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11206 Volume III | Chapter 11

MISSISSIPPI [ CONCILIATION, GOOD CAUSE AND

ADVERSE ACTION: GOOD CAUSE] supervisor. Contacting the case manager by phone is not acceptable for compliance. Use of the “CA” code is one of several options that the case manager has for resolving a conciliation. The conciliation may also be resolved by having the participant fully complete an orientation/assessment appointment or placing the participant in an activity. "CA" was added as a resolution code because there may be times when the participant receives the conciliation appointment letter on the tenth day and the case manager must send a compliance to MAVERICS immediately in order to prevent a case closure. The case manager should use discretion when resolving a conciliation with “CA.” Whenever “CA” is used as a resolution code, documentation of the face-to-face interview with the participant must be documented on the PACR screen. If the participant cannot complete orientation/assessment at the time of the interview, the participant must be scheduled for the next available session. (Scheduling an appointment for two (2) or more weeks into the future is not acceptable.) Once the conciliation resolution has been entered in JAWS, T013, TANF Resolution to a Disagreement, will be mailed to the participant. If the conciliation resolution fails or if the participant disagrees with the agency decision related to a denial of services or sanctions, he/she may request a fair hearing. Establishing a Pattern of Non-Cooperation Whenever the participant fails to comply or participate satisfactorily the case manager must schedule a conciliation in JAWS to ensure accountability and to establish a pattern of noncooperation. If the participant claims good cause but establishes a pattern of noncompliance (no more than three times), and the case manager does not feel that the participant is trying to comply or the participant’s actions do not demonstrate personal responsibility, a sanction will be applied. The case manager must use good judgment and base his/her decision on TANF policy and work program requirements when determining good cause. The case manager may apply the sanction whenever he/she feels that the situation warrants one. If the case manager and case manager supervisor believes the participant should be sanctioned during the first conciliation, the sanction should be applied. However, written documentation (including all written and oral communication between the case manager and the participant) to support the action must be filed in the participant’s case record. The “establishing a pattern” policy should be used as a guideline to deter the creation of multiple (four, five, six...) conciliation records by the case manager which allow the participant to continue to make excuses for his/her non-cooperation.