SR 05-11 Dated 05/05

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases revisions to the redetermination/recertification periods and method, mail-in or face-to-face interview, for certain recipients of financial and medical assistance, child care assistance, and food stamp benefits.

New redetermination/recertification periods and methods are listed below:

Policy released in this SR necessitates revisions to:

·   Form 77i(i), Instructions for Form 77i;

·   Form 800R(i), Instructions for Form 800R; and

·   Form 811R(i), Instructions for Form 811R.

POLICY

The new mail-in redetermination/recertification periods and methods for certain recipients of financial and medical assistance, child care assistance, and food stamp benefits are listed below.

12-Month Mail-In Redeterminations

The following recipients will now participate in a 12-month mail-in redetermination/recertification.

TANF Cash without Food Stamps: Previously, only FAP cash and/or medical assistance child-only cases, where no member of the assistance group received food stamp benefits, were allowed a 12-month mail-in redetermination/recertification. Now, all TANF cash assistance cases not receiving food stamp benefits, regardless of receipt of child care assistance, will be redetermined every 12 months via the mail-in redetermination/recertification method.

Adult Categories of Cash or Medical Assistance with Equal Household Sizes and Food Stamps: Previously, the 12-month mail-in redetermination/recertification process was allowed for adult categories of cash or medical assistance if members of the assistance group had no earned income. Now all adult categories of cash or medical assistance with equal household sizes and food stamp benefits, regardless of earned or unearned income in the case, are allowed a 12-month mail-in redetermination/recertification, with no face-to-face interview required.

Children with Severe Disabilities (CSD): CSD cases were previously required to participate in a face-to-face redetermination/recertification every 12-months. Now CSD cases will be redetermined/recertified via the mail-in redetermination/recertification method every 12 months, with no face-to-face interview required.

Child Care and Medical Assistance (TANF or TANF-Related): Previously, only some child care assistance cases with TANF or TANF-related medical assistance participated in the mail-in redetermination/recertification process at the end of a 12-month redetermination/recertification period. Now all child care assistance cases also receiving TANF or TANF-related medical assistance will be redetermined/recertified every 12 months via the mail-in redetermination/ recertification method, with no face-to-face interview required.

6-Month Alternating Mail-in/Face-to-Face Redeterminations

The following groups will participate in a mail-in redetermination/recertification once a year. On alternating redeterminations/recertifications, the recipient will participate in a face-to-face interview.

TANF Cash with Food Stamps: Previously, TANF cash assistance cases also receiving food stamps, regardless of the receipt of child care assistance, had a face-to-face redetermination/ recertification every 6 months. These cases now alternate between a mail-in and face-to-face redetermination/recertification every 6 months, resulting in only one face-to-face interview occurring in a 12-month period.

Adult Categories of Cash or Medical Assistance with Unequal Household Sizes and Food Stamps: Previously, adult categories of cash or medical assistance also receiving food stamps with unequal household sizes, and/or earned income, were required to participate in a 6-month face-to-face redetermination/recertification. These cases now alternate between a mail-in and face-to-face redetermination/recertification every 6 months, resulting in only one face-to-face interview occurring in a 12-month period.

Estimated Eligibility End-Date Mail-in Redeterminations/Recertifications

The mail-in redetermination/recertification method has been expanded to include all In and Out medical assistance cases.

All In and Out Medical Assistance: Previously, only adult categories of In and Out medical assistance were allowed to participate in a mail-in redetermination/recertification. Now, in addition to these cases, TANF-related In and Out medical assistance cases will also participate in a mail-in redetermination/recertification at the end of the case’s eligibility period, with no face-to-face interview required.

Qualified Pregnant Women: Previously, Qualified Pregnant Women cases were required to participate in a face-to-face redetermination/recertification at the end of either one or six months. Now, these cases will participate in a mail-in redetermination/recertification at the end of the case’s eligibility period.

Estimated Eligibility End-Date Face-to-Face Redeterminations/Recertifications

The redetermination/recertification period for refugee cash or medical assistance has changed.

