SR 11-09 Dated 01/11

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases the policy and procedures related to:

·   creating a secure on-line personal account through NH EASY, DFA’s web-based application system; and

·   accessing notices of decisions (NODs) and New HEIGHTS-generated letters via that NH EASY account, including the policies and procedures related to choosing to "Go Green" and opting to only receive NODs and letters electronically.

An account in NH EASY must be created to access NODs and letters electronically, and no one other than the casehead for the DFA assistance program is allowed to create an on-line personal account in NH EASY.

POLICY

As of January 4, 2011, most NODs and letters can now be accessed electronically, once the DFA assistance program casehead establishes an on-line personal account in NH EASY. Additionally, DFA now offers caseheads a "green" alternative in which the casehead can choose to go completely paperless and opt to only access their DFA NODs and letters electronically.

An account in NH EASY must be created to access NODs and letters electronically, and no one other than the casehead for the DFA assistance program is allowed to create an on-line personal account in NH EASY. Guardians, conservators, protective payees, case members other than the casehead, and authorized representatives are not able to create an account through NH EASY. However, NH EASY applications that have been created and submitted by an "Assisting Person" (referred to as an "Information Supplier" in New HEIGHTS) are provided with a temporary account that expires in 30 days. "Assisting Persons" are instructed to have the casehead create his or her own account, if the casehead desires to have an ongoing account in NH EASY after that time.

USPS delivery of NODs and letters will remain unchanged for:

·   caseheads who do not create a personal account in NH EASY;

·   caseheads who create an account in NH EASY but do not choose to "Go Green;" and

·   certain DFA NODs and letters as well as any notices sent to DFA caseheads that are not DFA-generated, such as certain HKS NODs or letters generated from NHHKC. A complete list of the NODs and letters that will continue to be generated in paper and mailed to the casehead via USPS, even if the individual has chosen the "green" paperless option, is listed below.

Caseheads who have created a NH EASY account and confirmed their email address will receive an email immediately upon a NOD or letter being generated for the case which alerts the casehead that an important notice is available for review in the casehead’s NH EASY account. No personal information will be disclosed in the email alert, other than that an important notice is available. This will occur for all caseheads who establish a NH EASY account. Caseheads can additionally choose the "Go Green" option at any point, which will disable the paper generation of the notice or letter.

Once a casehead accesses their NH EASY account, current and historical NODs and letters for the past 18-months will be available for review, printing, and/or such needs as applications for Fuel, Housing, or local welfare assistance. Copies of notices or letters over 18-months old will not be available in the casehead’s eNotice section of their NH EASY account, but if the casehead makes a written request for a copy of the NOD or letter, a paper copy of the NOD or letter can be obtained from the District Office.

NOD and letter distribution will default back to USPS delivery for caseheads who have chosen the "Green" paperless option on their NH EASY account, when any of the following occurs:

·   an email sent to the email address provided by the casehead is "bounced back" to the NH EASY system as undeliverable;

·   a casehead opts out of "Going Green" via their NH EASY account (this option is always available to the casehead); or

·   the casehead requests to reestablish paper generation of NODs and letters and does not use NH EASY to make this change. If NH EASY is not used to make this switch back to paper, the casehead must submit a request to DFA in writing and include the following information:

-   the casehead’s printed name;

-   the casehead’s request to reestablish generation of paper NODs and letters;

-   the case number or recipient identification number (RID) assigned to the case; and

-   the casehead’s signature.

Once USPS delivery of NODs and letters has been reestablished, NODs and letters will be generated to the casehead’s mailing address:

·   the next day for emails bounced back as "undeliverable." Additionally, all potentially "missed" NODs or letters that were generated from the date the original email was sent until the date the email was bounced back as undeliverable will be delivered to the casehead via USPS;

·   the next day for NH EASY-based requests to reestablish paper generation of NODs and letters; or

·   within 10 days of the casehead having met all the criteria above if the individual does not use NH EASY to reestablish generation of paper NODs and letters.

