1403 County Department Action on Timely Applications for Recertification

The county department shall act to provide uninterrupted benefits to any household determined eligible when the household timely filed an application, attended an interview in accordance with Section 1402 B, and submitted all necessary verification within 10 days from the county department’s request for the verification. The county department shall take action to provide uninterrupted benefits within the following time standards, even if, to meet these standards, the county department must provide an opportunity to participate outside of the normal issuance cycle: 1. Households that were certified for one month or certified for two months in the second month of the certification period and have met all required application procedures shall be notified of their eligibility or ineligibility and, if eligible, be provided an opportunity to participate no later than 30 calendar days after the date the household had an opportunity to obtain its last allotment. 2. For all other households that have met all required application procedures, the State agency shall approve or deny the application and notify the household of its determination by the end of the current certification period. a) If the last day of the certification period falls on a weekend or holiday, the application shall be denied on the first workday following the end of the certification period, provided the client was given at least ten days to provide any requested information. b) For households determined eligible, the county department shall provide an opportunity to participate by the household’s normal issuance cycle in the month following the end of its current certification period. 3. Any household not determined eligible in sufficient time to provide for issuance by their normal issuance date, due to the time period allowed for submitting any missing verification, shall receive an opportunity to participate, if eligible, within 5 working days after the household supplies the missing verification. 4. Households which have timely submitted an application for recertification but, due to county department error, as noted in Section 1404, are not determined eligible in sufficient time to provide for issuance by the household’s next normal issuance cycle shall receive an immediate opportunity to participate upon being determined eligible. 5. Timely applications may be reopened if the requested verification is received by the end of the calendar month following the end of the certification period, provided the household was interviewed during the last month of the current certification period. If the household was interviewed, but fails to provide needed verification, the application shall be processed to denial at the end of the current certification period. A manual notice of denial pending will be sent to the household informing them of the verification that is needed to reopen their case, and the timeframe for providing the needed information. If the household provides the requested verification within the calendar month following the end of their current certification period, the application shall be reopened and prorated benefits provided to the household, if eligible. If the household does not provide the requested verification, no further action shall be taken. The application will not be reopened if the household failed to keep an interview appointment scheduled before the end of the current certification period. Benefits shall be prorated from the date the requested verification is received.