Yes	Yes	No
Accept/Decline Signed LOUs	Yes	Yes	No
Download Signed PDFs	Yes	Yes	Yes
Configure Automatic LOU Sending	Yes	No	No

Next Steps

• LOU Templates -- Learn how to create and manage LOU templates with placeholders.
• Sending LOUs -- Automatic and manual LOU distribution.
• Tracking LOU Status -- Monitoring LOU progress across caregivers.