| Issue: |
If the Temporary Assistance
grant changes, do we adjust the food stamps? |
| Response: |
Yes, adjust the food stamp benefit to
include changes in the Temporary Assistance grant and the corresponding
changes that caused the change in the Temporary Assistance grant. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Do we take action to remove children from
the food stamp household if they are placed in alternative care? |
| Response: |
If payment for the alternative care placement
is made by Title IV-E funds, act on changes to the food stamp household
that also impact the Title IV-E payment. This would include removing
the child/ren from the Food Stamp household when the Title IV-E case is
approved. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Do we take action to close the food stamp
case if the client dies or goes to jail? |
| Response: |
If all household members have died, close
the case. If law enforcement reports the incarceration of an individual,
take necessary action to remove the individual from the household.
If a Death Match is received, take action to remove the individual from
the household. These reports are considered verified upon receipt.
Information received through an Incarceration Report is questionable and
cannot be considered verified upon receipt. Evaluate the information
at the next recertification. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Do we take action if the household sends
in an IM-145 change report form reporting that someone moved out of the
household, but we do not know if they went to another food stamp household? |
| Response: |
If removing the person from the household
results in a reduction in benefits to the household, do not remove them
until the next application or the individual makes application in another
household. If removing the individual increases benefits to the household,
take action on the change. |
|
|
| Issue: |
If a child in a food stamp household reports
that s/he has moved out of the household and into the household of the
other parent, and that parent is not receiving food stamps; do we remove
the child from the first parent's food stamp household? |
| Response: |
If removing the child from the household
will increase benefits to the household, take action. If not, do
not remove the child from the household unless another household makes
application for the child. |
|
|
| Issue: |
On combination cases (MC+/FS), are we
supposed to verify income changes and act on the IM case and not
the food stamp case? Are the clients still required to report within
10 days as it says on the IM-UA? |
| Response: |
On combination MC+/FS cases, take whatever
action is required for MC+. Evaluate the effect on the food stamp
case. If the change increases benefits to the household, complete
the budget adjustment. If the change decreases the benefits, but
the household's total gross income remains under 130% of poverty, take
no action. We have not changed reporting requirements for any of
the IM programs. It is very important that we explain the different
program requirements at the interview so as to help the client avoid being
confused. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Page 4 of memorandum IM-#76 says we are
not to act on New Hire Matches if they result in decreases in benefits.
It then goes on to say we still have to evaluate if the income has gone
above 130% and that verification policy has not changed. Does this
mean we must still ask the client to provide verification of the income,
and if they do not, are we to initiate action to close the case? |
| Response: |
The statement about evaluating income
changes to determine if the income exceeds 130% is applicable to all income
changes. New Hire Matches do not contain enough information to determine
the impact on the household's food stamp eligibility. File the match
in the case record and evaluate the information at the next certification
or re-certification. |
|
|
| Issue: |
At reapplication it is discovered that
the client had a change in the past six months that went above 130%, do
we do a claim? |
| Response: |
We are obtaining clarification about how
to complete claims for households subject to the earned income change reporting
requirement. Situations in which the household has failed to report
when their income exceeds 130% do require a claim to be completed.
The actual process for determining the amount of overpayment may be changed.
Flag a case of this type and complete the claim when policy clarification
is received. |
|
|
| Issue: |
What if the unreported change was a job
quit? How do we handle disqualification and applying the months of
ineligibility? |
| Response: |
If an earned income household
reports a job quit during the certification, determine whether or not the
individual had good cause or meets another work registration exemption.
If not, apply the appropriate sanction. When a job quit is discovered
at reapplication, and the individual does not have good cause or meet a
work registration exemption, apply the penalty period beginning the day
after the certification period ends. (FS manual 1105.025.55.20 and
1105.025.055.25) |
|
|
| Issue: |
Are we supposed to attempt to teach clients
to multiply gross income by 4.333 and 2.166? |
| Response: |
The client does not need to convert income
for reporting purposes. Actual income received in a month is sufficient
as a benchmark for reporting purposes. Explain during the interview
that they need to add the pay checks received in the month to any other
income the household has. If the total is more than the amount you
give them on the approval letter (130% of poverty maximum), they need to
report the change to you. |
|
|
| Issue: |
If a food stamp household member moves
out and a non-member reports the change, we are not to remove that person
unless they have moved into another food stamp household. But, can
we then contact the household about this and then take action after discussing
this with the client? Will the client not think it is strange that
this person has been removed from MC+ and can still get food stamps? |
| Response: |
If the household does not report a household
member has moved out and that individual is not applying for food stamps
in another household, do not contact the household regarding the change
for the Food Stamp Program. This is not a change that the household
is required to report for food stamps. Note the information in the
case record and evaluate the information at the next application or re-application. |
|
|
| Issue: |
A head of household's 20-year-old daughter
moves into the household. The daughter has income of her own.
