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All County Welfare Directors Letter No.: 20-10 Page 8 April 30, 2020

• Past declarations made by the applicant/beneficiary known by the county

• Request for Tax Household Information (RFTHI) form Signature Requirements Counties shall continue to follow guidance on acceptable methods for form signatures as detailed in ACWDL 19-17. All forms that require a signature must have a signature, which includes telephonic signatures that the CEW may obtain over the phone. Per ACWDL 19-17, if the CEW has obtained a telephonic signature, the applicant/beneficiary is not also required to return the form with a wet signature.

Ex Parte Review Per Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 14013.3 and WIC 14005.37, prior to requesting additional information from an applicant or beneficiary, CEWs must first conduct a manual ex parte review of the case. As a reminder, counties are required to review all available applicant and beneficiary information in the attempt to obtain tax household information as a part of the manual ex parte review. This review may include, but is not limited to, information from other programs (i.e. CalWORKS and CalFresh) or previously reported information. The manual ex parte process shall not require individuals to provide any forms, documents, or other information or undergo verification that is duplicative or otherwise unnecessary. For further information on the ex parte process, counties may reference ACWDL 14-32.

Failure to Provide Tax Filing Information If an individual fails to provide tax filing information, counties shall continue to follow current policy guidance about failure to provide information. If at application, annual renewal, or change in circumstance redetermination, the CEW is unable to obtain the tax filing status, the CEW shall deny or discontinue the case for failure to provide requested tax household information. The CEW shall follow the policies and procedures on how to discontinue a case for failure to provide information located in ACWDLs 15- 27, 16-04, and 18-24. However, if an individual is unsure how they will file taxes in the year for which coverage is sought, CEWs shall use Non-Filer Rules per 42 C.F.R 435.603(f).

As outlined in ACWDL 15-27, the CEW shall provide specific information the individual failed to provide on the Notice of Action (NOA).