Fiscal Year 1996: DHR Documents by Issue Date

Issue Date: 7/24/1995
Control #: 96-01
Subject: Waiver for Handling Food Stamp Claims
Effective Date: 7/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9601.pdf

This transmittal is to notify local departments of approval by the Food and Consumer Service (FCS) of a waiver to allow local departments to discard inadvertent household error ( I H E ) and administrative error (AE) claims under $100.

Issue Date: 7/26/1995
Control #: 96-02
Subject: Form DHR/IMA689 - Choosing your Food Stamp Head of Household
Effective Date: 7/26/1995
Program(s) Affected:
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9602.pdf

Action Transmittal #94-33 provided instructions for allowing food stamp households that have a parent with children in the home to select that parent as head of household. The form that the household uses to confirm that choice was printed, but never distributed. The DHR Warehouse will send forms to your agency the week of July 10, 1995.

Issue Date: 7/31/1995
Control #: 96-03
Subject: AIMS OTO Data Entered on Saturday
Effective Date: 8/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: AFDC, AFDC-UP, GPA-PW, FS
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9603.pdf

Local Departments of Social Services staff working on weekends are completing OTO issuance ( AIPO , AIPI , AIFO , and AIFI ) transactions. Data entry operators are then processing these OTOs on the weekends. Usually, only one benefit or check is issued. However, this can generate two benefit issuances and an overpayment.

Issue Date: 8/21/1995
Control #: 96-04
Subject: AFDC Overpayments - ATMS
Effective Date: 10/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: AFDC
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9604.pdf

At times an ATM will make an error which allows the recipient to receive too much cash. When this happens, there is an AFDC overpayment. This transmittal outlines the procedures for handling these overpayments.

Issue Date: 9/13/1995
Control #: 96-05
Subject: Food Stamp Mass Change - October 1995
Effective Date: 10/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9605.pdf

This transmittal is to notify local departments of social services of the increases in some food stamp deductions and maximum allotments. These increases are pending Federal legislation.

Issue Date: 9/18/1995
Control #: 96-06
Subject: Medical Expense Reporting and Verification
Effective Date: 9/18/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9606.pdf

This obsoletes Action Transmittal OPA 95-11 dated August 1, 1994, which notified local departments of the simplified reporting requirements for eligible households to claim the excess medical expense deduction.

Issue Date: 9/20/1995
Control #: 96-08
Subject: Vehicles
Effective Date: 10/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9608.pdf

This transmits the increase in the fair market value exclusion for vehicles to $4600.

Issue Date: 9/25/1995
Control #: 96-09
Subject: Child Support Deduction
Effective Date: 10/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9609.pdf

This provides policy to implement the child support deduction.

Issue Date: 9/25/1995
Control #: 96-07
Subject: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disablility Insurance (SSDI) Payments Based on Drug Addiction and/or Alcoholism (DAA)
Effective Date: 9/25/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9607.pdf

Applicants for SSI and SSDI disability payments must usually wait several months before they are approved to receive payment. The first payment was a lump-sum amount that included retroactive payments back to the month of application. The lump-sum amount for the retroactive payment was counted as a nonrecurring lump-sum payment and excluded as income for food stamps because it was always given in one payment.

Issue Date: 9/28/1995
Control #: 96-10
Subject: Changes in the Maryland Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS)
Effective Date: 9/25/1995
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9610.pdf

On December 4 , 1995, The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will convert from the current Maryland Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) to MMIS-11.

Issue Date: 10/1/1995
Control #: 96-05
Subject: tables
Effective Date: 10/1/1995
Program(s) Affected:
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9605a.pdf

COUPON ALLOTMENTS BY HOUSEHOLD S I Z E MONTtlLY NET : NUMBER OF PERSONS I N THE HOUSEHOLD

Issue Date: 10/16/1995
Control #: 96-11
Subject: Maryland Energy Assistance program (MEAP) FY'96 Operations
Effective Date: 11/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: All IMA Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9611.pdf

The Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) will begin taking applications on November 1, 1995 for the 1995-1996 heating season. This memo will address the major MEAP-related issues that will affect Local Departments of Social Services this year. Please take special note of Part E: "EAFC Interface with MEAP and USPP", Part F: MEAP Outreach through Cooperation Efforts of IMA and LDSS's, and the "Action Required" section at the end of this transmittal.