The effect of adding the daughter and her income is to decrease the household's
benefits. What action should be taken? |
| Response: |
Even though the daughter is a mandatory
household member, the worker should not act on the change, since the change
is not verified upon receipt and causes a decrease in allotment. |
|
|
| Issue: |
What if the daughter was receiving food
stamps on her own at the time she moved into her parents' household?
Would she continue to receive food stamp benefits? She is also an
earned income change reporting household. She was not required to
report this move. |
| Response: |
If the daughter is a mandatory household
member or she purchases and prepares meals with her parents, this is a
situation where an individual is in more than one food stamp household.
We cannot allow duplicate participation. The daughter's case must
be closed. Evaluate the effect of adding the daughter to her parents'
case. If adding her would result in a decrease in benefits, do not
add her to the case. Record the action taken in the case record and
evaluate the information at the next application or reapplication. |
|
|
| Issue: |
What if the daughter's only income was
SSI? Now she's in the "other" group. Now she's required to
report change in residence and household composition. NOW what do
we do? If we add her to her parent's case, their benefits will decrease.
If we don't act on her case, it would seem that hers would be in error,
because we're required to act on the change. |
| Response: |
If the daughter's only income is SSI,
she is required to report when she moves. Again, we would close her
case and add her to her parent's case. When adding her to her parent's
case, we would look at whether or not the benefits to the household increase
or decrease. If the benefits decrease, take no further action.
The case record should show that she was added to the case, but there is
no system entry because the benefits would decrease. |
|
|
| Issue: |
One of the counties has a case that has
earned income and a child with SSI so you mark the budget "y" for disabled
individual. They don't have to meet the gross maximum income test
and their gross income is $1629.06. What do we put on the letter
as the level for that size household is $1533? The household is not
suspended, they receive stamps. |
| Response: |
Elderly/disabled households are treated
the same as categorically eligible households. When the household's
gross monthly income exceeds 130% of poverty, they have no reporting requirement.
If the household's gross monthly income does not exceed 130% of poverty,
they should be told to report when it does exceed 130% of poverty. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Memorandum IM-#76, page 7 under the heading
"Changes in Type of Household During Certification," discusses shortening
the certification period and states it will be done automatically.
Does this mean state office will shorten the certification, or the worker
does without an IM-80? |
| Response: |
The system shortens the certification
period after the worker sends an IM-80, if necessary, and takes action
to add the earned income. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Is it correct that the worker notifies
the claimant of their new reporting requirement at certification? |
| Response: |
Yes, the worker should include this information
on the Action Taken on Your Food Stamp Case (IM-112) notice. |
|
|
| Issue: |
If you go to FPAR and do a case print,
will the Earned Income Household indicator appear on the printout? |
| Response: |
No, it only shows on FCAS. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Will the system allow a six month certification
period for a household with self-employment income and overhead expenses
causing the net income to be zero? No earned income will be shown
on the FSU5 and there will be zero net income? |
| Response: |
In situations where the household is self-employed
and the overhead expenses cause the household's net income to be zero,
workers should enter a code 4 (self-employment) in field 31 and 0000
00 in field 32 of the individual update screen of FSU5. The system
looks for earned income codes in that field and will allow the case to
be certified for one, two, or six months. |
|
|
| Issue: |
Is an IM-12, client reporting change in
employment and sending pay stubs, an employer calling to tell us the client's
employment situation, etc. considered verified upon receipt? |
| Response: |
If an IM-12 is received from the employer,
someone had to send it to them to complete. The IM-12 is verification
of income not a report of income. How this information was reported
is what determines if it is considered "verified upon receipt". The
same goes for the client reporting and sending pay stubs. The client
is not the source. Therefore, it is not considered "verified upon
receipt". When an employer reports directly to DFS that an earned
income household received an increase in pay and provides verification
of the new rate of pay, it is verified upon receipt. If additional
information is required to determine the impact on the case, it is not
verified upon receipt. |
|
|
| Issue: |
If a client reports that he lost his previous
job three weeks ago and just started another, do you look at the new job
or do you take him to zero income on the first change, and not look at
the second/current situation. Many times a client does report multiple
changes at once. |
| Response: |
1) We would look at the month of report
and if the client is due supplemental benefits based on actual income (due
to some zero pay periods), we would issue benefits in accordance with the
significant change policy.