Establishing an Account in NH EASY

To establish an account in NH EASY, the casehead must do the following:

1. Go to this website: www.NHEASY.nh.gov

2. Select the "Create Account" button.

3. At the Create Account screen, enter their:

A. Case Number, Medicaid ID number or social security number;

B. date of birth; and

C. Personal Identification Number (PIN). See below instructions for obtaining a PIN.

4. When the above information has been entered, the casehead must select "Next" in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

5. The subsequent screen allows the casehead to create a Username and Password for their NH EASY account, and the casehead will be asked to provide short answers to 3 simple questions to help ensure the security of their private information.

6. Once the casehead has completed this security screen, most DFA-generated NODs or letters associated with the case can be accessed.

Obtaining a PIN for the NH EASY Account

All caseheads of pending and open DFA cases will be sent a special "Conversion" copy of new CM0106, PIN Letter, which will provide:

·   information about NH EASY;

·   the steps to establish a NH EASY account; and

·   a time-sensitive PIN, which is needed to create a NH EASY account.

The schedule for when the special conversion letters will be mailed to caseheads statewide is not included in this SR to safeguard confidential client information. Recipients of the letter will have 30-days to act on the enclosed information, after which time the PIN will no longer be active. The casehead will then need to request a new PIN if interested in establishing a NH EASY account.

Caseheads who do not receive this letter because they apply after the letter is generated, and letter recipients who do not act on the PIN provided in the letter within the 30-day period after receiving the letter, may obtain a PIN from their local District Office. District Office Support Staff, Family Services Specialist (FSS), and DFA Client Services can select the "PIN Letter" button from the "Household Information" screen in New HEIGHTS and either print out the PIN Letter immediately to hand-deliver to the casehead if the casehead requesting the PIN is in the office, or the letter can be generated in the nightly batch and mailed via USPS to the requesting casehead.

Additionally, the New HEIGHTS-generated AE0026, Verification Checklist, has been revised to automatically include a section titled "Here is your NH EASY PIN" which includes a PIN for the casehead, an expiration date for the PIN, and the NH EASY website address. This information will not appear on the AE0026 if it is a DCYF case, the casehead already has an active NH EASY account, or if the AE0026 is being generated to someone other than a casehead, such as a protective payee, guardian or conservator on the case.

How to Choose the "Green" Option for NODs and Letters

To choose the "green" option for NODs and letters, the casehead has the following options:

1. Applicants filing an online application through the NH EASY public Application system. If the applicant enters an email address when applying for assistance through NH EASY, the following question appears: "Would you like to receive your notices online only instead of getting them in the mail?" If the applicant answers "Yes" to this question, the question "Do you want to go Paperless?" on the New HEIGHTS "Household Information" screen will be automatically populated with a "Yes" response once the application is imported into the system.

2. Caseheads that have a NH EASY account. Caseheads that have active NH EASY accounts can login to their account, go to the "My Profile" tab, enter an email address if one is not already entered, and change their current setting from "Send me paper notices" to "Do not send me paper notices." When the casehead makes this choice, the New HEIGHTS "Household Information" screen will be automatically populated with a "Yes" response to the New HEIGHTS question: "Do you want to go Paperless?"

3. Casehead requests to "Go Green" through DO staff. An applicant or recipient casehead can ask their worker to change their mailing option to paperless at any time during an interview, over the phone, etc. In this situation, the worker must manually change the question of "Do you want to go Paperless?" on the New HEIGHTS "Household Information" screen to a "Yes" response. The casehead must also supply a valid email address if one has not already been entered.

Once the "Green" option has been chosen, the casehead will be sent a separate email to the email address the casehead provided. Within 10-days the casehead must reply to this email, confirming their decision to Go Green before the "going green" process is finalized. Until the casehead confirms their decision to Go Green, all NODs and letters will continue to be sent via USPS, although the casehead can also continue to access most of these very same NODs and letters through their NH EASY account. If the casehead does not reply to the confirmation email within timeframes, all NODs and letters continue to be sent via USPS and the question "Do you want to go Paperless?" in New HEIGHTS defaults back to "No."

