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Volume III | Chapter 14

14206 INACTIVE CASES The Claims Management Unit and the Fraud Investigation Unit will continue to handle recoupment on inactive cases. The Fraud Investigation Unit (FI) and the MAVERICS-generated demand and delinquent notices will initiate action to locate and/or recover the overpayment from a former TANF recipient. A notice of improper payments paid to former TANF recipients is automatically mailed by MAVERICS when a claim is approved by the Claims Unit. RESPONSIBLE PERSONS FOR TANF CLAIMS All TANF recipients in the assistance unit (standard filing unit, including disqualified individuals) at the time the overpayment occurs are considered responsible for repayment of the claim. This means that children as well as the parent or the caretaker relative in the budget are responsible for repayment and claims must be transferred between cases as responsible persons move from one case to another. The priority of recovery action against overpaid TANF recipients looks to the caretaker relative recipient first to recover the overpayment because that person is generally responsible for the overpayment, (i.e., the person who receives and administers the TANF payment). However, if the caretaker relative is unavailable due to death or disappearance, then the state must seek recovery from other members of the overpaid assistance unit or their current assistance units. When an overpayment occurs, the state must take all reasonable steps necessary to promptly correct the benefit amount and recover the overpayment. Methods of overpayment recovery include: . Claim establishment by CMU approval or court order with - recoupment from the ongoing TANF grant or - direct case repayment by the responsible person(s) either by lump sum or monthly/periodic payments The overpayment recovery shall be from (in order of priority): 1. The assistance unit which was overpaid or Revised 09-01-10