SR 08-04 Dated 04/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases three new categories of financial and medical assistance that will better address the needs of applicants and recipients of the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) program while assisting New Hampshire in meeting federally mandated work participation requirements. The eligibility and benefit determination process for the new categories has been aligned with the TANF program so recipients will receive the same level of financial and medical assistance with minimal disruption.

TANF, the Unemployed Parent (UP) program, and the following three new categories of assistance will be referred to as "Financial Assistance To Needy Families:"

§   Transitional Assessment Planning (TAP) provides assessment services to prepare individuals for required work activities. Every applicant determined eligible for NHEP financial assistance first receives TAP assistance, at least until the end of the month in which they are determined eligible for and receive financial assistance. After an assessment of eligibility, individuals receive TAP when they:

-   are not fully meeting NHEP hourly participation requirements through employment;

-   have not received Financial Assistance To Needy Families in the last calendar month;

-   are not receiving child support; and

-   are assessed by the NHEP as not being able to meet work participation requirements.

Recipients may receive TAP financial assistance for up to 4 months when an adult in the assistance group is applying for an exemption from work program requirements due to their own or a family member’s medical condition.

Eligibility requirements for TAP align with the NHEP financial assistance program except:

-   applicants and recipients will not be required to assign their rights to child support as a condition of eligibility; and

-   receipt of TAP financial assistance only advances NH’s 60-month lifetime limit state clock.

Recipients of TAP will transition to another category of financial assistance without having to reapply or engage in a personal interview:

-   when TAP eligibility ends at the end of:

·   the month in which they are determined eligible, if the individual is not applying for a medical exemption; or

·   four months, if the individual is applying for a medical exemption and has not received a decision;

-   if the assistance group receives child support; or

-   if the individual becomes eligible for IDP, UP, or FWOC financial assistance.

§   Interim Disabled Parent (IDP) program is entirely state-funded and is provided to families in which at least one parent is unable to participate in work activities due to a medical condition. Eligibility requirements align with the TANF program except:

-   IDP is an optional category of assistance. At any time, applicants and recipients can choose to receive NHEP/FAP financial assistance;

-   applicants and recipients do not have to assign their rights to child support as a condition of eligibility;

-   receipt of IDP financial assistance only advances NH’s 60-month lifetime limit state clock; and

-   Extended Food Stamp benefits are not allowed when IDP financial assistance ends.

§   Families With Older Children (FWOC) program is provided to families with a dependent child who is 19 years old, up to the age of 20, and still in high school or basic education full-time. Eligibility requirements align with the TANF program except:

-   applicants and recipients of FWOC are not required to assign their rights to child support as a condition of eligibility; and

-   receipt of FWOC financial assistance only advances NH’s 60-month lifetime limit state clock.

POLICY

Transitional Assessment Planning (TAP) Category of Assistance

Every applicant determined eligible for NHEP will first receive TAP financial assistance, at least until the end of the month they are determined eligible and receive financial assistance, if the applicant:

·   is not fully meeting NHEP hourly participation requirements through employment;

·   has not received Financial Assistance To Needy Families in the last calendar month;

·   is not receiving child support; and

·   has been assessed by the NHEP as not being able to meet work participation requirements;

Recipients of TAP may receive financial assistance for up to 4 months when an adult in the assistance group is pursuing an exemption from NHEP work program requirements due to their own or a family member’s medical condition. These recipients of TAP will receive a detailed assessment of their medical condition and support in exploring and applying for other forms of financial assistance.

Eligibility Period

Individuals can only receive TAP financial assistance for a maximum of four calendar months in a federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30). Every year, on October 1, an individual’s calendar will start again. Individuals who:

·   are pursuing an exemption from NHEP work program requirements due to their own or a family member’s medical condition, may receive TAP financial assistance up to a maximum of four calendar months in the federal fiscal year; and

·   everyone else may receive TAP financial assistance until the end of the month in which they are determined eligible and receive financial assistance.

