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STATE OF ALASKA
Department of Health and Social Services
Division of Public Assistance
TRANSMITTAL NUMBER: 2021-02
MANUAL: Heating Assistance Program
DATE: September 1, 2021
Several sections of the Heating Assistance Program Policy Manual have been revised in order to incorporate new policy, clarify existing policy, and align policies within our policy manuals.
If you have questions, please contact the Policy and Program Development Team at dpapolicy@alaska.gov .
OVERVIEW OF CHANGES
MS 3000 INTRODUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS
Added direct pay as allowable for clients who self-harvest or purchase wood as their primary heat source.
MS 3000-1B RECORDS AND REPORTS
Updated location of client records from the case file to ILINX.
MS 3000-1E DISCLOSURE AND USE OF INFORMATION
Added weatherization services as an agency DPA Division of Public Assistance obtains information from and discloses information to.
MS 3000-2 DEFINITIONS
Made known that the Head of Household is commonly referred to as the Primary Information Person (PI) and is the first person listed on the application.
Removed Alaska Native/American Indian as part of the "Mixed" Household definition. This type of household is now explained in section 3002-1 .
Updated the "Vendor" definition to include an explanation of an "Approved" Vendor" and direction on how a vendor can contact DPA Division of Public Assistance to become an approved vendor.
Corrected SSI Supplemental Security Income definition.
MS 3001-1 APPLICATION FORM AVAILABILITY
Updated the HAP Heating Assistance Program season start-up application mailing dates for the elderly, disabled, families with young children, and all other previous season participants.
MS 3001-2G COMPLETE APPLICATION
Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
Removed requirement for all adults in the household to sign the application.
MS 3001-2H TRIBAL APPLICATIONS
Replaced reference to "mixed" household with "household containing both Native and non-Native members." This aligns with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Removed definition "head of household" since this term is defined in section 3000-2 .
Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.
MS 3001-4A VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL APPLICATIONS
Updated note with explanation of why DPA Division of Public Assistance requires both the fuel and electric billing statements.
MS 3001-4C HEAT OR RENT COST
Removed reference to not needing a copy of the rental agreement for the client's file, as all submitted documentation is now scanned into ILINX.
Changed reference from " HAP Heating Assistance Program staff" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3001-4H INFORMATION FROM DATA SYSTEMS AND EIS Eligibility Information System INTERFACES
Changed section title from "Use of Interface DPA Division of Public Assistance s" to "Information from Data Systems and EIS Eligibility Information System Interfaces" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Updated section to mirror DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3001-4J QUESTIONABLE INFORMATION
Changed reference from " ET Eligibility Technician " to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3001-5A ENTERING APPLICATIONS
Referred to and provided link to Administrative Procedures Manual, Section 101-7 .
MS 3001-5C EXPEDITE PROCESSING OF THE APPLICATION
Added SRHUD Subsidized Rental Housing Utility Deposit applications to the expedite processing criteria, since mention of expediting this type of application was removed from MS 3001-5A .
MS 3001-5D CHANGES REPORTED TO DPA Division of Public Assistance
Inserted new subsection to address changes reported and additional applications received before a case decision is made, to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3001-5E APPROVING THE APPLICATION
Renumbered subsection from 3001-5D to 3001-5E to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPA Division of Public Assistance ."
MS 3001-5F PENDING THE APPLICATION
Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5E to 3001-5F to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPA Division of Public Assistance ."
Added reference to submitted documentation being filed electronically in ILINX.
Added incorrect timeframe for the initial pend notice as a reason for re-pending the application.
MS 3001-5G DENYING THE APPLICATION
Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5F to 3001-5G to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPA Division of Public Assistance ."
MS 3001-5H REASONS FOR DENYING AN APPLICATION
Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5G to 3001-5H to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPA Division of Public Assistance ."
Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.
Removed example of wording used in a denial notice for a client living in a temporary shelter. This information should be referenced in a job aid.
Removed example of wording used in a denial notice for a client who is eligible to be served by Tribal LIHEAP Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program . This information should be referenced in a job aid.
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3002-1A TYPES OF HOUSEHOLDS
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Changed how benefits are issued to a deceased client's account to align with functionality limitations of ECOS Energy Community Online System .
Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.
Changed reference from "putting" documentation in the client's file to "uploading" it into ILINX.
Added reference to the "mixed" household definition when describing a household in which only a portion of the household members receive public assistance.
Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
Removed the option for parents to choose who will claim the children in a shared custody situation because children are included in the first application received for the program year.
MS 3002-1C IDENTITY
Changed the reference from a person "making" an application to "listed as head of household" on the application.
Removed requirement for a copy of the head of household's ID Identification to be on file. This section lists out all the acceptable forms of identity verification.
MS 3002-1D CITIZENSHIP AND ELIGIBLE ALIEN STATUS
Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
Removed reference to "pend application for 30 days when requesting US citizenship verification." The 30 day pend is the standard pend period for all initial HAP Heating Assistance Program pends.
Added the requirement to validate citizenship documentation through IEVS Instant Eligibility Verification System when aliens are listed in the household, to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003 INCOME
Moved reference to garnishments to HAP Heating Assistance Program MS 3003-1C Garnishments to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Moved reference to recoupments to HAP Heating Assistance Program MS 3003-2A Non-Countable (Exempt) Income to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003-1B UNEARNED INCOME
Removed recouped UIB Unemployment Insurance Benefits benefits as countable unearned income. This type of income is not countable.
