(Revised 10/01 ML #2711)
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An application shall be considered as "received" on the date a signed application is received by the county social service board office. This is the "Application Date" which will be entered on the computer "Household Data" screen.
Applications from households that arrive before October 1 will be considered to have been received on October 1. The "Application date" will be entered as October 1 and the worker will have 45 days from October 1 to process the application.
"Notice of Action" must be completed by the county social service board representative, dated, and mailed to the applicant promptly or at least within 45 days from the date the county social service board received the signed application. The case record must document the cause of any delay.
The date the Notice is completed by the county social service board representative and "Date of Action," on the "Household Data" screen must coincide and will be compared with the application date to assure a total of 45 days is not exceeded.
If the application is incomplete, every attempt must be made by the county social service board to help the household obtain the necessary information to ensure prompt processing.
To speed the application process, an applicant has the right to submit the completed application form at any time, without being required to wait until a personal interview can be scheduled. This will allow the county social service board the opportunity to review the application and notify the applicant of any missing information or verification which must be provided before eligibility can be determined.
Upon receipt of a signed application, a pending case should be established in the LIHEAP computer system. Missing data may be added as it comes in.
Within 15 days of receipt of an incomplete application, the county social service office must provide the applicant with a written notice. The computer generated Request for Information letter on the Notice menu should be used.
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Clearly identifying missing information or verifications, and
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Identifying a deadline date after which the application will be denied because it is incomplete. This deadline date should be 30 days following receipt of the application.
Applications, including verifications, that are not completed within 30 days* of the date the application is received in the county office may be denied and the household invited to submit a new signed and dated application with verifications. (See 415-10-05-10 #1 for county office outreach responsibilities). However, if the applicant provides the necessary information and verifications before the county office has finished processing the denial (A "Notice of Action" is not completed and the case has not yet been entered on the computer file) and the 45 day processing time limit will not be exceeded, the applicant should not be required to complete a new application even though his 30 day deadline has passed. Once the case has been established on the computer as a denial, a new application is mandatory. (You may elect to use the short application, SFN 1295.)
For households that are recipients of some other form of economic assistance administered by the same county social service board office, only a short form of application (SFN 1295) will be required and all other information and documentation secured from the existing file, if available. Use of SFN 1295 in place of SFN 529 will be left to the discretion of the county social service board.
Summary of processing deadlines:
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Day #1: |
The 'clock' begins the day the signed application is received in the county office, even if it is not complete. This is the date used in the 'Application Date,' of the 'Household Data' screen. The 'pending' case is added to the LIHEAP computer file. |
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by Day #15: |
Notice of missing data or verifications and deadline has been provided to the applicant. |
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by Day #30:* |
The applicant must have returned all data and verifications. If not, and the county office has provided appropriate assistance to the applicant in completing the application, the application may be denied. |
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by Day #45: |
All case information and action taken has been added to the computer file. The 'Notice of Action' has been mailed.
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NOTE: #2 SFN 530 (Eligibility and Benefit Worksheet) must be signed and dated by the worker, where is says "Signature of CSSB Representative."
If the SFN 530 (Eligibility and Benefit Worksheet) is not used by a worker, then the worker needs to sign the application to show that they have determined eligibility.
