Fiscal Year 2000: DHR Documents by Issue Date

Issue Date: 8/1/1999
Control #: 00-09
Subject: Informal Child Care Changes
Effective Date: 9/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Purchase of Child Care
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0009.pdf

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) consolidated all Federal child care funding. The legislation includes health and safety requirements for all types of child care and requires that states allow parental choice in the selection of all types of child care and requires that states allow parental choice in the selection of a child care provider. Parental choice has increased the use of informal care. To provide protection for children in informal care, the Child Care Administration has amended its regulations, policy and procedures to require Child Protective Services (CPS) clearances for informal providers and any adult regularly present in the provider's home during child care hours and limit to six the number of children in an informal provider's care.

Issue Date: 9/1/1999
Control #: 00-10
Subject: Temporary Cash Assistance and Food Stamp Mass Change - October 1999
Effective Date: 10/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance and Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0010.pdf

Each October, the United States Department of Agriculture publishes a new Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) on which food stamp program allotments are based. The net and gross monthly income standards increase effective October 1, 1999. The maximum food stamp allotments also increase. The excess shelter deduction, standard deduction and homeless shelter allowance are unchanged.

Issue Date: 9/9/1999
Control #: 00-12
Subject: Pickle Amendement
Effective Date: 9/9/1999
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0012.pdf

The Federal Law known as the Pickle Amendment establishes Medical Assistance Eligibility for former Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who received both SSI and Social Security Benefits (SSB) and would have maintained eligibility for SSI payment if their income were reduced by the total amount of the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA).

Issue Date: 10/1/1999
Control #: 00-13
Subject: Allowable MCO Disenrollments
Effective Date: 10/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance (MA)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0013.pdf

In April of 1996, the Maryland legislature passed Senate Bill 750. This bill directed the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to employ managed care principles to promote patient-focused, accessible services to Medicaid customers and to create a "medical home" for Medicaid recipients through which all medical care will be delivered. DHMH created HealthChoice.

Issue Date: 10/15/1999
Control #: 00-16
Subject: Medical Assistance De-Linking and Corrective Actions
Effective Date: 10/15/1999
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0016.pdf

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA) required many significant changes to the way in which states administered welfare programs. The most significant change was the elimination of AFDC replacing it with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). TANF provided for welfare grants to be fully administered by the states. A corollary to this change was the elimination of automatic or "categorical" eligibility for Medicaid to those families who receive welfare. Before PRWORA, all AFDC recipients were certified for Medicaid upon approval for AFDC, with no additional application or testing required. PRWORA eliminated the requirement that state grant Medicaid to all welfare recipients, but did permit sates the option of offering automatic eligibility for Medicaid to welfare recipients which is sometimes referred to as "de-linking," since it broke the link between receipt of welfare and receipt for Medicaid.

Issue Date: 10/15/1999
Control #: 00-15
Subject: Medical Assistance Retrospective Relief
Effective Date: 10/15/1999
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0015.pdf

Federal welfare reform legislation signed into law in August 1996 required that we determine eligibility for Medicaid separately from welfare. Unfortunately, as an unintended consequence of welfare reform, Medicaid eligibility was not always considered when denying or closing a TCA case. As a result, some families may not have received Medicaid benefits to which they're entitled. DHR and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) developed strategies to ensure that families who may have been incorrectly denied or closed have eligibility for Medicaid continued.

Issue Date: 11/1/1999
Control #: 00-07 Revised
Subject: Comprehensive Program Review System Modification
Effective Date: 11/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: All Family Investment Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0007.pdf

The Comprehensive Program Review System's (CPRS) primary purpose is to ensure program accuracy by assessing case manager's adherence to laws and regulations through the identification and correction of errors. Additionally, the system provides an effective management tool for evaluation, performance appraisals, and determining training needs.

Issue Date: 11/10/1999
Control #: 00-23
Subject: Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) FY 2000 Operations
Effective Date: 10/25/1999
Program(s) Affected: All Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0023.pdf

The Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) began taking applications for its program year on October 25, 1999. MEAP will continue to take applications for heating assistance through March 31, 2000.

Issue Date: 11/17/1999
Control #: 00-17
Subject: Work Registration Exemption for Parents with A Child Under Age One
Effective Date: 11/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0017.pdf

When Maryland crafted the Family Investment Program, Maryland's Welfare Reform initiative, we tried to make the Food Stamp Program match Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA). One of the TCA initiatives lowered the age that a child exempts a caretaker from work requirements from age six to age one. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 let us do this for the Food Stamp Program for only three years. Maryland's 3-year period ended October 1, 1999.

Issue Date: 11/19/1999
Control #: 00-20
Subject: Waivers for Reporting Changes
Effective Date: 10/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0020.pdf

In an effort to simplify policy for case managers and customers, we requested two food stamp waivers that modify change reporting. This transmittal describes a new waiver and modifies an existing waiver. The new waiver defines the date that a household knows about a new source of earned income as the date the new employment begins. The modified waiver increases the change reporting threshold for households who receive earnings on a piecework basis from $80 to $100.;

Issue Date: 11/19/1999
Control #: 00-21
Subject: Treatment of Condominium Fees
Effective Date: 11/19/1999
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0021.pdf

Recently, the Food and Nutrition service reinterpreted policy about how to treat condominium fees. This action transmittal provides this new information.

