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During the interview, staff must:

protect the household’s confidentiality and conduct the interview as a confidential discussion of household circumstances;

review the application and resolve unclear and incomplete information with the household;

advise the household of their rights and responsibilities, including the right to appeal, voter registration, work requirements and other general reminders;

advise the household of the application processing time frames;

advise the household of their responsibility to report changes; and

ensure that the address in the eligibility determination system reflects the household's current address.

Staff must take the following actions and provide the following referrals and information during the interview:

Verify that the household agrees the information is complete and correct on the application form and in the case documentation for household composition, income, and expenses.

Verify that the income and expense information from past periods including self-employment, accurately reflect the amounts that can be anticipated for future income and expenses. If the information is inaccurate, determine why it is inaccurate.

Determine if households with questionable or negative management can explain how the household's bills are paid.

Determine if households with other discrepancies in information that could affect eligibility can provide information to resolve those discrepancies.

Determine if households who have not provided all verification requested on Form H1020, Request for Information or Action , have a reason beyond their control that prevents the household from providing verifications. If a collateral source is designated, accept the household’s statement or use other forms of verification for the missing verifications.

Determine if income verification may be calculated based on year-to-date information from other paychecks provided by the household when income verification is missing for a particular pay period(s), rather than requesting it on Form H1020.

Refer the household to other state or local resources for types of assistance the household requested on the application form, such as childcare, child support, utilities, or rent, that are provided by other agencies.