Recipients of TAP financial assistance will transition to another category of Financial Assistance To Needy Families without having to reapply or engage in a personal interview when:

·   TAP eligibility ends at the end of:

- the month in which they are determined eligible and receive financial assistance if the individual is not applying for a medical exemption; or

- four months if the individual is applying for a medical exemption and has not received a decision;

·   any member of the AG receives child support;

·   the AG has received TAP financial assistance for any four months in a federal fiscal year (months do not have to be consecutive); or

·   the AG becomes eligible for IDP, UP, or FWOC financial assistance.

Note: Recipients of TAP who are determined exempt from work program requirements by the Division of Adult Learning and Rehabilitation (DALR) will automatically transition to the IDP category of financial assistance, once the decision is entered into New HEIGHTS.

Interim Disabled Parent (IDP) Category of Assistance

IDP is a category of financial and medical assistance that is available to one and two-parent families where at least one parent has a verified disability. Eligibility requirements align with TANF financial assistance with the exception of:

·   IDP is an optional category of assistance. At any time, applicants and recipients can choose to receive NHEP/FAP financial assistance; and

·   Extended Food Stamp benefits are not allowed when IDP financial assistance ends.

Verified Disability

To be eligible for the IDP category of assistance, at least one parent must:

·   be receiving APTD/ANB;

·   be receiving SSDI/SSI (but all parents in the household cannot receive SSDI/SSI);

·   be determined exempt from participation in NHEP work actives by the DALR worker due to a medical-related issue; or

·   be determined incapacitated by providing a completed Form 921, Determination of Incapacity Status, (two-parent families only).

Note: Assistance groups will not be eligible for IDP but will instead receive financial or medical assistance through the Family Assistance Program (FAP) when:

·   All adults are receiving SSDI, SSI, or Veteran’s Administration benefits with a disability rating of 80% or more; or

·   A relative other than a parent, who is not receiving assistance, is caring for the dependant child.

Opting Out of IDP

At any time, applicants and recipients of IDP assistance can choose to opt out of receiving IDP financial assistance. Individuals must provide a signed statement verifying their decision to refuse IDP assistance.

Individuals who choose not to receive IDP financial assistance will instead receive NHEP or FAP financial assistance with no additional application or personal interview required.

Families With Older Children (FWOC) Category of Assistance

Assistance groups will receive FWOC when the household:

·   contains a dependent child who is 19 years old, up to the age of 20, in high school or basic education full-time; and

·   does not meet the requirements of the Unemployed Parent (UP) program.

Eligibility Period

FWOC assistance groups will automatically have eligibility redetermined for TANF financial assistance when the 19 year old child in the household:

·   leaves the home;

·   turns 20; or

·   is no longer enrolled in high school or basic education full-time.

Technical Requirements for TAP, IDP, and FWOC

Child Support Requirements

Applicants and recipients of TAP, IDP, and FWOC will not be required to assign their child support rights as a condition of eligibility. However, applicants and recipients of TAP, IDP, and FWOC will be required to cooperate in establishing paternity for all dependant children as a condition of eligibility.

Recipients of TAP, IDP, and FWOC financial assistance will not be subject to child support sanctions. Adult applicants of TAP, IDP, and FWOC medical assistance will lose medical eligibility for not cooperating with child support requirements.

Extended Food Stamps (EFS)

EFS may be available when TAP or FWOC financial assistance ends, if all other EFS criteria are met. However, EFS is not allowed when IDP financial assistance ends.

Federal Clock

Receipt of TAP, IDP, and FWOC financial assistance will not advance the federal clock tracking the maximum 60-month lifetime limit on the receipt of financial assistance.

Receipt of TAP, IDP, and FWOC financial assistance will advance the NH state clock tracking the maximum 60-month lifetime limit on the receipt of financial assistance.

NHEP Participation Requirements

All able-bodied adult recipients of TAP, FWOC, and IDP will be required to fully participate in work requirements. Recipients of TAP, who have not been determined medically exempt from NHEP, will be considered able-bodied adults that must meet NHEP participation requirements.

