Policies and Procedures

The procedure for determination of eligibility begins when the application is submitted to the County DFCS (via paper application or online). The methods by which applications are received and processed are the same as those described in the TANF, Medicaid, and SNAP manuals. Policies regarding contact with the applicants, the setting, purpose and content, are also described in these manuals.

“Adequate” means a written notice that describes the action the Department intends to take, the reason for the intended action, and the specific regulation(s) supporting such action. The notification form must also carry an explanation of the individual’s right to request a fair hearing and the circumstance under which assistance is continued if a hearing is requested.

“Timely” means that the notice is mailed at least fourteen days before the date of action, that is, the date upon which the recipient would normally receive his or her assistance check, or in the case of a medical assistance recipient, fourteen days before the change would be effective. No action shall be taken to reduce or terminate assistance during the fourteen-day timely notice period.

If, after careful investigation, the applicant is found eligible for assistance, the county department shall authorize assistance on Gateway.

The procedures and provisions for hearings and appeals provided in the TANF/Medicaid program also apply to RCA and RMA.

The Child Support Recovery Program does not apply to the refugee receiving RCA benefits. It is not a condition of eligibility.

One assistance payment case record shall be maintained for each grant group. Case records and permanent documents will be electronically maintained in Georgia Gateway System under the client ID and case number. Case records represent the basis on which county department decisions are made.

Each case record must contain all necessary forms, correspondence, documents and other evidence used in making a decision.

RCA cases generally follow the same policies and procedures as TANF for overpayments and recoupments. See the TANF manual for policies and procedures.

Counties must track overpayments and repayments through documentation in Gateway.

For purposes of determining continued eligibility and amount of assistance, corrective payments shall not be considered as income or a resource in the month paid or the following month.

For any recipient who is found eligible for an increased award, a corrective payment must be authorized if necessary to cover the month following the month in which the change is reported.

A semi-annual redetermination of eligibility must be made on every case to reestablish all points of eligibility that are subject to change.

At the time of each redetermination of eligibility, forms normally used for TANF are also applicable to RCA and RMA cases with the exception of Employment Services (ES) and Office of Child Support Recovery (OCSR) forms.

The client should receive a Gateway notification upon approval/denial of application, change in status, or termination of payment.

If there is reason to believe that a change will take place in a recipient’s circumstances at a given time in the future, an alert should be made in Gateway as a reminder that factors affecting eligibility or the amount of payment must be checked at a specified time. An example is that ESL school attendance must be verified every three months for mandatory registrants.