Title 16
2000 Case Processing Procedures
2002 Changes in Circumstance For Cash Assistance
Recipients are required to report significant changes that might affect their eligibility for cash assistance as soon as they are aware of such a change. Workers must instruct clients of this responsibility at the application interview and at each subsequent redetermination.
When a change is reported, workers will review eligibility in light of the new circumstance. If the change will result in ineligibility, the worker must take action to close the assistance case and send notice to the client at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date of the closing. (In some situations, ten (10) days advance notice is not required. See DSSM 5302 for a complete list of those situations. In those cases, notice of the change must be sent five (5) days in advance of the change.)
A significant change is defined as any of the following:
• change in household size; or
• new source of employment; or
• loss of unsubsidized employment or a change in employment status from full-time to part-time which was beyond the recipient's control; or
• an increase of forty (40) hours or more in unsubsidized employment per month; or
• receipt of a new source of unearned income; or
• increases or decreases in existing sources of unearned income totaling $50.00 or more per month.
EXAMPLE: An applicant applies in May. The applicant is employed. The applicant is working 30 hours per week and earned $6.15 per hour. The best estimate of wages is calculated by multiplying 30 hours times $6.15 ($184.50 per week), then multiplying the weekly figure by 4.33 to determine the monthly income of $789.89.
If the change will not result in ineligibility, workers will proceed by:
Instructing the recipient to provide any necessary verification of the change within ten (10) days. Action is taken to effect the reported change prospectively. (See DSSM 2014). Refer to DSSM 9085 for reporting changes for Food Stamps.
2002.1.1 Case Closures
For Cash Assistance and Food Stamps:
The Division can terminate benefits if, based on reliable information, the following is true:
• All members of an assistance group/household have died; or
• All members of an assistance group/household have moved from Delaware; or
• DSS mail has been returned by the post office indicating no known forwarding address.
For Medical Assistance:
The Division can terminate benefits for an individual if, based on reliable information, the following is true:
• The member of the assistance group has died; or
• The member of the assistance group has moved from Delaware; or
• DSS mail has been returned by the post office indicating no known forwarding addres.
2002.1. 2 Change of Address Case Processing Instructions
Outlined below is a method for obtaining information from client and procedures for processing address changes.
A. Method - The method involves answering the questions of WHO, WHERE, WHEN, and WHAT.
1. WHO:
a. Identify all members of the Assistance Group (AG) or Household (HH) who are moving.
b. Determine the status of those who are not moving.
2. WHERE:
a. Establish the new address for the AG/HH. (Be sure to include the correct Postal Zip Code.)
b. Identify whether the AG/HH has moved into the dwelling/residence of another.
c. Identify whether another person is moving in with the AG/HH at the new address.
d. Determine whether the other person identified in (b) of (c) above is related to any member of the AG/HH. If yes, determine the impact on client eligibility for continued benefits.
3. WHEN:
a. Establish when the move is/was effective.
4. WHAT:
a. Identify the new shelter expenses, including:
1) Rent/mortgage amount.
2) HUD subsidies.
3) Utilities (heat, cooling, water, etc., none).
4) Taxes.
5) Insurance.
6) Telephone.
b. Determine whether expenses are shared with another household.
B. Procedures
The following procedures are to be used when a client reports a change of address:
1. Initial Client Contact
a. Always verify identity of person reporting address change during both telephone and office contacts, as follows:
1) Telephone Contact - Request caller to provide essential identifying data (i.e., Social Security Number, Date of Birth, etc.)
2) Office Contact - When person is not known to you, request individual to provide essential identifying data or verify identity by checking case record photo ID card.
b. Once identity is verified and no other verification has been provided, immediately process only the address change by entering information into DCIS; i.e., only the physical change of address.
NOTE: If the change cannot effect the benefit prior to deadline for the next scheduled benefit(s) issuance, offer the client the option of a benefit(s) hold. Document the client's decision on whether the benefit(s) is to be held. If the client elects to have the benefit(s) held, send message to DMS to hold.
REMEMBER: If the move is to a shelter for battered women and children, the household may receive an additional Food Stamp allotment as a separate household only once a month. (See DSS Manual Section 9707.)
c. Advise client verbally of what verification is necessary to complete the action and the deadline for presenting the verification. Hand-issue or mail the client the Form 105 to identify the required verification and the deadline [minimum of ten (10) days] for the receipt of the verification.
2. Follow-up Activities
a. When verification is not received prior to the deadline, determine continued eligibility based on known facts.
b. Review for accuracy and document facts. If any discrepancy is identified, notify the client of what information is needed to resolve and establish a new deadline.
c. Process the changes prospectively to effect the changes in shelter costs now.
d. Review DCIS to make sure correct information is in the system:
e. If the client owned the previous residence, review the disposition of any real property for appropriate eligibility determination of income and resources.
2002.2 Ineligibility Occurring After the First Day of the Month
When ineligibility occurs after the first day of the month, the cash assistance case must be closed the following month. Note: If the change is reported too late in the month to allow for advance notice to the recipient, the case is closed the next month. (See DSSM 5202 for exceptions to the advance notice requirement.)
The following action must be taken on the current month's benefits.
1. If ineligibility is the result of a strike, the payment must be recovered as outlined in DSSM 3025.
2. If ineligibility results because the recipient receives lump sum income, the payment must be recovered as an overpayment.
3. If ineligibility results because of an increase in income, the worker will determine if income received in the month it began was enough to render the unit totally ineligible. If so, the payment must be recovered in an overpayment.
4. If ineligibility occurs for another reason, the payment is not recovered.
2003 Payee and Voluntary Protective Payee
The payee for an assistance grant is the person in whose name checks are issued. A payee who is not included in the assistance unit is recorded as a "payee only" in the DCIS system. Payments issued to a "payee only" should be so designated. Instructions for issuing payments denoting "payee only" status can be found in the DCIS User Guide.
In TANF or GA, if both parents are in the home, the parents will decide who is designated as the payee.
In TANF or GA, persons may select "voluntary protective payees" if they are ill or hospitalized and unable to transact the check easily. Persons who are mentally retarded may select a "voluntary protective payee" if they are unable to transact financial matters without difficulty. The case record must indicate the reason for the selection. The names of both the voluntary protective payee and the client must appear on each application form.
The designation above is similar to the designation "Representative Payee" as used by the Social Security Administration and "Authorized Representative" as used in the Food Stamp Program.
The request for a "voluntary protective payee" must be in writing from the recipient to whom payment would otherwise be made in an unrestricted manner and must be recorded in the case record. The restriction must be discontinued promptly upon the written request of the recipient who initiated it. (ID card issuance procedure for voluntary protective payee - See DSSM 2022.1)
2003.1 Power of Attorney
A person may be severely disabled physically but still able to manage his affairs whether through his own efforts or with the help of another person to whom he may give a valid power of attorney to act for him in certain specified areas, such as endorsement of his assistance check. In such cases, the client shall be the designated payee and not the person granted the power of attorney.
