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203.4 - 203.5 TANF MANUAL 7/20 Page 3

203.4 AUTHORIZATION FOR TANF-EA - Emergency Assistance must be authorized during a period not to exceed thirty consecutive days within any twelve consecutive months. This thirty-day period begins with the date of the first authorization of payment by agency action. Payment may cover specified needs arising prior to the date of authorization, retroactive to the date the emergency occurred, as specified in Section 203.1 F. Payment also covers needs anticipated during the thirty-day period following the initial authorization of emergency assistance, provided it is established that such need will continue to exist for that period.

If it is established at a later date within the thirty-day period that other allowable needs exist, additional payments may be authorized within the time limit up to the maximum specified in Section 203.2. Upon action to approve or deny the EA application, the applicant must be notified immediately that assistance has been authorized, including the amount of the money payment, or that his application has been denied. The notice must include a statement of the reasons for the action and an explanation of the individual's right to appeal. The Notice of Action must be used to notify the applicant of approval, denial, or delay beyond the time standard. If the EA application is approved, the notice must include the POI information for the applicant. The VaCMS does not generate a Notice of Action for EA applications. Therefore, the worker must send the manual Notice of Action (032-03-0017) and upload a copy to DMIS.

203.5 REFERRAL FOR SERVICE - In all cases in which EA is requested, referral must be made to staff or other appropriate agency for any other services that meet needs attributable to the emergency.

TANF Transmittal 68