Refugee Cash/Medical Assistance (RCA/RMA): Previously, RCA/RMA cases participated in a face-to-face redetermination/recertification at 6 months. Now RCA/RMA cases will be redetermined/recertified at the case’s estimated eligibility end-date via a face-to-face interview.

PROCEDURES

Since New HEIGHTS automatically sets the redetermination/recertification date and method, District Offices are not required to take any special action to reset the redetermination/ recertification method or period for ongoing cases. However, because the mail-in redetermination/recertification process has been expanded to include more cases that may have variable circumstances, it is imperative that when an application for redetermination/recertification is received, Family Services Specialists (FSS) follow current policy and confirm income, resources, household composition, and expenses, as appropriate, before determining continued eligibility.

New Mail-In Redetermination/Recertification Process

The application used for the mail-in redetermination/recertification method depends upon the type of assistance being redetermined/recertified as follows:

·   Form 800PR, Review for Continued Eligibility for NH Healthy Kids Medical Insurance and Medical Coverage for Pregnant Women, will continue to be used for all Healthy Kids (HK) and Medical Care for Pregnant Women (MCPW) mail-in redeterminations.

·   Form 771A, Nursing Home Redetermination, will continue to be used for all nursing facility redeterminations.

·   Form 800R, Review for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical and Food Stamp Benefits, will be used for all other mail-in redeterminations/recertifications. Form 811R, Your Rights and Responsibilities, will accompany Form 800R for mail-in redeterminations/ recertifications.

Changes to Manual Process

Previously, a manual process was used to generate mail-in redeterminations for:

·   Healthy Kids-Gold Home Care for Children with Severe Disabilities (HKG-HCCSD); and

·   FAP Cash cases where all members of the assistance group were under the age of 16, with the payee relative not included (PRNI), and no assistance group member in the case received food stamps.

Now, HKG-HCCSD and FAP Cash PRNI cases will be part of the automated mail-in redetermination/recertification method and will receive Form 800R, Review for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical and Food Stamp Benefits, accompanied by Form 811R, Your Rights and Responsibilities.

Additionally, assistance groups (AGs) with separate medical assistance groups that contained a Healthy Kids-Gold case have been receiving Form 800PR, Review for Continued Eligibility for NH Healthy Kids Medical Insurance and Medical Coverage for Pregnant Women, during the automated mail-in redetermination/recertification process. Upon receipt of the completed 800PR, FSS had to contact the AG to verify resource information for the individuals in the other medical assistance groups. With the changes released in this SR, AGs with separate medical assistance groups containing a Healthy Kids-Gold case will now receive Form 800R rather than Form 800PR, reducing the required follow-up for FSS.

Family Services Specialists Follow-Up for TANF-Related Mail-In Redeterminations

TANF-related eligibility or exemption criteria, such as deprivation, incapacity status, unemployed parent, and medical exemption status related to the new Division of Adult Learning and Rehabilitation (DALR) process, cannot be confirmed in New HEIGHTS until the information is properly verified. When these groups came in for face-to-face redeterminations, the appropriate forms were provided to the recipient for completion. Now that these groups will participate in a mail-in redetermination/recertification, FSS will need to mail Form 808, Proof Needed to Determine Assistance, and related forms to the client after receiving the client’s completed Form 800R. Allow individuals 10 days to provide the required verification.

SYSTEM CHANGES

Beginning May 1, 2005, New HEIGHTS will automatically set the next redetermination/ recertification dates as described in this SR.

For cases that will alternate between a face-to-face and mail-in redetermination/recertification, New HEIGHTS will set the first redetermination/certification method to mail-in. The next redetermination/recertification will be set to face-to-face. Cases assigned a face-to-face redetermination/recertification in which food stamp benefits closed and re-opened in the preceding 12 months with an eligibility break of over 31 days, will have the next redetermination/recertification method automatically changed back to mail-in because the individual will have had to participate in a face-to-face interview to re-open food stamp benefits.