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003-1C GARNISHMENTS
Added subsection for garnishments to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003-2A NON-COUNTABLE (EXEMPT) INCOME
Added October 31, 2021 expiration date to the exemption of the 2020 Census income, to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Added recoupments as a type of non-countable income to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals and renumbered section to accommodate added noncountable income category.
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Added major disaster and emergency assistance as non-countable income, to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003-3 SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT
Replaced reference to obsolete DOL Department of Labor screen with reference to current DOL Department of Labor / SAM Secure Access Manager screen.
MS 3003-4E SELF-EMPLOYMENT ANNUALIZATION STANDARD
Updated self-employment annualization standards.
Changed reference from 'worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3003-6 GUIDELINES FOR COMPUTING INCOME
Removed reference to obsolete system codes.
MS 3004-1 ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION TIME FRAMES
Updated HAP Heating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
Removed "as soon as possible" from the processing time frames guidelines. Required processing time frames remain outlined within the section.
MS 3004-2 ASSISTANCE CATEGORIES
Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system.
MS 3004-3 DWELLING TYPE AND FACTOR
Added duplex and triplex units to the two-bedroom single family home dwelling type.
MS 3004-5 GRANT COMPUTATION
Removed reference to the division when explaining how to calculate the HAP Heating Assistance Program grant.
Added duplex and triplex units to the two-bedroom single family home dwelling type.
Named the heating assistance software ( ECOS Energy Community Online System ) referenced in this section.
Updated FY Fiscal Year 2021 to FY Fiscal Year 2022.
Updated the income and price per point for FY Fiscal Year 2022 referenced in the examples.
MS 3005-1A CRITERIA FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING
Added exception requiring the caseworker to attempt to obtain verification of disconnect through the vendor if disconnect notice is not provided with application.
MS 3005-1B EXPEDITED TIMEFRAMES
Updated HAP Heating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
Removed reference to the first payment issuance date of November 1 as there will no longer be a payment delay at the beginning of the season.
MS 3005-2 EXPEDITED PROCESSING FOR HOUSEHOLD WITH ELDERLY OR DISABLED MEMBERS
Changed reference from " HAP Heating Assistance Program worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Added caveat removing the expedite entitlement in future years if a client fails to provide requested information that was temporarily waived in order to resolve an emergency situation. This aligns with the SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program manual.
MS 3007 SPECIALIZED PROCEDURES
Removed the introductory statement since it described standard procedure for all public assistance case types.
MS 3007-1 ECOS Energy Community Online System ALERT CODES - THIS SECTION WILL BE UPDATED ONCE ECOS Energy Community Online System IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL
Removed section. ECOS Energy Community Online System does not issue alert codes.
Renumbered subsequent subsections.
MS 3007-1 SUBSIDIZED HEAT AND APPLICATION PROCESSING
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Removed reference to obsolete system codes.
Converted subsections to bullets. Subsections became significantly shorter after removing the obsolete system code references.
MS 3007-2A MUTUAL HELP
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3007-2B LOW INCOME TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS (LITC)
Changed reference from "worker" to caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3007-4 OTHER UNIQUE SITUATIONS
Removed subsection as all situations are discussed in HAP Heating Assistance Program MS Manual Section 3002-1A .
MS 3008-1 TIMEFRAMES FOR ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS
Updated timeframe and payment information from November 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
Removed reference to issuing payments prior to the program start date for disaster proclamations. The new HAP Heating Assistance Program season is now a year long program.
Removed reference to SRHUD Subsidized Rental Housing Utility Deposit s being payable throughout the year. The new HAP Heating Assistance Program season is now a year long program.
MS 3008-2A HEATING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THE PURCHASE OF:
Changed "oil" to "fuel" as oil is not the only fuel type used for home heating.
Removed requirement for the vendor notice to spell out what can be purchased with a grant issued for a client who self-harvests wood. These clients will be issued a direct payment.
MS 3008-2B HEATING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS CANNOT BE USED FOR:
Changed "oil" to "fuel" as oil is not the only fuel type used for home heating.
MS 3008-3A DISTRIBUTION OF GRANT BETWEEN HEATING AND ELECTRICITY
Removed redundant sentence regarding the 75/25 benefit split option.
MS 3008-4A VENDOR PAYMENT
Removed reference to obsolete system codes.
Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
Removed note regarding issuing a direct payment for the first year when the client uses a non-approved vendor. New policy requires the caseworker to notify dpapolicy@alaska.gov and await further instruction when this situation arises.
Removed note referring to the Direct Payment log. This log is no longer in use.
Removed reference to "Two-Party Payment." This payment type is no longer an option.
MS 3008-6 GRANT TRANSFER
Changed reference from "furnace" to "heating system" as a furnace is not the only type of heating system used to heat a home.
Changed references of "supervisor" to "sending an email to dpapolicy@alaska.gov " when determining when a grant may be transferred from one vendor to another.
MS 3009 FAIR HEARINGS
Removed the detailed fair hearing process and provided link to Administrative Procedures Manual Section 117 , to align with DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3011 FRAUD
Replaced current content with policy written in DPA Division of Public Assistance 's other program manuals.
MS 3012 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND CO STS
Updated administrative and direct program costs table.
Addendum B HAP Heating Assistance Program TRIBAL PROVIDERS
Changed FY Fiscal Year 2020 to FFY Federal Fiscal Year 2022.
Addendum E FEDERAL POVERTY INCOME GUIDELINES
Changed FFY Federal Fiscal Year 2021 to FFY Federal Fiscal Year 2022.
Updated HAP Heating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
Updated FPL Federal Poverty Level income guidelines.
Addendum F HOUSING AUTHORITY CONTACT INFORMATION
Updated housing authority contact information.