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305.1 TANF MANUAL 10/11 Page 11

3. Time standards for reporting and acting on changes.

a. All required changes must be reported timely, within 10 calendar days from the date the change becomes known to the assistance unit but is reported timely if reported by the tenth day of the month after the change occurs.

If the recipient is uncertain of the exact date or amount of the change, then the 10-day reporting period begins the day the change occurs. The recipient is not required to have full knowledge of the change when reporting it to meet the 10- day requirement for timely reporting. For new employment, the 10-day period may begin as late as the first day of employment. Once the recipient reports a change, the EW must evaluate the information within 10 days for potential impact and request additional information and necessary verifications that address rate of pay, number of hours, and how often paid.

1. When a change will increase benefits, the verification required must be obtained prior to the second month following the change in order to reflect the change in that month. If the assistance unit does not provide verification, the assistance unit's benefits will revert to the original amount unless a refusal to cooperate is documented, in which case an advance notice must be sent to terminate the case. An advance notice is not required if benefits are reverted to the original level because verification was not received, and the assistance unit was so advised at the time of increase.

2. Whenever a change will decrease benefits, verification must be obtained prior to or at renewal.

3. When a change neither increases nor decreases benefits, required verifications must be obtained prior to or at renewal.

b. The worker is responsible for notifying the applicant/recipient when income must be verified. Income verification must be provided within 10 days of notification.

c. The worker must advise the applicant/recipient on the appropriate notice of the amount of gross income anticipated to be received, the net income counted in determining the payment, the payment month the net income will begin to be counted, and the changes that must be reported.

TANF Transmittal 48