section-ii APPLYING FOR OTHER GOVERNMENT BENEFITS

Based on the interview with the household and/or information gathered from the Online Verification System (OVS), a participant may be potentially eligible for other government benefits. If a participant is potentially eligible for other government benefits such as Social Security Benefits, Veterans Benefits, or Supplemental Security Income, they are required to apply for these benefits. A. Applying for UIB A participant is required to apply for Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UIB) as a condition of eligibility. If the individual meets the monetary eligibility criteria, the individual must file a claim. The case manager must review the current wage data in OVS for the last 12 months (four quarters). Refer to the Job Aid Unemployment Information: Claim Status Codes Defined for additional guidance. The monetary determination criteria for potential UIB eligibility are: 3 1. The individual must meet the minimum 12-month base period (four quarters) requirement. 2. The minimum base period wage requirement is currently $6,455.38 and is revised August 1st of each year. The individual must file a claim by using one of the following methods: 1. Register online at des.nc.gov; or 2. Register by calling the DES Customer Call Center at 888-737- 0259; or 3. Register in person at the local NC Works Career Center. Once the claim is filed, the claimant will receive the NC CLM 550, Wage Transcript and Monetary Determination form. This form may be used to verify the filed claim. A participant is not required to apply for UIB if the participant meets one of the following conditions: 1. Employed full-time as defined by the employer; 2. Registered for and attending school or on vacation during or between successive quarters or semesters; 3. Receiving or applying for benefits under any state or federal law based on temporary or permanent total disability; 4. Receiving a government or other pension, retirement, annuity, or other similar periodic payment that is more than the potential monthly UIB benefit; 5. Placed on disciplinary suspension by the employer. The participant is considered dismissed from the employment if there is a single disciplinary suspension that lasts more than 10 consecutive calendar days. The participant must then apply for UIB; or 6. Unavailable for work due to a medical condition, including childbirth, as verified by a health care provider’s statement. Refer to the Unemployment Information: Claim Status Codes defined Job Aid for guidance on how to read the OVS ESC claim status codes. B. Procedures for Applications and Ongoing Cases When the case manager determines a participant is required to apply for UIB or other government benefits, take the following actions. 4 1. Notify the participant via the DSS-8146A, Notice of Information Needed to Determine Your Eligibility for Work First Family Assistance, of the requirement to apply for UIB or other government benefits. Give the participant 12 calendar days to apply. 2. Inform the participant that if a disability makes it difficult to apply for these benefits, the agency will assist the participant in applying for those benefits as a reasonable accommodation. 3. Ask the family if they need help and document the response and the type of help/reasonable accommodation requested, offered and/or provided, if any, in the case record. 4. The participant must provide verification they have applied for UIB. Verify the application for other government benefits by contacting the source. If unable to obtain verification from the source, accept the family’s statement of application. 5. If the participant does not apply for UIB or other government benefits by the deadline date on the DSS-8146A, determine if there is good cause for the failure to do so. 6. If a participant is unable to complete the application for reasons related to a disability (such as difficulty with mobility, caring for a household member with a disability, or having a cognitive or learning disability that makes it difficult to read and complete the application), provide additional time to complete the application and provide agency assistance in doing so as a reasonable accommodation. 7. If there is not a determination of good cause for completing the requirement by the established deadline, deny the application. Refer to Section 119 for good cause clarification. 8. If the family member applies for UIB or other benefits by the deadline set, but has not begun receiving benefits, do not consider as income until the family member receives the benefits. 9. Do not delay application processing or applying other changes for an ongoing case if the only outstanding verification is the amount of the UIB or other benefit. Set a task in NC FAST to review the case for receipt of the benefit(s). Please see Job Aid titled: Creating Tasks. 5 10. If the participant has applied for and has already begun receiving the UIB or other government benefit, process the application or apply changes to the ongoing case.