SR 11-03 Dated 01/11

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases the expiration of the temporary exclusion of all Census Bureau earnings in the eligibility and benefit determination process for applicants and recipients of all categories of DFA financial and medical assistance and NH Child Care Scholarship. As released by SR 09-06, dated March 2009, the temporary exclusion expires December 31, 2010. Begin counting census income in the eligibility and benefit determination process for all programs as of January 1, 2011.

POLICY

As released by SR 09-06 dated March 2009, from March 1, 2009 until December 31, 2010, all earnings from employment at the US Census Bureau were excluded when determining eligibility and benefit allotment amounts for all DFA financial and medical assistance programs as well as NH Child Care Scholarship. Effective January 1, 2011, this temporary exclusion of census income expires, and census earnings will again be considered countable earned income for all programs.

DISTRICT OFFICE & NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

New HEIGHTS will begin counting census bureau income when determining eligibility and benefit allotment amounts for all DFA programs as well as NH Child Care Scholarship, as of January 1, 2011. Because there are only 11 currently open cases displaying income coded as "Census Enumerator," each case will be addressed individually rather than via an automated mass change. By December 20, 2010, the Family Services Specialist (FSS) must contact the client to confirm continued receipt of the census income:

·   If the client is no longer receiving the census income, FSS must enddate the income and rerun eligibility.

·   If the client is still receiving the census income, the FSS must report the name of the client to their Regional Supervisor. No additional action need be taken by the FSS. On January 3, 2011, New HEIGHTS will rerun eligibility for only the cases still receiving the income to ensure that the income is counted correctly according to policy effective January 1, 2011.

IMPLEMENTATION

Begin counting census bureau income when determining eligibility for all DFA financial and medical assistance programs as well as NH Child Care Scholarship as of January 1, 2011.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

There are only 11 currently open cases displaying income coded as "Census Enumerator." If any of the 11 currently open cases are still receiving the census income and subsequently experience a change in benefits or eligibility when the treatment of this income is converted from excluded to counted, the following special message will be entered on the standard New HEIGHTS Notice of Decision that is generated:

You or someone in your case is receiving income from the Census Bureau. The federal government let us exclude this income through December 31, 2010. As of January 1, 2011, however, we must count this income toward your case. Your old and new budget below reflect this change.

TRAINING

No special training is planned or needed.

DISPOSITION

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the SR has been posted to the On-line manual.

DISTRIBUTION

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR 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 January 31, 2011.

DFA/JBV:s