9330 Client Requirements for Timeliness

9331 Application - For all programs, the application for review must be received by the 15th day of the last month of the review period. Households that were provided a notice of expiration at the time of food assistance approval as discussed in 9320 shall have 15 days from the date the notice is received or until the 15th day of the last month of review, whichever is longer.

9332 Interview (Food Assistance and TANF) - A timely interview is one that is conducted before the 15th day of the last month of the review period.

An interview for Food Assistance is required at the time of review, except for households in which all adult members are elderly or disabled and there is no earned income AND no changes have been reported on the review form. The agency is responsible for scheduling one interview (either telephone or face-to-face) for a review. Telephone interviews should be used unless there is a valid reason for a face-to-face interview, or if the household requests a face-to-face interview. See KEESM 1412.1.

For households in which all adult members are elderly or disabled and there is no earned income and no changes have been reported on the review form, the review can be processed without an interview, provided the household provides any required verification. An interview will be scheduled and conducted for any household in this category if:

• The household requests an interview; or
  
  
• There are outstanding issues or questions about the review process that must be addressed; or
  
  
• Any verifications are requested and not provided by the household.  
  
  

NOTE: No application for review in the targeted group can be denied without an attempt to schedule an interview. For example, if certain verifications are required and the household does not provide those verifications, an interview must be attempted first by a cold call, and then by an interview letter if the client cannot be reached by a cold call. If the client fails to complete the interview, then the review application can be denied. Other potential denials for excess income or excess resources will also require that an interview be scheduled before the review application can be denied. Denials for moving out-of-state would not require that an interview be scheduled, however.

In addition the agency must assure that the household understands the medical expense deduction and it is being allowed correctly. Any discrepancies noted on the application must be resolved prior to processing the review.

To implement this waiver the interview needs marked as exempt to ensure that the case is not auto closed for no interview.

Interviews are not required for TANF at review. However, interviews may be requested by the client or at the discretion of the EES worker. If requested by the worker, documentation as to the reason will be included in the narrative.

Timely interviews shall be conducted by the 15th of the last month of the review period. The requirement to have the interview conducted by the 15th of the last month of the review period may be waived on a case-by-case basis if the recipient is unable to complete the interview process due to hardship conditions. Failure on the part of the recipient to cooperate with the interview requirement shall render the entire mandatory filing unit ineligible for assistance.

When scheduling a telephone interview, a date and time for the telephone interview must be provided to the household. A two-hour window-of-time should be used when scheduling the telephone interview. A shorter window-of-time can be used, but a window-of-time longer than 2 hours cannot be used. If the client does not have a telephone, the agency can still schedule a telephone interview if the client is provided a two-hour window-of-time to call the caseworker for the interview.

Households which have timely filed an application for review but fail to complete an interview scheduled after the 15th day of the last month of the review period shall lose their right to uninterrupted benefits. Households which fail to complete an interview scheduled after the date the application has been submitted timely are responsible for rescheduling the interview. Households who return the application form after failing to complete an interview scheduled, must have another interview scheduled prior to denial for failure to show for an interview.

NOTE: Denials for failure to show for an interview take precedence over denials for failure to provide information. For food assistance, this means that if the applicant fails to complete the interview process and fails to provide information requested prior to the interview, the application cannot be denied for failure to provide information. It must instead be denied for failure to complete the interview process.

9333 Information/Verification - All information and/or verification shall be provided by the requested date. Clients must submit any required verification or additional information within 10 days from the date of the initial request in order to ensure the rights to uninterrupted benefits, provided the deadline to submit such verification does not occur prior to the date the application was timely filed.

Follow the verification requirements at initial application, (KEESM 1322), except that citizenship, non-citizen status, providing an SSN, residency, and identity, do not have to be reverified unless a change has been reported or it is questionable. At the time of review, if the appropriate section of the review application has not been completed, a new Purchase and Prepare Statement must be obtained (if applicable) if household composition or purchase and prepare arrangements have changed since the last time the form was completed and those changes are questionable.

For food assistance and TANF, check TALX and KDOL for any unreported current earned income/unemployment compensation. This only applies to household members ages 18 – 65. This also does not apply to persons getting SSI or Social Security Disability benefits.