DISTRICT OFFICE PROCEDURES

Applicant and recipient caseheads must create their NH EASY account on their own, both due to confidentiality reasons and because it is important that the casehead is able to navigate the NH EASY system on their own if the individual plans to electronically access their case information. Any calls that are received by the District Offices related to establishing an account on NH EASY can be redirected to this number:

 1-800-852-3345 extension 8427

Additionally, the application eligibility interview and redetermination interview has been slightly altered. At application, the driver flow of New HEIGHTS will now require a response to the question "Do you have an email address?" Previously this was a non-required field.

·   If the applicant responds "No" to this question, the FSS must enter this response to continue the interactive interview in New HEIGHTS.

·   If the applicant is the casehead and responds "Yes" to this question, the FSS will be required to enter the applicant casehead’s email address. If the case does not involve a guardian, conservator, or protective payee, the FSS must then ask if the applicant casehead would like to establish an account on NH EASY so that the applicant casehead can read their NODs and letters on-line, days before they might receive them in the mail. If the applicant casehead indicates that they would like to establish this account and the applicant casehead:

-   …is in the office: Print the CM0106, PIN Letter, from the "Household Information" screen in New HEIGHTS" and immediately provide the letter to the casehead. The applicant casehead can then establish their account on NH EASY via any computer to which they have access as the letter contains the PIN the casehead needs, and the steps to establish an account.

-   …is not in the office: Go to the "Household Information" screen in New HEIGHTS and ensure the CM0106, PIN Letter, is generated in the nightly batch to the applicant casehead’s mailing address.

-   …in both circumstances: Ask if the casehead would like to go paperless and receive all their NODs and letters electronically. Enter the response accordingly on the "Household Information" screen in New HEIGHTS.

As of February 1, 2011, the following will automatically happen at redeterminations:

·   the "Do you have an email address?" question in New HEIGHTS will default to a blank if the question was originally answered "No;" and

·   the "Do you want to go Paperless?" question in New HEIGHTS will default to a blank if the recipient casehead had an email address, but had answered this question "No."

FSS will need to revisit these questions with the recipient casehead during the interview in these cases because as of February 1, 2011, the fields will be mandatory fill-ins for the redetermination process as well.

NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS CHANGES

The New HEIGHTS-generated CM0106, PIN Letter, has been created to send out PINs to applicant or recipient caseheads. This letter can be printed off the "Household Information" screen in New HEIGHTS to be immediately provided to the casehead. If the FSS completes the appropriate fields on this screen but does not click the PIN Letter button, the letter will automatically go out in the nightly batch for USPS distribution. A copy of the CM0106 will be released by New HEIGHTS under separate cover at a later date.

A special "conversion" copy of new CM0106 will be sent out on a one-time basis to all caseheads for open and pending cases, and has been attached to this SR for reference.

Once a casehead has established a NH EASY account and confirmed their email address, the casehead will receive the following email from NH EASY every time a NOD or letter has been generated for the case:

Recipient name,

Important new notices about your case are now available online. You can read your notices online and print a copy if you would like.

To see your notices, login to your NH EASY Account, then go to the "My Notices" tab. If you are having trouble with the link, then simply copy and paste www.nheasy.nh.gov into your web browser and you will be able to login from there.

If you can't get into your account to read your notices, contact your Family Services Specialist (FSS) at the District Office. Your FSS can arrange to have paper copies of your notices mailed to you.

Caseheads who additionally choose the "Green" option for their NODs and letters will receive the following email from NH EASY:

Subject: Testing Account Change Notification

Dear [Recipient Casehead Name],

You have chosen to stop receiving paper notices and receive your notices online ONLY. If you are not the person who made this choice, please delete this email.

