The date and time of the home visit must be scheduled in advance with the household. This can be done either by telephone or letter.

402.4 Waiver of Face-to-Face Interview

While telephone interviews are the norm and are available to all applicants and recipients, there are instances where the local department must waive the face-to-face interview because of hardship situations.

These hardship situations include, but are not limited to:

Illness or disability,

Transportation difficulties,

Residency in a rural area,

Care of a household member,

Prolonged severe weather, or

Work or training hours that prevent a household from participating in a face-to-face interview.

There is no requirement to verify the hardship situation.

In hardship situations the case manager must waive the face-to-face interview at both application and recertification.

For Payment Accuracy: If you grant a waiver of the face-to-face interview, you must complete a telephone interview with a responsible household member or authorized representative prior to finalizing a case.

Be sure to narrate the case file to document when a household was granted a waiver of the face-to-face interview because of a hardship situation.

The waiver of the face-to-face interview must not affect the length of the certification period assigned.

The waiver of the face-to-face interview does not exempt the household from verification requirements.

402.5 Content of the Interview