Update : Food Stamp Handbook Waiver of the Face-to-Face Interview at Recertification Questions (Q.) and Answers (A.)

Transcription

1 Santa Clara County Social Services Agency page 1 Date: 06/10/09 References: ACLs #08-32, 08-29, ACINs I-15-03, I Cross-References: FS Update #09-05 Clerical: Handbook Revision: Yes Yes Waiver of the Face-to-Face Interview at Recertification Questions (Q.) and Answers (A.) Background Various staff members have raised questions which have arisen in the implementation of the waiver of the face-to-face interview at Recertification (RRR). Clarifications The clarifications, sorted by subject matter, are as follows: RRR Packet Contents Clarifications regarding the contents of the RRR packets are as follows: QR 7 Q. Why was a blank Quarterly Eligibility Status Report (QR 7) included in the RRR packet? A. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) regulations state that Households subject to QR/PB requirements shall be provided with the following during the certification and recertification process: A copy of the QR 7 report and an explanation of how the report shall be completed and submitted;. A blank QR 7 was included in the RRR packet to meet this requirement. However, since clients also receive a blank QR 7 from CalWIN in the data month which must be submitted during the RRR due month, it has been determined that this will meet the requirement of section.412. The EW is required to review the actual QR 7 submitted in the RRR due month question by question as part of the interview process. Therefore, the blank QR 7 was removed from the RRR packet starting with the 05/09 RRRs. The list of forms in the various RRR packets is revised accordingly. [Refer to RRR Packets, page 17-8.]

2 page 2 CSF 67 Q. Why is the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) Responsibility Statement (CSF 67) not included in the RRR packet? A. The information on the CSF 67 must be reviewed with the client during the RRR interview. It is not required that the CSF 67 be given or signed by the client at recertification. [Refer to Common-Place Handbook, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) Responsibility Statement (CSF 67), page ] SC 1264 Q. Why is the Language Survey-Interpreter/Translation Request form (SC 1264) not included in the RRR packet? A. The SC 1264 is only required to be completed once every 3 years. Also, the SC 1264 must be sent to the client in his/her preferred language to sign and date. The process used to meet the SC 1264 requirements for mail-in applications/recertifications is contained in the Common Place Handbook, Mail-In Process, page SC 508 Q. Why is the Would You Like To Register To Vote? (SC 508) form not being required to be returned to the worker with the RRR forms? A. The regulations only require that the SC 508 be sent to the client. It must be documented on the Maintain Case Comments window that the SC 508 was sent to the client as part of the RRR packet. If the client returns the SC 508 to the worker and is interested in registering to vote, the worker must send the client a Voter Registration form and follow the normal procedures. The process used to meet the SC 508 requirements for mail-in applications/recertifications is contained in the Common Place Handbook Chapter 20. [Refer to SC 508, Agency Use Section, page 20-4 for additional information.] RRR Query Clarifications on the RRR query are as follows: Type of Packet Q. Why did the household receive the wrong RRR packet (e.g., CR instead of QR or QR instead of CR)? A. There are numerous reasons why this may have happened. The most common reasons are as follows: 1. The query is a point in time search. The search looks at information either for the current or a past month. If a household status changes after this date, then the case will be misidentified.

3 page 3 2. CalWIN does not have a field to identify QR HHs. The cycle data is not removed from the cycle field when the household becomes a change reporting household. CalWIN overrides the cycle data and does not issue a QR 7 nor discontinue if a QR 7 is not received if there are certain entries in other fields such as an individual coded as homeless. Therefore, for queries, the cycle field cannot be used to identify QR HHs. Instead, the submit month information for the previous quarter is used to determine whether the household is quarterly reporting. If the cycle is not correct for a case, then the household will be misidentified. 3. The FS 27 was not translated by the California Department of Social Services into Vietnamese until May Therefore Vietnamese speaking QR households were issued the CR RRR packet as explained in FS Update # Beginning with the 07/09 RRRs, Vietnamese speaking QR households were sent the QR RRR packet in Vietnamese. Missing RRR Packet Q. The household should have received an RRR packet but did not and is not listed on the RRR report. Why not? A. There are various reasons why this may have happened. Certain households and district offices are excluded from the RRR packet project as follows: Households that are homeless are excluded since they are considered change reporting and not eligible for a waiver of the face-to-face interview requirement. Households whose Food Stamp benefits are in a discontinued status at the time of the query are excluded. Only regular Food Stamp households where the program status is active are included in the query. The AAC office is excluded. If the case is in intake, the intake worker is responsible to process an RRR which becomes due while in Intake. The Medi-Cal Service Center (MCSC) and Foster Care office are excluded because these offices normally do not carry Food Stamp cases. If the household changed status or district office after the query is run, then the household will not appear on the listing and a letter and packet will not be sent. Incorrect Language Q. The RRR packet was sent in the wrong language. Why did this happen? A. There are two language fields in CalWIN; one is for the language the client speaks and one is for the language the client wants forms sent to them in. The query uses the language code from the forms field. If this code is incorrect, the form will be sent in the wrong language.