Note: When there is an able-bodied parent in a two-parent IDP assistance group, the able-bodied parent is required to fully participate with work program requirements.

New Hampshire’s Federal Participation Requirements

Recipients of TAP and IDP will not be included in New Hampshire’s federal NHEP work participation rates. Recipients of FWOC will be included in New Hampshire’s federal NHEP work participation rates.

DESCRIPTION OF REVISIONS MADE TO FORMS

The following forms and their associated instructions were revised and several were renamed to provide more general information about Financial Assistance To Needy Families (FANF):

·   Form 77a, Financial Assistance To Needy Families Program Pamphlet;

·   Form 77i, Lump Sum Payments and Financial Assistance To Needy Families;

·   Form 221, NHEP Pamphlet;

·   Form 754C, Request For Family/Domestic Violence Option;

·   Form 810, Notice of Rights and Responsibilities; and

·   Form 811R, Application: Your Rights and Responsibilities.

Form 242, The 60-Month Lifetime Limit on Financial Assistance To Needy Families: What You Need to Know, has been renamed and revised to describe the difference between the Federal and State 60-month lifetime limit on the receipt of financial assistance. Information was also added to describe which FANF categories advance the federal versus the state 60-month clock.

The following forms and their associated instructions were revised to also include IDP and TAP recipients who utilize ETS services:

·   Form NHEP255(UP,IDP,TAP), E&T Support Services Payment Request Invoice;

·   Form NHEP256(UP,IDP,TAP), Mileage Reimbursement Request Invoice;

·   Form NHEP256A(UP,IDP,TAP), Public Private Transportation Carrier Provider Invoice; and

·   Form NHEP257(UP,IDP,TAP), Tuition Payment Request Invoice.

Instructions for the ETS forms used with NHEP financial assistance were revised to indicate FWOC recipients use the forms too.

New Form 260, Financial Assistance To Needy Families: Fact Sheet, was created to:

give specific information about all of the categories of Financial Assistance To Needy Families offered in NH; and provide applicants with a document that can be used to verify their decision not to receive assistance from the IDP category.

Form 261, Financial Assistance To Needy Families Interview Checklist, and its associated instructions, were renamed and revised to include the requirement that staff:

·   use Form 260, Financial Assistance to Needy Families: Fact Sheet, to describe the specific categories of assistance; and

·   inform applicants that inclusion in the IDP category of assistance is optional and the individual can choose not to receive assistance through the IDP program at any time.

Form 752a, Authorization For Release of Protected Health Information For the Use and Disclosure of Individually Identifiable Health Information, and its associated instructions were revised to:

·   ensure that the content of the form applied to all the categories of Financial Assistance To Needy Families; and

·   update the name of Form 752, Physician/Clinician Statement of Capabilities, and to include references to Form 752HH, Physician/Clinician Statement of Necessary Patient Care For a Household Member, as released in SR 06-12, dated 10/06.

Form 754a, Your Right to Claim Good Cause for Non-Cooperation with Child Support Requirements, and its associated instructions, were revised to clarify that all categories of Financial Assistance To Needy Families require cooperation with child support to establish paternity as a condition of eligibility. Additionally, the form was revised to inform applicants that only certain categories of assistance require individuals to assign their rights to child support to the Department of Health and Human Services as a condition of eligibility.

Form 800a, Division of Family Assistance (DFA) Programs and Services, has been revised to include general information for all DFA applicants and recipients about the specific categories of Financial Assistance To Needy Families. Additional changes were made to include processing timeframes for Emergency Assistance, and add a reference to "Choices For Independence" (also known as Home and Community-Based Care for the Elderly and Chronically Ill).

The following NEW HEIGHTS generated notices were revised to reflect the new categories of assistance and will be released under separate cover:

·   AE0022, Notice of Disqualification For Cash Assistance;

·   AE0026, Verification Checklist;

·   AE0070, Medical Review Process;

·   AE0071; Notice of Medical Review Decision;

·   DX0010; New Hire Letter;

·   PR0022; Notification of Twelve Month Extended Medical Assistance;

·   WP0022, Level 3 Sanction Agency Referral Letter; and

·   WP0022, Level 3 Sanction Letter and Referral.