In order to confirm that you asked to Go Green and this is a valid email address so we can send you an email each time you have a new notice, you MUST login to your account within 10 days to confirm your email address. If you are having trouble with the link, then simply copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser:

{applicable website will be inserted here}

What Happens Next?

• If you are waiting to Go Green, you will continue to receive paper notices until you confirm your email address by using the link and logging into your account.

• If you are already Green and are getting this email because you recently changed your email address, you will stay Green so long as you confirm your new email by using the link above and logging into your account.

• When you Go Green you will still receive a few Notices by mail (you can also see them online). For example, if you do your redeterminations by mail, you will get the mail redetermination package in the mail because we also send you a prepaid envelope to send us your information. Similarly, there are letters from the Office of Special Investigations that we are required by law to send by regular mail. Finally, we are not able to show you any Notices sent to you by NH Healthy Kids Corporation.

The email above will also be sent whenever a casehead for a Green (paperless) case makes a change to the email address associated with the "Green" function, because the new email address must be validated. Failure to respond to the email within the 10 days will cause the case to remain, or return to, receiving paper NODs and letters via USPS.

Additional changes have been made to the "Household Information" screen to support the "Go Green" process. A new "Status" field has been created to help FSS understand whether the casehead is receiving paper notices, in the process of requesting to "Go Green," or whether the casehead is confirmed "Green" (paperless). The "Status" field will display one of the following:

·   You are receiving paper notices – All cases will be initially defaulted to this status. This status means that the casehead will receive all NODS and letters via USPS.

·   Email not yet sent - This status means that the casehead has requested to "Go Green" but New HEIGHTS has not yet sent out the confirmation email. Since the email is sent in the nightly batch you will see this status during the day; if you see this status more than one day in a row it means the casehead has not yet established a NH EASY account because New HEIGHTS is not able to send out the email until an account has been created.

·   Email sent - This status means that the confirmation email has been sent to the casehead that requested the "Green" option, but the casehead has not yet responded to it.

·   Confirmed - This status means that the casehead has successfully verified their email address and is no longer receiving paper NODs or letters; they are "Green."

·   Failed – email undeliverable - This status means that an email sent to the casehead has "bounced back" and could not be delivered to the email address. The system will automatically default the case back to USPS delivery for all NODs and letters.

·   Failed – email not confirmed - 10 days have passed since the confirmation email was sent to the casehead and there has been no response. The system will automatically default the case back to USPS delivery for all NODs and letters.

Additionally, the New HEIGHTS-generated AE0026, Verification Checklist, has been revised to automatically include a section titled "Here is your NH EASY PIN" which includes a PIN for the casehead, an expiration date for the PIN, and the NH EASY website address. The specific text that will be inserted onto the AE0026 is the following:

Here is your NH EASY PIN!

Creating a personal NH EASY Account is a safe and secure way to check on the status of your application and case and read your Notices on-line. As well, when you have an account, you can "GO GREEN" and ask us to only send your notices on-line. Your PIN will be used only one time, when you set up your NH EASY account.

Your PIN is:

Your PIN expires on:

Keep this in a safe place where no one else can see it. Do not give or show your PIN to anyone else.

To create your account, go to the Create Account section of NH EASY by entering nheasy.nh.gov into your internet browser. At the Create Account screen, enter your Case Number, Medicaid ID Number, or Social Security Number, your Date of Birth, and your PIN, then follow four easy steps to finish creating your Account.

This information will not appear on the AE0026 if it is a DCYF case, the casehead already has an active NH EASY account, or if the AE0026 is going to someone other than the casehead, such as a protective payee, guardian or conservator on the case.