Issue Date: 10/26/1995
Control #: 96-13
Subject: Child Support Deduction
Effective Date: 10/26/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9613.pdf

This provides a corrected page to Action Transmittal IMA OPA #96-09 issued September 25, 1995.

Issue Date: 11/6/1995
Control #: 96-12
Subject: Revised State Review Team (SRT) - Procedures
Effective Date: 11/6/1995
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9612.pdf

This action transmittal outlines changes in Local Department of Social Services (LDSS) and State Review Team (SRT) procedures and guidelines in the following areas: 1. Establishes client eligibility notification procedures for wwnot disabledfw. 2. Clarifies when to submit HIV/AIDS cases to SRT. 3. Explains when additional documentation is needed for Medical Assistance retroactive period requests. 4. Clarifies appeals procedures involving SRT disability decisions. 5. Establishes procedures for handling the Medical Evaluation Form (DHR/IMA 402B) with a less than 12 month period of disability or evidence of current work activity.

Issue Date: 11/6/1995
Control #: 96-15
Subject: Revised 402 and 4204 Medical Forms
Effective Date: 11/6/1995
Program(s) Affected: All Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9615.pdf

This transmittal will outline the use of revised medical report forms 402 and 4204. These revised forms will reduce time needed to determine individuals disabled for Income Maintenance programs and Supplemental Security Income. These revised forms will collect, at the beginning of the process, pertinent medical information regarding a person's disability to assist in making determinations quickly and accurately.

Issue Date: 11/9/1995
Control #: 96-16
Subject: Food Stamp Eligibility for Persons Residing in Group Living Arrangements
Effective Date: 11/9/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9616.pdf

This transmittal supersedes Action Transmittal IMA OPA 95-60 issued June 23, 1995, and IMA OPA 94-43 issued June 29, 1994, and Information Memo OPA 92-04 issued July 1, 1991. An overview of the food stamp policy relating to group living arrangements (GLA) is provided, including specific information affecting recipients receiving Public Assistance to Adults (PAA) households.

Issue Date: 11/9/1995
Control #: 96-17
Subject: Inaccessible Resources
Effective Date: 11/9/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9617.pdf

This expands the criteria by which property can be considered inaccessible to households in the calculation of their resources.

Issue Date: 11/13/1995
Control #: 96-18
Subject: Identifying and Serving POC Self Initiatied Clients and AFDC Recipients Working and Exempt
Effective Date: 11/6/1995
Program(s) Affected: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Purchase of Child Care (POC)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9618.pdf

This Action Transmittal outlines procedures for identifying and serving AFDC clients in need of Purchase of Child Day Care (POC) services who are POC self initiated or working and exempt from PI participation.

Issue Date: 11/17/1995
Control #: 96-19
Subject: Decrease in the Standard Deduction
Effective Date: 12/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9619.pdf

This transmittal notifies local departments of a decrease in the standard deduction

Issue Date: 11/22/1995
Control #: 96-20
Subject: Social Security (RSDI) and SSI Cost-of-Living Increases, and Related Increases
Effective Date: 11/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: All Categories of Public Assistance, Food Stamps, Non-PA Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9620.pdf

Historically, Social Security (Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance - RSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits have increased each year. This is usually true for Railroad Retirement and Veterans Benefits also. Generally, to take these changes into account for grant and Food Stamp purposes, the affected cases are processed according to mass change procedures as described herein. For medical assistance purposes, the impact of these benefit increases is also described in this Action Transmittal.