PROCEDURES

Child Support Requirements

While applicants and recipients of the IDP, TAP, and FWOC categories of assistance will not be required to assign their rights to child support as a condition of eligibility, applicants must develop all potential sources of income per current policy (FAM 317.01, Potential Sources of Income). As such, applicants must:

·   complete Form 725, Application for Child Support Services; and

·   cooperate with child support staff in establishing paternity and enforcing child support payments.

Optional IDP

At the time of application, any individual who does not want to receive assistance through the IDP category of assistance may complete and sign the appropriate section of Form 260, Financial Assistance To Needy Families: Fact Sheet.

Note: Applicants or recipients must provide a signed statement to refuse IDP assistance. There is no requirement that Form 260 serve as this statement.

IDP and EFS

Recipients of Financial Assistance To Needy Families that are transferred into the IDP category of assistance will receive EFS benefits instead of regular Food Stamps benefits. At the end of the five-month EFS period, recipients of IDP must reapply for regular Food Stamps to continue to receive Food Stamp assistance.

Employment and Training Services (ETS)

FWOC recipients will use billing service codes 1 through 19 on the NHEP versions of the ETS billing forms.

TAP and IDP recipients will use billing service codes 41 through 59 on the UP versions of the ETS billing forms.

NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

"Do Not Build IDP" Button

On the "Program of Assistance (POA)" screen in New HEIGHTS, a "Do not build IDP" checkbox has been added to the "Cash Assistance" tab. If the user selects this check box, New HEIGHTS will not build IDP. Family Service Specialists must use this checkbox when an applicant or recipient provides a signed statement opting out of IDP assistance.

This switch will be reset to unchecked if no ongoing IDP financial assistance exists in the case at the time of confirmation.

New TAP Clock Screen

A new TAP monthly "clock" has been created to track the number of months an assistance group has received TAP assistance in a federal fiscal year. This clock will record the months in each fiscal year that count as a month. Any reading from the clock will total the number of months for the specified Federal Fiscal Year. If the applicant or recipient received TAP for any part of a month, the clock counts that month.

NHEP Dashboard Revisions

The title of the "NHEP Dashboard" has changed to "Work Program Dashboard." The screen has been modified to provide a view, specific to categories of assistance, that can be accessed through a new drop-down box. There will be a selection for each category and a selection to view all categories at once. FWOC cases will be included in the NHEP selection.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

PART 109   APPLICATION PROCESS

PART 133   LENGTH OF ELIGIBILITY

PART 134   HARDSHIP EXTENSIONS TO THE 60-MONTH LIFETIME LIMIT

PART 161   REDETERMINATION/RECERTIFICATION

PART 165   TERMINATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Section 171.03   Termination Due to Employment of an Incapacitated Parent

PART 201   PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

PART 203   FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMILIES

Section 203.07   Families With Older Children (FWOC)

Section 203.09   Interim Disabled Parent (IDP)

Section 203.11   Transitional Assessment Planning (TAP)

Section 207.01  Eligible Dependant Child as a Requirement for Financial Assistance To

    Needy Families

Section 209.01   Eligibility Requirements

Section 209.11   Incapacity: 30-Day Incapacity Requirement

Section 209.15   Incapacity: Determining Incapacity for Parents in Optional Programs

Section 209.17   Incapacity: Increased Earnings by an Incapacitated Parent

Section 211.01   Who Must Be Members

Section 311.07   Assignment to DHHS of Rights to Support Income

Section 311.15   Refusal to Cooperate

Section 311.17   Good Cause for Non-Cooperation

Section 317.05   Application Requirements for Developing Potential Sources of Income

PART 323   FAMILY/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OPTIONS (FVO)

IMPLEMENTATION

An initial supply of New Form 260, Financial Assistance To Needy Families: Fact Sheet, has been sent to each District Office with instructions to insert the new form into the TANF End-of-Interview packet. Starting in April, the TANF End-of-Interview packets will contain this form.

