# Registration dates and eligibility decisions for a program

Example: An adult applicant registered first but has an unanswered review question. The next applicant has completed review.

By Righthand Team · 2026-10-22

Source: https://www.righthand.ai/blog/registration-dates-and-eligibility-decisions-for-a-program

Use dates for sequence. Use review decisions for eligibility, and do not invent program rules from ordering alone.

This article is from Righthand. The story and result are illustrative.

## Two records with different meanings

A registration date records when someone applied.

An eligibility decision records the authorized program review result.

## The customer's situation

An adult applicant registered first but has an unanswered review question. The next applicant has completed review.

The owner gives the Righthand the identified source material and relevant contacts. A Righthand is an assistant with email, text, phone, and Slack communication. [Introduction](https://docs.righthand.ai/introduction).

## The request to the Righthand

> Read the supplied dates and review states.
>
> Send the sequence and unresolved question separately.
>
> Keep selection with the program owner.
>
> Send the owner the result in this conversation.
>
> Get approval before you change an accepted commitment.

The assistant reads the sources for their different meanings. It compares the relevant facts and sends the difference to the owner.

If the request permits contact, the assistant sends the identified question to the supplied recipient. Send the reply to the person responsible for the decision.

## An illustrative result

> The first applicant has an incomplete review. The second has a completed review but no selection decision.

The owner uses its approved selection procedure.

## Set access and authority for the actual task

Supplied source material can be sufficient for the first procedure. For direct account access, a connection with the applicable operation and Righthand access is necessary. [Connections](https://docs.righthand.ai/guides/adding-your-first-connection).

For an external action, identify the recipient and task. **Ask** uses an explicit instruction or approval. Connection tool permissions are another required control. [Communications Policy](https://docs.righthand.ai/security/external-communications).

## Try the difference with one case

1. Give the assistant one example of each source.
2. Include a difference that affects the task.
3. Compare the returned difference with both sources.
4. Make sure that the test recipient receives a permitted message.
5. Examine the work in [Activity](https://docs.righthand.ai/guides/working-with-your-righthand).

A satisfactory result must keep the difference and identify the next owner decision. It must not silently replace one source with the other.

## When another approach is sufficient

A direct record or a human review can be sufficient when it gives the answer and no further conversation is necessary. A Righthand is an alternative when you want responsibility for the next information request and decision handoff.

[Compare plans](https://www.righthand.ai/pricing). [Get a Righthand](https://teams.righthand.ai).