2) We would then look at the new income
and determine if the projected amount puts the household over 130%:
a) If yes, take appropriate action
to close the case.
b) If no, unless the income is
considered verified on receipt or increases the allotment, take no action.
The amount previously budgeted before the client lost the first job remains
in the system. Review the client's circumstances at the next certification.
|
|
|
| Issue: |
In the TAKE 45, scenario 6 - Activity
2 regarding New Hire Matches. Is this teaching point to indicate
we do not take action at all on New Hire matches during the certification
period EVEN if the employment could potentially put the family over 130%
total family income. If the income is over 130% and not followed
up on will Quality Control recognize this as policy and not count it as
an error? |
| Response: |
No action is taken on New Hire matches
for households with earned income reporting
requirements. The New Hire matches do not contain enough information
to determine the impact of the new change. No error will be cited
by Quality Control solely because action is not taken. Quality Control
will look to see if the sample month income exceeded the 130% poverty
standard. If it does, they will check further to determine if the
increase should be in the error determination. If the income results
in an error, this is a client error because of failure to report. |
|
|
| Issue: |
It was my understanding that those cases
approved prior to May 1, would remain in the regular reporting requirements
until the next certification even if they reported a change that would
put them in the earned income reporting requirement during the certification
period. Staff is telling me that the system is changing the indicator
and certifying for six months once the change in budget shows earnings.
Is this correct? |
| Response: |
Cases approved prior to May 1, are not
to be under the new reporting requirements unless they report a change
that makes them an earned income household. The household becomes
subject to the earned income reporting requirements if the certification
can be extended or shortened to six months. Refer to memorandum IM-#90. |
|
|
| Issue: |
In a single person food stamp household
with earned income, a relative reports the person dies. Do we take
action to close? |
| Response: |
Close the case when the only household
member or the entire household dies. |
|
|
| Issue: |
In a food stamp household with mom, dad,
and children, if mom or dad dies and the change is either not reported
or reported by a non-household member, do we take action to remove? |
| Response: |
If it is reported by a non-household member
that a household member died and there are remaining household members,
determine whether or not a death match has been received. If so,
take action to remove the individual or close the case, using adverse action
procedures. Information received on a death match is verified upon
receipt. Counties should be receiving death matches on deceased individuals
and should be taking action to stop benefits to those individuals.
If there is no death match and the household does not report the death
of the household member, note the information in the case record and follow
up on it at the next application or reapplication. |
|
|
| Issue: |
When the system shortens a certification
period because the case is changing from an "other" household to a "earned
income reporting" household, the system is not notifying the household
that their certification period has been shortened. Should the worker
send the worker-generated Notice of Expiration (NOE)? Is there any
problem with the fact that the original approval letter notified them of
a longer certification period? |
| Response: |
When the system shortens a certification
period because the case is changing to an earned income reporting household,
the worker has initiated this action by completing an adjustment and entering
information into FSU5. The client must be notified of action taken
on the case. The worker should notify the household on the Notice
of Adverse Action (IM-80) being sent to reduce benefits (if that is the
case) and/or the Benefit Adjustment Notice (IM-149). Do not send
an NOE. NOEs are sent to households in the month prior to the last
month of certification which is not when certifications are being shortened
for this policy. |
|
|
| Issue: |
An able-bodied adult without dependents
(ABAWD) is living in the home with his spouse, who is employed. In
his third non-work month, he reports that he has gone to work. The
worker does not act on the change, because to do so would decrease benefits.
What does the worker do with the FTWR? Will the system allow us to
remove the subsequent non-work months without showing any earned income
for the individual? Is that the correct action to take? |
| Response: |
The worker needs to evaluate the non-work
months shown in FTWR and remove those months in which the ABAWD is meeting
the work requirement. The worker would need to change the individual's
work requirement code in field 50 and work registration code in FSU5. |
|
|
| Issue: |
A client is receiving Child Care and food
stamps. An increase in income is reported for child care, which causes
an increase in the sliding fee. Would this be treated the same as
a change in an Income Maintenance grant (whatever happens to the grant,
happens to the food stamps)? If not, what do we do with the increased
sliding fee? |
| Response: |
Actions taken by other programs within
the agency that change the amount of expense budgeted for food stamps
are considered verified upon receipt. Because the action adding income
to the child care case results in a change in the sliding fee budgeted
for food stamps, the same action would be taken on the food stamp case.
If however, the action on the child care case resulted in no change in
the expense budgeted for food stamps, no action would be taken. |
|
|
| Issue: |
If we have a child care provider who receives
food stamps, are the child care payments we send to her "verified upon
receipt?" |
| Response: |
Child care payments made to a provider
who is also a food stamp participant would be verified upon receipt as
the agency is the source of income. |