An initial supply of revised Form 261, Financial Assistance to Needy Families End of Interview Checklist, has also been sent to each District Office with instructions to replace the old versions of Form 261. TANF End-of-Interview packets that were sent to District Offices in March will have the new version of the form. Please recycle any old version of this form immediately and return the attached certificate of destruction.

Supplies of the current versions of all other forms released in this SR are to be exhausted before the revised versions will be printed.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

A Public Hearing for the administrative rules authorizing the new categories of financial and medical assistance was held on Friday, January 18, 2008.

Additionally, a letter was sent at the end of March to recipients of NHEP and FAP financial assistance who would be future recipients of the IDP category of assistance. Recipients of the letter were informed that their financial assistance would automatically transition to the IDP category of assistance on April 8, 2008. Individuals who did not want to receive IDP were encouraged to complete the tear off sheet at the bottom of the letter and send the document, attached for reference to this SR, to state office in the business reply envelope provided. New Form 260 accompanied this mailing to provide more background information about the separate categories of Financial Assistance To Needy Families.

/Å¥District Office trainings for Supervisors, Family Services Specialists, and DOMOs were held:

·   In Northern New Hampshire on March 17 and 18, 2008, for the Conway, Berlin, Laconia, and Littleton District Offices.

·   In Southern New Hampshire on March 20 and 21, 2008, for the Portsmouth, Nashua, Manchester, and Salem District Offices.

·   In Central New Hampshire on March 24 and 25, 2008, for the Concord, Rochester, Claremont, and Keene District Offices.

A statewide training for NHEP Team members was held on March 14, 2008 in Gilford.

FORMS MANUAL POSTING INSTRUCTIONS

Due to the large quantity of forms that required changes, the following revised versions will be sent out under separate cover:

·   Form 77a, Financial Assistance To Needy Families Program Pamphlet, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 77i(i), Financial Assistance To Needy Families and Lump Sum Payments, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 221, NHEP Pamphlet;

·   Form 242, The 60-Month Lifetime Limit on Financial Assistance To Needy Families: What You Need to Know, and its associated instructions;

·   Form NHEP255(i), Instructions to Form NHEP255(i);

·   Form NHEP255(UP,IDP,TAP), Unemployed Parent E&T Support Services Payment Request Invoice, and its associated instructions;

·   Form NHEP256(i), Instructions to Form NHEP256(i);

·   Form NHEP256(UP,IDP,TAP), Unemployed Parent Mileage Reimbursement Request Invoice, and its associated instructions;

·   Form NHEP256A(i), Instructions to Form NHEP256A(i);

·   Form NHEP256A(UP,IDP,TAP), Unemployed Parent Public Private Transportation Carrier Provider Invoice, and its associated instructions;

·   Form NHEP257(i), Instructions to Form NHEP257(i);

·   Form NHEP257(UP,IDP,TAP), Unemployed Parent Tuition Payment Request Invoice, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 260, Financial Assistance To Needy Families: Fact Sheet, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 261, Financial Assistance To Needy Families Interview Checklist, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 752a, Authorization For Release of Protected Health Information For the Use and Disclosure of Individually Identifiable Health Information and its associated instructions;

·   Form 754a, Your Right to Claim Good Cause for Non-Cooperation with Child Support Requirements, and its associated instructions;

·   Form 754c, Request for Family/Domestic Violence Option, and its associated instructions,

·   Form 800a, Division of Family Assistance (DFA) Programs and Services Guide,

·   Form 810, Notice of Rights and Responsibilities; and

·   Form 811R, Application: Your Rights and Responsibilities.

DISPOSITION

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the revised manual topics released by this SR have been posted to the On-line manuals.

DISTRIBUTION

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR, and revised On-Line Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/DFA/LIBRARY, effective April 28, 2008.

This SR, printed pages with posting instructions, and forms posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all hard copy holders of the Family Assistance and Forms Manuals.

DFA/MPM:s