Issue Date: 12/4/1995
Control #: 96-21
Subject: MMIS-II Implementation/CARES
Effective Date: 12/4/1995
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9621.pdf

The following Action Transmittal is an addendum to AT 96-10 issued on 9 / 2 8 / 9 5 regarding changes in the Maryland Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) as they related to Non-CARES transactions. The aforementioned transmittal outlined new procedures effective 1 2 / 4 / 9 5 in Section 111. This action transmittal should be used in conjunction with AT 96-10 in reference to those new procedures as they relate to CARES transactions.

Issue Date: 12/15/1995
Control #: 96-25
Subject: Medical Assistance Decision Dates ("C" Codes)
Effective Date: 1/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC, AFDC-UP, and MA
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9625.pdf

Whenever action is taken to cancel an AFDC case, action must also be taken on medical assistance. If the ineligible AFDC case is also determined to no longer be eligible for medical assistance, the medical assistance coverage is canceled by entering a "C" in the AIMS field MA DECISION.AFDC cases that are canceled, but still eligible for medical assistance include cases entitled to the AFDC/MA extension, cases that require a NPA/MA redetermination, and cases that have moved to a new jurisdiction and are entitled to have medical assistance benefits continued until a redetermination has been done. These cases have the medical assistance coverage continued by entering a "N" in the AIMS field MA DECISION. Cases coded with a "N" require an 8000 form to close or change the category of medical assistance as part of the redetermination process. If an AFDC case is closed and it is necessary to rescind the closing, an 8000 is required to reopen the medical assistance, if the closing is rescinded after the date that DHMH has been notified through the automated process. The date that DHMH is notified is the 'IC1I Tape Cut-off Date. This Action transmittal lists the 'IC" Tape dates for 1996.

Issue Date: 12/15/1995
Control #: 96-23
Subject: 1996 Schedule for Bonus Issuance
Effective Date: 1/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC, AFCD-UP, and Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9623.pdf

The schedule for the child support bonus benefit issuance is attached. Local departments that use the PC Diskette Child Support system are to contact Margaret Fowler at 767-7266 if they experience problems with meeting time-lines for submitting the diskettes. In local departments that are up on CARES, the child support bonus benefit will continue to be available on the same date that the AFDC benefit is available during the first week in the month. Resolve any questions or problems by calling the OIM HELP desk at 1-800-347-1350 or (410) 767-7002.

Issue Date: 12/18/1995
Control #: 96-22
Subject: National Voter registration Act of 1993
Effective Date: 12/1/1995
Program(s) Affected: All Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9622.pdf

This Action Transmittal restates the requirements of NVRA and makes AT 95-39 obsolete. Additionally, effective December 1, 1995, state level coordination of voter registration activities will transfer from the Office of Policy Administration to the Office of Quality Assurance. Finally, the Voter Registration Report (DHR 779), was modified to capture the full range of voter registration activities taking place in the local department of social services. The expanded reporting format of the DHR 779 is not an indication of incomplete reporting in the past. Instead, the added information demonstrates our comprehensive effort to implement voter registration.

Issue Date: 12/22/1995
Control #: 96-26
Subject: Disqualification Penalties
Effective Date: 2/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9626.pdf

This transmittal notifies local departments of a change in policy regarding disqualification penalties.

Issue Date: 1/26/1996
Control #: 96-27
Subject: TEMHA Redesign
Effective Date: 1/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Transactional Emergency, Medical, and Housing Assistance (TEMHA)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9627.pdf

This Action Transmittal will introduce the redesigned Transitional Emergency, Medical, and Housing Assistance (TEMHA) program to be known, henceforth, as TEMHA 11. Contents are presented in a format that approximates the AIMS, CARES and Programs Manuals and will serve to establish the policy guidelines for TEMHA 11. This takes precedence over materials used in training and obsoletes Action Transmittal #95-57.

