SR 17-32 Dated 07/17

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION – Division of Family Assistance (DFA)

 

FROM OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, DFA:

Terry R. Smith

DFA SIGNATURE DATE:

July 14, 2017

AT (OFFICE):

Division of Family Assistance (DFA)

TO:

District Office Supervisors

SUBJECT:

New FANF Payment Standard to Align with 60% of Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) Pursuant to RSA 167:77-g  

RETROACTIVE

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2017

 

SUMMARY

This SR releases a new FANF Payment Standard to align with 60% of Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), pursuant to RSA 167:77-g. The new Payment Standard is used in determining an AG’s eligibility for FANF and calculating the FANF grant amount. Shelter costs are not used in determining FANF eligibility or calculating FANF grant amount.

 

FORMER POLICY

NEW POLICY

FANF Payment Standard used to determine FANF eligibility and the FANF grant amount was based on:

●

AG size;

●

Shelter costs incurred; and

●

Whether shelter costs were subsidized or unsubsidized.

New FANF Payment Standard is used to determine FANF eligibility and calculate the FANF grant. The Payment Standard aligns with 60% of FPG. The Payment Standard varies only by AG size.

Shelter costs and whether shelter costs are subsidized or unsubsidized are not used in determining FANF eligibility or calculating FANF grant amount.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The new state budget, HB 517 of the 2017 legislative session, included a provision that the maximum payment standard for FANF will be 60% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. DFA will update the FANF Payment Standard as part of the March Mass Change, which updates policy according to the annual revisions to FPG released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

 

POLICY

 

Effective July 1, 2017, the FANF Payment Standard used in determining eligibility for FANF and calculating the FANF grant amount aligns with 60% of FPG. The Payment Standard varies only by AG size. Shelter costs and whether shelter costs are subsidized or unsubsidized are not used in determining FANF eligibility or calculating the FANF grant amount.

 

The FANF Payment Standard is used to determine eligibility and calculate grant amounts for all FANF financial assistance programs including:

●

New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP);

●

Family Assistance Program (FAP);

●

Interim Disabled Parent (IDP); and

●

Families With Older Children (FWOC).

 

The FANF Payment Standard is as follows:

 

AG Size

Payment Standard

1

$603

2

$812

3

$1,021

4

$1,230

5

$1,439

6

$1,648

7

$1,857

8

$2,066

9

$2,275

10

$2,484

11

$2,693

12

$2,902

Each additional person add

$209

 

Additionally Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) uses the FANF Payment Standard to determine eligibility and calculate grant amount.

 

NEW HEIGHTS & NH EASY SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

 

All open FANF cases, approximately 2,600 cases, were rerun on July 6, 2017, using the new Payment Standard to calculate the FANF grant amount. The following message appeared in the “Explanation section of the resulting NODs:

 

On July 1, a new state law took effect. The Financial Assistance to Needy Families Payment Standard changed. Your benefits as shown in the old and new budgets below, may have been adjusted to reflect this or other changes that occurred in your case. RSA 167:77-g. NH HB 517(2017).

 

All AGs receiving FANF, approximately 2,600 cases, will see varying increases to grant amounts depending on household circumstances.

 

New HEIGHTS is unable to remove shelter costs as a factor in determining FANF eligibility at this time. To allow FANF cases to open based on the new payment standard regardless of shelter costs, workers should not enter shelter figures in the FANF section of the Shelter Costs screen. Workers will be able to calculate eligibility with no figures in the FANF section of the Shelter Costs screen and New HEIGHTS will calculate eligibility for FANF using the new Payment Standard. New HEIGHTS will issue a system alert under a separate cover when shelter costs pertaining to FANF eligibility have been removed from New HEIGHTS.

 

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

 

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

 

Section 247.07                                    RCA Eligibility Criteria

PART 601                                            INCOME LIMITS, PAYMENT STANDARDS, AND ALLOTMENTS

PART 601, TABLE A.1                        FANF Shelter Allowance

PART 601, TABLE B                           Maximum Payment Standard

Section 603.09                                    Other Allowable Deductions

Section 603.09                                    Other Allowable Deductions Shelter Deduction

Section 611.01                                    Computing Eligibility

Section 705.01                                    Outstanding Expenses Covered by Last Payment

Glossary                                              B-Words

Glossary                                              S-Words

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

All policies in this SR are effective July 1, 2017.

 

As a result of shelter costs no longer being used in determining FANF eligibility or calculating grant amount:

●

Relative Payees will no longer need to submit shelter statements regarding the AG’s shelter costs; and

●

Homeless AGs will be treated the same as any other FANF AG.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

All open FANF cases were rerun on July 6, 2017, using the new Payment Standard to calculate the FANF grant amount. The following message appeared in the “Explanation section of the resulting NODs:

 

On July 1, a new state law took effect. The Financial Assistance to Needy Families Payment Standard changed. Your benefits as shown in the old and new budgets below, may have been adjusted to reflect this or other changes that occurred in your case. RSA 167:77-g. NH HB 517(2017).

 

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 DFA 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 July 31, 2017. 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 Manual.

 

DFA/BDCs