1720 Changes | TANF

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
TANF Policy Manual

Policy Title:

Changes

Effective Date:

May 2023

Chapter:

1700

Policy Number:

1720

Previous Policy Number(s):

MT 48

Updated or Reviewed in MT:

MT-72

Requirements

When a change in circumstances occurs, action must be taken to determine the ongoing eligibility of the assistance unit (AU).

Basic Considerations

The AU must report all changes on a timely basis, which is within 10 calendar days of the date on which the change occurs.

There may be changes in the AU’s circumstances that require re-evaluation of the case. Examples include but are not limited to the following:

a work eligible individual finds a job,
an AU member is approved for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Retirement Survival Disability Income (RSDI), Unemployment Compensation Benefits (UCB), Child Support or any other unearned income,
a dependent child leaves the home,
pregnancy and the number of fetuses
the loss of one or more fetuses
absent parent moves in the home
an AU member becomes deceased

The date on which the change occurs is the day the event happens. Examples include but are not limited to the following:

the date on which the first (or last) paycheck is received,
the date on which the unearned income is first received,
the date on which earned or unearned income is terminated,
the date on which an AU member leaves the home,
the date of the loss of the fetus.

Financial Changes

A financial change that results in a decrease in benefits or in total ineligibility must be effective the month after the change occurs, or the second month after the change occurs, depending on when the worker acts and timely notice expires. If the change is not processed in time to decrease or terminate cash assistance effective the appropriate month, the AU will be overpaid.

A financial change that results in an increase in benefits must be effective the month after the change is reported or the month in which verification of the reported change is provided, whichever is later. If the change is not processed in time to increase cash assistance for the appropriate month, the AU will be underpaid.

Non-financial Changes

A non-financial change that results in a decrease in benefits or in total ineligibility must be effective the month after the change occurs, regardless of when timely notice expires. If the change is not processed in time to decrease or terminate cash assistance effective the appropriate month, the AU will be overpaid.

A non-financial change that results in an increase in benefits must be effective the month after the change is reported or the month in which all eligibility requirements are met, whichever is later. If the change is not processed in time to increase cash assistance for the appropriate month, the AU will be underpaid.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires that, if a client personally reports a name or address change that necessitates a change in his/her voting location, then we must offer voter registration and provide him/her a voter registration Form VRA-07.

If a change is reported through another channel, such as a telephone call or written request to change the name or address, which necessitates a change in voting location, then we must provide a State of Georgia Application for Voter Registration, VRA-07, by mail or during the next in-person client contact.

Untimely Report of Changes

If an AU fails to report a financial change in a timely manner, an overpayment may result. The case manager must determine when the change should have been reported, add 10 days for processing, and then add 14 days to give timely notice of adverse action. Financial changes are effective the month after the timely notice expires. A month for which the payment should have been decreased or terminated is an overpayment month. The worker’s failure to act within ten days of receipt of verification of the change may result in an overpayment.

A financial change that causes a decrease in benefits or in total ineligibility requires that the AU be given timely notice. If, because of the date on which timely notice expires, the AU receives an additional month of cash assistance, the additional month of benefits counts toward the AU’s lifetime TANF limit.

The AU may sign Form 102, Waiver of Timely Notice Period, to avoid the receipt of additional cash assistance and reserve a month of eligibility for a later date when the need for cash assistance may be greater.

If an AU fails to report a non-financial change in a timely manner, and the timely report would have caused a decrease in benefits or total ineligibility, an overpayment will occur. The case manager must determine when the change should have been reported and close the case or reduce the benefits effective the month after the month in which the change occurred. The case manager must provide adequate notice informing the client about the agency’s decision, reason for the decision and must give the client an opportunity to request a hearing.

Use the chart below to determine if verification is required when an AU reports a change.

Chart 1720.1 - Required Verification
CHANGE	VERIFICATION REQUIRED
income-new source	yes
income-amount changes	yes
terminated income	yes
income resulting in decrease of benefits	yes
if the reported change results in total ineligibility of the client	no, timely notice is required
if the reported change results in decrease in benefits	yes, timely notice is required
vehicle-acquisition of	refer to section 1515
real property-acquisition of	yes
life insurance-acquisition of	no
other resources-changes in or acquisition of	yes, if total resources exceed 75% of the resource limit
AU size, if the AU remains eligible, including the number of fetuses	yes
AU size, if results in total ineligibility	no, timely notice is required
AU size decreases due to death	yes, if questionable
dependent care costs	yes, if changed
other factors of eligibility	yes, if questionable
residence	yes, if questionable
excluded income, i.e. vendor payments	yes
voluntary closure	no, timely notice is not required

Use the chart below to determine procedures when an AU fails to provide requested verification.

Chart 1720.2 - Failure of an AU to Provide Requested Verification
IF THE AU FAILS TO PROVIDE VERIFICATION OF	THEN
a change in income, a new source of income, a resource that must be verified, or questionable	terminate benefits effective the month following the expiration of timely notice.
a new dependent care expense	do not allow the dependent care expense as a deduction.
an increase in a dependent care expense	remove the dependent care expense deduction from the benefit calculation.
a decrease in a dependent care expense	remove the dependent care expense deduction from the benefit calculation.

Overpayments may exist based on specific timeliness requirement. Refer to Chapter 1900, Issuance.

Use the chart below to determine when the AU is required to report changes.

Chart 1720.3 - Reporting Changes
Type Of Change	Deadline by Which Change Must Be Reported
AU size or composition	10 days
residence	10 days
resource/acquisition of a licensed vehicle	10 days
resource/all types other than acquisition of a licensed vehicle	10 days when resources exceed 75% of the resource limit
dependent care	10 days
source of income	10 days
income change	10 days
income automatically updated by the system (DCSS, TANF, RSDI, SSI, RR, and VA mass reviews with % updates)	not required
excluded income, such as vendor payments	10 days

Procedures

All changes reported by an AU must be documented in IES. The case manager must act on all reported changes in a timely manner. If the change reported by the AU results in total ineligibility of the AU, then follow the steps below to process changes:

document the reported change
enter the information on the appropriate IES screen per policy using the client statement as verification,
allow 14-days timely notice and
close the case effective the month after timely notice expires. If the change reported by the AU results in decrease in benefits, then:
determine if the change is reported timely or untimely.
document the case record, request that the AU provide verification within 10 days.
determine if the AU requires assistance in obtaining verification. If so, provide assistance.
enter the verified information in IES allowing timely notice.
provide the AU with appropriate notice. Refer to Section 1705, Notification.
If the AU fails to return the requested verifications by the due date, close the case for the reason “failure to provide information to determine eligibility.”