4 page 4 Reminder: The query and listing is not 100% perfect due to CalWIN and query functionality limitations. However, the vast majority of the cases should receive the correct RRR packet in the correct language. Recertification Clarifications regarding the recertification process are as follows: FS 27 Q. If a client submits a Non-Assistance Food Stamps (NAFS) Household Recertification Form (FS 27) erroneously, must action be taken on it? A. Yes. The FS 27 form is both an Application and the Statement of Facts. Once a client submits a signed and dated FS 27, appropriate action must be taken on this application. The appropriate action can be a denial, an approval, or a withdrawal. Example: Client discontinued from CalWORKs 04/30/09 and is set up on regular FS as of 05/01/09 in error. QR RRR packet sent 06/01/09 since RRR due in 07/09. The client submits a complete, signed and dated FS 27 on 06/11/09, at which time the EW realizes the error and transfers Food Stamps to Transitional Food Stamps (TFS). The EW contacts the client and explains the situation. The client comes in and signs a Withdrawal of Application (SC 166) form to withdraw her application since remaining on TFS is to her benefit. The application is processed as a withdrawal. CalWIN Date Signed field Q. What date do we enter in the Date Signed field on the CalWIN Perform Data Collection Wrap-up window for the date the Statement of Facts was signed? A. The date the Statement of Facts is signed is a CalWIN concept. It is not a Food Stamp program eligibility factor. Therefore, it has been determined that the date that needs to be entered in the Date Signed field is the date of the telephone interview when the worker accepts the Statement of Facts originally filed as complete. When the Statement of Facts must be returned to the client for completion after the interview, since it was unacceptable as originally submitted, the date that needs to be entered in this field is the date the Statement of Facts is resigned by the client. Quarterly Report (QR 7) Q. Can a notice of action be sent approving the recertification after the interview if all verifications have been received except the Quarterly Eligibility Status Report (QR 7) since an X Notice of Action has or will be sent if it is not received?

5 page 5 A. No. There are two reasons why this is not permitted. The reasons are as follows: 1. The FS 27 does NOT contain the income, drug or fleeing felon questions. The QR 7 is required to complete the Statement of Facts. Until a complete QR 7 is received and processed, eligibility and benefit entitlement for the new certification period cannot be established. The regulations state Households subject to Food Stamp QR requirements shall have their Food Stamp eligibility redetermined by using the forms specified in Section and the QR 7 for the Data Month of the quarter corresponding to the last month of the certification period. An approval Notice of Action cannot be issued until eligibility is established. 2. A recertification is considered an application in the Food Stamp Program. A 10-day notice is not required to approve, deny or change the benefit amount for the new certification period. However, once the recertification approval notice has been issued, the household becomes a recipient household and a 10-day notice is required to change the benefit amount from the amount specified on the recertification approval notice. Note: Due to a programming error, CalWIN currently permits the issuance of a Notice of Action approving the recertification even if the QR 7 has not been received. A ticket has been sent to the CalWIN project to make them aware of this functionality error. Miscellaneous Clarifications on miscellaneous issues are as follows: Spanish FS 29 Q. The Spanish version of the Food Stamp Recertification Appointment Letter (FS 29) produced by CalWIN has several misspelled words. What action should staff take until it is fixed? A. The Spanish version on the SSA intranet website is correct and is available for staff to use. The CalWIN Project has been sent a ticket requesting that the FS 29 form be corrected as soon as possible. Automation of FS 29 Q. When will the FS 29 be automated in CalWIN to schedule a face-to-face or telephone interview, as appropriate, based on the waiver? A. The programming for the face-to-face waiver is included in Release 20 which was installed into the CalWIN Production system on May 11th. [Refer to Release Notes on the SSA intranet for complete information about the Release 20 changes and new CalWIN functionality.]

6 page 6 District Office Receives RRR Packet Q. Who should log in the receipt of the RRR packet when the client sends it to or drops it off in the District Office or gives it to his/her worker? A. The person who receives the RRR packet must log it in. Follow the instructions in FS Update #09-05 to log it in but add a note in the Enter Comments field box (e.g., dropped off at CBS, given to worker #, etc.) Documentation Q. Who should document that the Medi-Cal RRR forms were sent? Eligibility Workers do not feel comfortable documenting this information since they did not actually send the RRR packet. A. If the household is on the RRR listing, QR with Medi-Cal or CR with Medi-Cal tab, the listing serves as documentation that the Medi-Cal RRR forms were sent. The EW should document on the CalWIN Maintain Case Comments window which RRR packet was sent according to the listing. Implementation The information in this Update is being provided for clarification only. Clerical See Clarifications. UMESH POL, DIRECTOR CalWIN Division KATHERINE BUCKOVETZ, DIRECTOR Department of Employment and Benefit Services Contact Person(s): Susan Maxwell, Program Coordinator, (408) Ann Hetherton, Food Stamp Program Coordinator, (4008)