Full List of NODs and Letters that Will Continue to be Mailed to the Casehead

Any NODs or letters that are not generated by DFA, such as NODs or letters generated by NHHKC for HKS caseheads, will not be available in NH EASY and will continue to be sent to caseheads via USPS. The following is a list of the New HEIGHTS-generated NODs or letters that will always be mailed to caseheads, even if the casehead has chosen the "green" option. Most of these notices will also continue to be available for electronic access through the casehead’s NH EASY account:

AE0021 Notice of FS Disqualification

AE0022 Notice of TANF Disqualification

CS0005 Mail-In Rede Letter

All Benefit Recovery (BV) letters, including:

BV0002 OSI Claim Paid In Full

BV0003 Monthly Balance Statement

BV0004 FTROP Notice (cannot be viewed on-line)

BV0008 Demand Letter for Overissuance

BV0009 Claim Letter

BV0010 Resident Agency Claim Letter

BV0012 Claim Receipt Letter

BV0013 Regular Recovery Receipt

BV0014 Release of Lien

BV0015 Overissuance Repayment Agreement

BV0018 Notice of Lien

BV0019 Demand Letter For Overpayment

BV0020 Pursue With Lien

BV0022 Pursue Without Lien

BV0023 Recoupment Notice

BV0024 Case Closed Over-Issuance

Additionally, all letters that are sent only to nonclients, such as landlords, employers, state or federal government agencies, vendor payees, etc., will not appear in the NH EASY personal account eNotices section.

RELATED TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS

FSM 127.03, Failure to Appear for an Interview, and FSM 303.11, Absence from New Hampshire: Temporary, have been revised to update text that indicates benefits are mailed to Food Stamp recipients. All Food Stamp benefits are electronically issued to recipients via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards in accordance with SR 98-51, dated December 1998. These pages were inadvertently overlooked during the release of that SR and are now being updated to:

·   change text from "mailed" to "issued" in FSM 127.03; and

·   eliminate text referencing mailing benefits out-of-state in FSM 303.11, including all the text in the exception. Food Stamp benefits may be accessed on the recipient’s EBT card in any state as all states, and Puerto Rico, now operate under a national EBT system.

Additionally, most text in FSM 709.04, Cash-out of EBT Food Stamp Benefits, has been eliminated. Because all states and Puerto Rico now operate under a national EBT system, "cashing out" of Food Stamp benefits is no longer an option in any circumstance. The only method of Food Stamp issuance is via an EBT card.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

PART 117  APPLICATION PROCESSING TIMEFRAMES

Section 707.01  Mailing Addresses

Section 713.07  IPV Administrative Disqualification Hearing

PART 903 NH CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESSING TIME FRAME

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

PART 117  APPLICATION PROCESSING TIMEFRAMES

Section 125.09  Time Frames for Expedited Service

Section 127.03  Failure to Appear for an Interview

Section 303.11  Absence from New Hampshire: Temporary

Section 621.03  Rate and Method of Recoupment

Section 707.01  Mailing Addresses

Section 709.04  Cash-out of EBT Food Stamp Benefits

Section 713.07  IPV Administrative Disqualification Hearing

IMPLEMENTATION

Electronic access to NODs and letters is available to all caseheads statewide upon the release of this SR, once the casehead has established an account in NH EASY.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Notification of the ability to access NODs and letters electronically was published in the NH Rulemaking Register, Office of Legislative Services, on September 3, 2010. A public hearing on the Administrative Rules was held on September 28, 2010.

Generation of the new CM0106, PIN Letter, began January 4, 2011.

Anytime a casehead establishes an account on NH EASY and/or opts to "Go Green," the emails described above in the section entitled NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS CHANGES will be generated to the email address provided by the casehead.

A one-time mailing will be generated to all caseheads within each District Office’s catchment area alerting all caseheads of this new service in NH EASY. Dates of distribution of this letter have not been included in this SR for confidentiality reasons. However, a copy of the letter has been attached for reference.

TRAINING

No special training is planned.

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 www.dhhs.nh.gov/DFA/publications.htm, effective February 28, 2011. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Family Assistance and Food Stamp Manuals.

DFA/JBV:s