FORMS REVISIONS

Form 77i(i), Instructions for Form 77i

Form 77i(i), Instructions for Form 77i, has been revised to indicate that Form 77i, TANF Lump Sum Pamphlet, will only be distributed at face-to-face redeterminations/recertifications.

Form 800R(i), Instructions for Form 800R

Form 800R(i), Instructions for Form 800R, has been revised to indicate that Form 800R, Review for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical, and Food Stamp Benefits, will be used for all cases eligible for a mail-in redetermination/recertification except for nursing facility, HK, and MCPW cases.

Form 811R(i), Instructions for Form 811R

Form 811R(i), Instructions for Form 811R, has been revised to indicate that paper Form 811R, Your Rights and Responsibilities, accompanies Form 800R, Review for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical, and Food Stamp Benefits, for mail-in redeterminations/recertifications.

Extra supplies of Form 800R, Review for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical and Food Stamp Benefits, and Form 811R, Your Rights and Responsibilities, have been ordered in anticipation of the expected increased usage due to the changes released by this SR.

New HEIGHTS-generated CS0005, Mail-In Application for Redetermination

New HEIGHTS-generated CS0005, Mail-in Application for Redetermination, has been revised to include:

·   the verification grid found on CS0001, Interview Appointment Notice, and the food stamp-related CS0005, Mail-In Application for Redetermination, so that all clients participating in the mail-in redetermination/recertification method will be notified of the specific verification required to redetermine eligibility for benefits; and

·   text changes that incorporate lump sum payment information to alert clients about what to do if a lump sum payment has been received or is expected to be received.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

PART 127   INTERVIEWS

PART 161   REDETERMINATION/RECERTIFICATION

Section 161.01   Timely Notice

Section 161.05   Processing Redeterminations/Recertifications

Section 161.07   Termination at Redetermination/Recertification

Section 220.05   Application for Healthy Kids-Silver Medical Insurance

Section 220.15   Notices

PART 805   NOTIFICATIONS AT REDETERMINATION

PART 905   LENGTH OF ELIGIBILITY

PART 911   REDETERMINATION

Revised Adult Assistance Manual Topics

PART 121   INTERVIEWS

PART 155   REDETERMINATION

Section 155.01   Timely Notice

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

Section 161.01   Timely Notice

IMPLEMENTATION

Since New HEIGHTS automatically sets the redetermination/recertification date and type, District Offices are not required to take any special action to reset the redetermination type or period for ongoing cases:

·   as of April 25th, New HEIGHTS changed all redeterminations for open TANF cash cases without food stamp benefits to mail-in;

·   the evening of April 26, 2005, New HEIGHTS changed the redeterminations for half of the open TANF cash cases with food stamps benefits and half of the adult cash or medical cases with food stamps and unequal HH size for District Offices 1 – 4, to mail-in; and

·   the evening of April 27, 2005, New HEIGHTS changed the redeterminations for half of the open TANF cash cases with food stamps benefits and half of the adult cash or medical cases with food stamps and unequal HH size for the remaining District Offices, to mail-in.

Only half of the cases involved in the alternating face-to-face/mail-in redeterminations were chosen, so that all the cases do not automatically become mail-in or face-to-face at the same time.

For the remaining cases, policy released by this SR will be phased in beginning May 1, 2005. Ongoing cases will complete their current redetermination/recertification cycle and be converted to the revised method when the current redetermination/recertification period expires.

Redeterminations/recertifications scheduled for new applicants on or after May 1, 2005, will be set according to policy released by this SR.

District Offices will begin to realize a decrease in client traffic beginning in June.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

A public hearing regarding the policy changes released in this SR was held on March 14, 2005.

Clients will be notified of the policy changes at their next redetermination/recertification interview. Additionally, recipients participating in the mail-in redetermination/recertification method will be notified of the mail-in method via New HEIGHTS-generated CS0005, Mail-In Application for Redetermination.

For all cases opened on or after May 1, 2005, clients will be notified of the redetermination/ recertification process at their initial eligibility interview.

TRAINING

No special training is planned.

FORMS POSTING INSTRUCTIONS

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 June 6, 2005.

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

DFA/DMS:s