Issue Date: 11/24/1999
Control #: 00-26
Subject: SOCIAL SECURITY (RSDI) AND SSI COST-OF-LIVING INCREASE AND RELATED INCREASES
Effective Date: 1/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Cash Assistance, Food Stamps, Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0026.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. The mass change process to take thes0026.pdfe changes into account for grant, food stamp and medical assistance purposes is described in this transmittal.

Issue Date: 11/29/1999
Control #: 00-24
Subject: Sixty-Month Time Limits Compliance for Customers From Out of State
Effective Date: 11/29/1999
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0024.pdf

In May 1999, a Supreme Court decision on a California case concluded that residency requirements violated the individual's right to travel. As a result of this decision, Maryland rescinded the residency requirements for families moving from other states. However, the local departments must continue to apply the sixty-month time limit on all cases. The time limit includes any month that TANF benefits were received from other states. Case managers must take the following steps to ensure proper application.

Issue Date: 12/13/1999
Control #: 00-27
Subject: Family Self-Sufficiency Program and Welfare-to-Work Rental Vouchers
Effective Date: 1/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance, Food Stamps and Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0027.pdf

This Action Transmittal provides guidance on the treatment of funds placed in the Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program and the Welfare-to-Work Voucher Program.

Issue Date: 12/15/1999
Control #: 00-31
Subject: Excluded Income for Short-Term, Temporary Census Enumerators
Effective Date: 12/15/1999
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) and Purchase of Care (POC)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0031.pdf

Information Memo FIA/OPRS #99-23 dated 12/14/98 gave instructions to local departments to consider all earnings from Census employment as countable earned income when determining benefits for cash assistance, food stamps or medical assistance. Customers were to report Census employment and income, as with any other job.

Issue Date: 1/20/2000
Control #: 00-34
Subject: Case Transfer Process
Effective Date: 1/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: All Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0034.pdf

The procedure for transferring cases within the CARES system when a household moves from one jurisdiction to another is being updated in order to ensure an efficient process that will provide high quality service to the customer.

Issue Date: 2/23/2000
Control #: 00-34 Addendum
Subject: Case Transfer Process
Effective Date: 4/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: All Programs
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0034Add.pdf

On January 20, 2000, FIA issued Action Transmittal 00-34 outlining the procedures for transferring case records between jurisdictions. The transmittal state that staff must attach a Case Transfer Form to the front of the paper record. The AT does not include a copy of this form.

Issue Date: 2/23/2000
Control #: 00-35
Subject: Modification of SSI/SDX Accretion, Deletion and Change Processing
Effective Date: 4/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: SSI Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0035.pdf

Since 1974, the local Departments of Social Services have used Form DHR/DDP950, Supplemental Security Income, to process SSI and SDX additions, deletions and changes of information to the Maryland MEDICAID Information System (MMIS). Effective April 1, 2000, FIA will replace Form 950 with automated processing via the on line State Date Exchange (SDX) system. The 950 forms will not be sent to the local department offices after April 30, 2000.

Issue Date: 3/15/2000
Control #: 00-46
Subject: Excluded Income for Temporary Census Employees
Effective Date: 4/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: TCA, Food Stamps (FS), Medical Assistance (MA) and POC
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0046.pdf

Action Transmittal FIA/OPRS #00-31 dated 12/15/99 gave instructions to local departments to exclude the earnings for TCA and POC customers who are employed for 90 days or less as short-term, temporary enumerators during the year 2000. Census employment was considered countable earned income when determining benefits for food stamps or Medical Assistance.

Issue Date: 3/20/2000
Control #: 00-39
Subject: Work Requirements Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (Federal Welfare Reform)-Temporary Cash Assistance
Effective Date: 3/20/2000
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0039.pdf

The Administration has established policies in Action Transmittal 97-66 Revised and Action Transmittal 97-67 that require the local departments to collect timely and accurate data on work activities. Local departments are not currently required to enter attendance data into the Work Opportunities Management Information System (WOMIS) for all cases. They may use the system for managing their single parent family caseload. However, attendance data must be entered for all two-parent cases.

Issue Date: 3/24/2000
Control #: 00-42
Subject: Failure to Comply with Federal, State or Local Assistance Program Requirements
Effective Date: 4/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0042.pdf

Action Transmittal FIA/OPA 97-80, issued March 1, 1997 contained information about the section of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 that prohibits an increase in food stamps when a household's benefit from a means-tested program is decreased for failure to perform a required action. Action Transmittal FIA/OPRS 99-28, issued February 16, 1999, Conciliation and Sanction Procedures Guide, includes information about how Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) Sanctions affect food stamps. This action transmittal provides policy that clarifies and expands the application of the policy.

