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Volume III | Chapter 7

THE APPLICATION PROCESS]

Revised 07-01-17

public institution, such as one of the state mental hospitals or one of the correctional facilities, the worker will contact the institution to determine when the child will be released from the institution. If the parent or other relative plans to move the child from the institution to his home within 30 days and the institution verifies the discharge plan, the county may process the application and hold for authorization until verification that the child is actually in the home. If the plans do not work out, deny the application. For SSI Involved Situations The parent or other relative in TANF has the right to make a choice between TANF and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and the eligibility worker is responsible for making as clear an explanation as possible of the advantages and disadvantages of each program. An individual receiving SSI cannot be included in a TANF budget; however, such an individual may be the grantee relative of TANF children. An individual potentially eligible for SSI may be included in the budget prior to receipt of SSI. When a TANF applicant indicates an interest in receiving SSI, the worker should: 1. Refer the individual to the Social Security Administration (SSA) to apply. 2. Ask the individual to let the worker know when an approval or denial notice is received. 3. Set an alert in MAVERICS or place a tickler in the file to follow up on this not later than the first week of the third month following the SSI application month. The EW may use the SSI on-line inquiry process to check the status of the application. Once approved for SSI benefits, the approval date, benefit amount, and any retroactive payment will be available online. For Addition of Individual to an Active Case The request for adding an individual to an active case is essentially an application for assistance. The individual for whom such a request is made has all the rights of an applicant to prompt action and accrual dates, to appeal a denial, etc. Exception: The rights of an individual added to an active case accrue on the first day of the system month following application. This means that the individual will be added to an active TANF case for the current system month, so rollover

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