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EAP Policy Manual FFY23 Chapter 10 Incidents and Appeals Page 13 • Designating an Appeals Officer who will receive and respond to appeals. • A description of the internal Service Provider informal complaint and formal appeal review process. • Informing applicants about the Service Provider formal appeal process and notifying the applicant that the process may take 14 business days. Stage 1: Local Level Informal Complaint Applicants may initiate informal complaints verbally by phone, in person, or in writing by letter or e-mail. Complaints may address any aspect of the EAP program or local EAP Service Provider. Service Providers must discern or otherwise verify whether written correspondence is a question, complaint or a formal appeal. The first response to a complaint may be verbal, if this satisfies the applicant. In most instances an applicant is requesting an explanation regarding income, eligibility or benefit determination. Some complaints may not be appropriate for the EAP appeals process and may be addressed by the Service Provider’s local procedures. Stage 2: Local Level Formal Appeal Local level formal appeals must be initiated in writing before the Service Provider takes action. Service Providers must assist the applicant in advancing a written appeal if needed. Applicants have 30 calendar days once they receive their notification letter to file a written local level formal appeal. When a local level formal appeal is received, Service Providers must • Maintain documentation of events relating to the appeal, including records of telephone calls, e-mails, correspondence, envelopes for postmark and received stamps, etc. • Ensure the records are complete and all documents are present. • Review the issue and assess the facts in relation to EAP policies. • Respond in writing within 14 business days of receipt of a local level formal appeal. • Cite the State policies relevant to the appeal decision. • State the appeal decision and how the issue will be resolved, if applicable. • Include information on how to appeal to the next stage and provide the address of the Commerce /Energy Assistance Program, and the name and telephone number of the EAP Coordinator. • Send the response using certified mail “Return Receipt Requested.” • Implement the decision as needed. Local Level Formal Appeal Tracking Service Providers are required to maintain information on local level appeals using the Local Level Formal Appeals – Required Tracking Sheet. This spreadsheet must be used to track all local