Issue Date: 3/24/2000
Control #: 00-43
Subject: Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD)-Change in Exempt Counties
Effective Date: 3/24/2000
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0043.pdf

The waivers that allow us to certain jurisdictions from the ABAWD work requirements are approved for one year at a time. Each year we submit a new waiver request to the Food and Nutrition Service along with our justification for exempting counties. We were informed that effective March 1, 2000 all jurisdictions that were approved for 1999 except Wicomico County were approved for the next year.

Issue Date: 4/5/2000
Control #: 00-45
Subject: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE DE-LINKING, REDERTERMINATION PROCESSING, FAC AND MCHP SPROUT, AND INCOME COMPUTATION
Effective Date: 4/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0045.pdf

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA) eliminated the requirement that states grant Medicaid to all welfare recipients. This is sometimes referred to as "se-linking" because it separated Medicaid eligibility from welfare eligibility. States were given an option to continue to provide automatic Medicaid eligibility to cash assistance recipients, and Maryland has taken this option. The de-linking also required that states make separate Medicaid eligibility determinations for those who are ineligible for cash assistance, and that applicants be tested for eligibility in all categories for which they may qualify. Action Transmittal 99-45 addressed the short term steps taken to ensure that applicants were appropriately tested for Medical Assistance and Temporary Cash Assistance is denied or closed, and whenever eligibility in any Medical Assistance category is denied or closed.

Issue Date: 4/28/2000
Control #: 00-51
Subject: Purchase of Chile Care Policy Changes-Gaps In Employment, Study, Children Enrolled in Head Start Programs
Effective Date: 5/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Purchase of Child Care
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0051.pdf

Effective May 1, 2000, the Child Care Administration is making regulatory and/or procedural changes to the Purchase of Child Care (POC) program to provide support to families moving from welfare to work. This action transmittal provides information on changes associated with authorization for POC services.

Issue Date: 4/28/2000
Control #: 00-49
Subject: Purchase of CAre (POC) Provider Payment Changes
Effective Date: 5/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Purchase of Care (POC)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0049.pdf

Effective May 1, 2000, the Child Care Administration is making regulatory and/or procedural changes to the Purchase of Care (POC) program. This action transmittal provides information on changes associated with provider payment.

Issue Date: 4/28/2000
Control #: 00-52
Subject: Provider of Care (POC) Income Changes
Effective Date: 5/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Purchase of Care (POC)
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0052.pdf

Issue Date: 4/28/2000
Control #: 00-50
Subject: Child Immunization Elgibility Requirement
Effective Date: 5/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Purchase of Child Care
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0050.pdf

Federal regulations (45 CFR Part 98) for subsidized child care funding through the Child Care and Development Fun (CCDF) require states to establish immunization requirements to assure that children receiving services under the CCDF are age-appropriate immunized according to the latest recommendation of the state public health agency.

Issue Date: 5/12/2000
Control #: 00-14 Addendum
Subject: TCA Quality Control-Correction to Error Definitions
Effective Date: 10/1/1999
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0014Add.pdf

The chart of error definitions that was attached to AT 00-14 (Temporary Cash Assistance Quality Control) issued in October, 1999 contained an error. Under the error condition of Assistance Unit Composition, the chart stated that a potential error would be cited if the Assistance Unit contained a Kinship Care Child. This is incorrect. Only Subsidized Guardianship children are excluded from being part of an assistance unit. A corrected page of the error condition chart is attached.

Issue Date: 6/22/2000
Control #: 00-55
Subject: End of Medial Assitance in Lieu of Temporary Cash Assistance Option
Effective Date: 6/22/2000
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance and Medical Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0055.pdf

The waiver allowing Medical Assistance in lieu of Temporary Cash Assistance ended December 31, 1999.

Issue Date: 6/26/2000
Control #: 00-56
Subject: Vehicle Exclusion As An Inaccessible Resource
Effective Date: 7/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Food Stamp Program
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0056.pdf

The Food and Nutrition Service granted approval of a waiver so that we can exclude a vehicle as an inaccessible resource if the estimated amount of return from its sale is less than half the applicable resource standard.

Issue Date: 6/30/2000
Control #: 00-57
Subject: Eligibility for Custodial Parents Convicted of a Drug-Related Felony
Effective Date: 7/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance, Emergency Assistance, Welfare Avoidance Grants and Food Stamps
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0057.pdf

Action Transmittal 97-56 described penalties and disqualifications resulting from provisions of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 amended the section of PRWORA that denied benefits to individuals convicted of drug-related convictions for crimes committed since August 22, 1996 are permanently ineligible to receive Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA, Emergency Assistance (EA) or Food Stamps (FS).

Issue Date: 7/15/2000
Control #: 00-54
Subject: Elimination of the 14-Day Delay for TCA Applications
Effective Date: 7/1/2000
Program(s) Affected: Temporary Cash Assistance
Link to Document: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/dhr/0054.pdf

The 14-day delay provision was introduced as a cash assistance requirement in November 1995. As part of the Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) application process, the initial TCA benefit received was prorated from the 14th day after the date of application. The only exceptions to the 14-day delay were cases closed in error by the local department or the application is to cure a TCA sanction in the first non-pay month.