BIG CHANGE IN FAP REDETERMINATIONS

BIG CHANGE IN FAP REDETERMINATIONS
Under a new & clarified policy, DHS cannot immediately close a case just because DHS did not receive the Redetermination form or all the information requested on it by the due date.
Under federal law, DHS must give the recipient a chance to provide any missing information “late”. If certain things are missing, they must also inform the client what it is, such as “no proof of earnings” etc.
As of July 1, if the missing information has eventually been provided to DHS BEFORE the end of the current “certification period”, the case can be reopened without filing a new application. The certification period is usually at the end of the month in which the Redetermination form & proofs are due.
This policy should solve problems where the client states that he never got the Redetermination form & then receives a notice FAP is closed because he did not send in the form & verifications. If your client cannot reach his worker by phone to get a new form mailed in time, he can go to the DHS office. One of the workers in the lobby should be able to assist in filling out & filing a Redetermination form on the computers in the DHS office.
SOURCE: Friends of Oakland Co. Welfare Rights Organization, July-August 2013