Issue Date: 2/5/1996
Control #: 96-29
Subject: Redeterminations of Medical Assistance Eligibility
Effective Date: 2/5/1996
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9629.pdf

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's (DHMH) System and Operations Administration is experiencing delays in supplying local departments with the monthly runs of labels required to process redeterminations of Medical Assistance eligibility. As a result of these delays, local department staff have been unable to perform the required redeterminations of eligibility prior to the end of customers' certification periods. This has placed the local departments in the position of having to choose to either close cases or allow them to automatically recertify on MMIS-11. In CARES jurisdictions this situation applies to programs not on CARES (i.e., MD. Kids Count, SLIMBY, Pharmacy Assistance, etc.)

Issue Date: 2/7/1996
Control #: 96-28
Subject: Joint Application Processing
Effective Date: 2/7/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9628.pdf

Maintenance Administration remind all local IM staff of the joint application processing requirements for Food Stamps provided for by the Food Stamp Act of 1977. The Social Security Administration is reaffirming existing procedures to SSA offices also.

Issue Date: 3/22/1996
Control #: 96-31
Subject: Food Stamp Categorical Eligibility for Recipients of Public Assistance to Adults
Effective Date: 3/22/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9631.pdf

Local departments were informed of food stamp eligibility for certain Public Assistance to Adults (PAA) recipients living in group living arrangements in Action Transmittal IMA OPA 95-60 dated June 23, 1995, which was subsequently superseded by IMA OPA 96-16.The Food and Consumer Service (FCS) recently provided the following clarification regarding categorical eligibility for these customers.

Issue Date: 4/1/1996
Control #: 96-40
Subject: Retro Medicaid Copy
Effective Date: 4/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9640.pdf

The Help Desk has identified a problem with the Retro Medicaid Copy function. When an applicant applies for Medical Assistance and requests coverage for up to three months prior to the application month, Retro Medicaid Copy is used. CARES will allow this only for new Assistance Units (AU's). If the screener or worker selects a prior Medical Assistance AU number that was either active or denied on CARES, Retro Medicaid Copy is not allowed.

Issue Date: 4/16/1996
Control #: 96-33
Subject: Referrals to the Central Collection Unit (CCU) , Federal Tax Refund Offset Program (FTROP), and Federal Salary Offset Program (FSOP)
Effective Date: 4/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC and Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9633.pdf

This transmittal discusses ways to improve local departments' use of CCU's services. Additionally, it presents information about the new regulation regarding FTROP and FSOP, which were published at 60 FR 45990.

Issue Date: 4/16/1996
Control #: 96-34
Subject: Student Eligibility
Effective Date: 2/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9634.pdf

The Food and Consumer Service provided information about the Final Rule regarding student eligibility. Most of the provisions were implemented effective February 1, 1992, and were included in part 5 of IMA Action Transmittal OPDS 92-33 dated January 14, 1992. The Final Rule includes minor changes related to work study.

Issue Date: 4/16/1996
Control #: 96-35
Subject: Restoring Food Stamp Benefits to PAA Recipients in Group Living Arrangements
Effective Date: 4/16/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9635.pdf

This transmittal provides policy and procedures for restoring food stamp benefits to Public Assistance to Adults recipients living in Group Living Arrangements (PAA) (GLA ) .

Issue Date: 4/19/1996
Control #: 96-36
Subject: MA Extensions and Pregnant Women and Children
Effective Date: 4/19/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC, AFDC-UP, MA, MA-PWC
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9636.pdf

Eligibility for MA extensions after the first six months is based on the customer's earned income falling below 185% of the federal poverty level. The federal poverty level is adjusted anually in February.

Issue Date: 5/17/1996
Control #: 96-39
Subject: Verification of Reported Changes
Effective Date: 6/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9639.pdf

When the Food Stamp Act of 1977 was first implemented, Maryland chose the options for verification requirements and change reporting procedures. Because of recent workload reduction efforts, change reporting procedures have been modified.

