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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES HANDLING CHANGES

10/24 VOLUME V, PART XIV, PAGE 13

The transferring agency must deliver the intact case file to the receiving agency by certified mail, by authorized courier service, or hand delivery by local agency personnel. The transferring agency must obtain a receipt for the case file from the receiving agency. Note: If the transferring and receiving agency both use a compatible electronic filing system, the transferring agency may share the case information electronically if that is acceptable to the receiving agency. If the receiving agency does not use an electronic filing system, the transferring agency must print the case information and send the documents to the receiving agency.

d. Case Transfer Process for the Receiving Agency

Within five days of receiving a case file transferred from another Virginia locality, the receiving agency must review the case file and determine the continued eligibility and benefit level. The household is not required to report or verify any eligibility elements that may have changed because of the move beyond the mandatory reporting elements (i.e., income that exceeds the gross income level and number of work hours for persons whose benefits would be time-limited).

The receiving agency will be responsible for all future processes related to the transferred case, including such actions as but not limited to, sending the Notice of Expiration for the end of the certification period, receiving applications for continued benefits, establishing claims or providing restoration, or responding to quality assurance or hearing officer requests.

The receiving agency must not return a case transferred to it unless the case was sent to the incorrect locality. The receiving agency must not return a case even if the case was not eligible for transfer as noted in section b above.

B. CHANGES REPORTED BY AN APPLICANT HOUSEHOLD WHILE AN APPLICATION IS PENDING

Households must report required changes, as outlined in Part XIV.A.1, no later than 10 days after receiving the Notice of Action to approve the application. If households report any changes before the application is processed however, the BPS must act on that information using the following steps.

1. Assess the information to determine applicability to the month of application or a subsequent period.

2. Determine if verification is needed. If verification of the element is needed, as per Part III.A and Part III.E, request the information from the household. Send a revised verification checklist, allowing the household 10 days to supply the verification.

If this 10-day period would cause the application to be held more than 30 days, extend the processing time, even if all other verification/information has already been provided. If the household provides the verification on or before the 10th day, the household would receive

TRANSMITTAL #35