Issue Date: 5/21/1996
Control #: 96-30 revised
Subject: Designation of Demonstration Project Groups 14 day Delay Child Specific Benefit
Effective Date: 5/21/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9630rev.pdf

Action Transmittal MA OPA #96-30 issued on March 20,1996, was amended on March 29, 1996. Because of the number of questions received fiom local departments concerning the Child Specific Benefit initiative, that Action Transmittal is being reorganized and revised to include those issues. This REVISED IMA OPA 96-30 replaces the original Action Transmittal.

Issue Date: 6/1/1996
Control #: 96-38
Subject: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Forms 206N and 216
Effective Date: 6/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9638.pdf

The Maryland Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS-11) is designed primarily for electronic interfaces with the CARES system. As a result, transactions from Non-CARES jurisdictions, which require manual data entry on the MMIS-I1 system, can become extremely cumbersome and time consuming if all pertinent eligibility data for a recipient is not received by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) simultaneously. Specifically, this is in regard to the DHMH Forms 206N and 216.

Issue Date: 6/3/1996
Control #: 96-41
Subject: Comprehensive Program Review System (CPRS) For AIMS Jurisdictions
Effective Date: 6/17/1996
Program(s) Affected: All
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9641.pdf

A workgroup of local supervisors and DHR staff has developed a CASE REVIEW SYSTEM called the Comprehensive Program Review System (CPRS) to replace the Supervisory Review System (SRS).

Issue Date: 6/17/1996
Control #: 96-56
Subject: AFDC-PW Special Needs Benefit
Effective Date: 6/17/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC-PW
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9656.pdf

In CARES, the calculation of an AFDC-PW grant is based on the GPA-PW standard. The GPA-PW parameter was changed to $125 on June 14, 1996. As a result of the GPA-PW grant reduction, CARES will not correctly calculate AFDC-PW. It will not recognize that a customer should receive the Special Needs Benefit and will subsequently pay only $179 (AFDC grant for 1 person plus Prenatal Need supplement). The AFCD-PW Special Needs and Prenatal Nutrition Benefits will be eliminated effective August 1, 1996, reducing the AFDC-PW grant amount to $165.

Issue Date: 7/5/1996
Control #: 96-42
Subject: Transitional Emergency, Medical, and Housing Assistance (TEMHA)
Effective Date: 7/5/1996
Program(s) Affected: Transitional Emergency, Medical, and Housing Assistance (TEMHA)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9642.pdf

This memo provides reminders and policy clarifications for Transitional Emergency, Medical, and Housing Assistance (TEMHA).

Issue Date: 7/25/1996
Control #: 96-32
Subject: DHMH and AIMS/CARES Death List Match
Effective Date: 7/25/1996
Program(s) Affected: AFDC, Food Stamps, Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9632.pdf

As Action Transmittals are distributed tothe local department, they are forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA recently requested OPA to clarify several Food Stamp instructions given in Action Transmittal 96-32 DHMH and AIMS/CARES DEATH LIST MATCH. The revised text is underlined.

Issue Date: 7/25/1996
Control #: 96-37
Subject: Update of Food Stamp Manual Section 403
Effective Date: 7/25/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9637.pdf

Issue Date: 7/29/1996
Control #: 96-37 revised
Subject: Update of Food Stamp Manual section 403
Effective Date: 7/29/1996
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9637rev.pdf

Action Transmittal IMA OPA #96-37, issued April 30, 1996, advised of the USDA Food and Consumer Service (FCS) request to update the Client Rights and Responsibilities Section of the Food Stamp Manual. FSC has reviewed the Action Transmittal and based on that review, an amendment to include additional information is necessary. This revised IMA OPA Action Transmittal replaces and obsoletes IMA OPA #96-37.

Issue Date: 12/15/1996
Control #: 96-24
Subject: 1996 Benefit Issuance Schedule and AIMS Cut-Off Dates
Effective Date: 1/1/1996
Program(s) Affected: Public Assistance and Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/9624.pdf

The benefit issuance schedules for 1996 for the AIMS system and CARES system are attached. Also attached is the schedule for the 1996 AIMS cut-off dates for the public assistance and food stamp programs.