STATE OF ALASKA

Department of Health and Social Services

Division of Public Assistance

TRANSMITTAL NUMBER: 2021-02

MANUAL: Heating Assistance Program

DATE: September 1, 2021

Several sections of the Heating Assistance Program Policy Manual have been revised in order to incorporate new policy, clarify existing policy, and align policies within our policy manuals.

If you have questions, please contact the Policy and Program Development Team at dpapolicy@alaska.gov.

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

MS 3000            INTRODUCTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

• Added direct pay as allowable for clients who self-harvest or purchase wood as their primary heat source.

MS 3000-1B      RECORDS AND REPORTS

• Updated location of client records from the case file to ILINX.

MS 3000-1E      DISCLOSURE AND USE OF INFORMATION

• Added weatherization services as an agency DPADivision of Public Assistance obtains information from and discloses information to.

MS 3000-2         DEFINITIONS

• Made known that the Head of Household is commonly referred to as the Primary Information Person (PI) and is the first person listed on the application.
• Removed Alaska Native/American Indian as part of the "Mixed" Household definition. This type of household is now explained in section 3002-1.
• Updated the "Vendor" definition to include an explanation of an "Approved" Vendor" and direction on how a vendor can contact DPADivision of Public Assistance to become an approved vendor.
• Corrected SSISupplemental Security Income definition.

MS 3001-1        APPLICATION FORM AVAILABILITY

• Updated the HAPHeating Assistance Program season start-up application mailing dates for the elderly, disabled, families with young children, and all other previous season participants.

MS 3001-2G     COMPLETE APPLICATION

• Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
• Removed requirement for all adults in the household to sign the application.

MS 3001-2H      TRIBAL APPLICATIONS

• Replaced reference to "mixed" household with "household containing both Native and non-Native members." This aligns with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Removed definition "head of household" since this term is defined in section 3000-2.
• Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.

MS 3001-4A      VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL APPLICATIONS

• Updated note with explanation of why DPADivision of Public Assistance requires both the fuel and electric billing statements.

MS 3001-4C      HEAT OR RENT COST

• Removed reference to not needing a copy of the rental agreement for the client's file, as all submitted documentation is now scanned into ILINX.
• Changed reference from "HAPHeating Assistance Program staff" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3001-4H      INFORMATION FROM DATA SYSTEMS AND EISEligibility Information System INTERFACES

• Changed section title from "Use of InterfaceDPADivision of Public Assistances" to "Information from Data Systems and EISEligibility Information System Interfaces" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Updated section to mirror DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3001-4J       QUESTIONABLE INFORMATION

• Changed reference from "ETEligibility Technician" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3001-5A      ENTERING APPLICATIONS

• Referred to and provided link to Administrative Procedures Manual, Section 101-7.

MS 3001-5C      EXPEDITE PROCESSING OF THE APPLICATION

• Added SRHUDSubsidized Rental Housing Utility Deposit applications to the expedite processing criteria, since mention of expediting this type of application was removed from MS 3001-5A.

MS 3001-5D      CHANGES REPORTED TO DPADivision of Public Assistance

• Inserted new subsection to address changes reported and additional applications received before a case decision is made, to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3001-5E      APPROVING THE APPLICATION

• Renumbered subsection from 3001-5D to 3001-5E to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPADivision of Public Assistance."

MS 3001-5F      PENDING THE APPLICATION

• Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5E to 3001-5F to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPADivision of Public Assistance."
• Added reference to submitted documentation being filed electronically in ILINX.
• Added incorrect timeframe for the initial pend notice as a reason for re-pending the application.

MS 3001-5G      DENYING THE APPLICATION

• Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5F to 3001-5G to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPADivision of Public Assistance."

MS 3001-5H      REASONS FOR DENYING AN APPLICATION

• Renumbered the subsection from 3001-5G to 3001-5H to accommodate the insertion of new subsection "Changes Reported to DPADivision of Public Assistance."
• Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.
• Removed example of wording used in a denial notice for a client living in a temporary shelter. This information should be referenced in a job aid.
• Removed example of wording used in a denial notice for a client who is eligible to be served by Tribal LIHEAPLow Income Home Energy Assistance Program. This information should be referenced in a job aid.
• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3002-1A      TYPES OF HOUSEHOLDS

• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Changed how benefits are issued to a deceased client's account to align with functionality limitations of ECOSEnergy Community Online System.
• Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system codes.
• Changed reference from "putting" documentation in the client's file to "uploading" it into ILINX.
• Added reference to the "mixed" household definition when describing a household in which only a portion of the household members receive public assistance.
• Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
• Removed the option for parents to choose who will claim the children in a shared custody situation because children are included in the first application received for the program year.

MS 3002-1C      IDENTITY

• Changed the reference from a person "making" an application to "listed as head of household" on the application.
• Removed requirement for a copy of the head of household's IDIdentification to be on file. This section lists out all the acceptable forms of identity verification.

MS 3002-1D      CITIZENSHIP AND ELIGIBLE ALIEN STATUS

• Removed reference to the number associated with questions on the application as these may change from year to year when updates to the application are made.
• Removed reference to "pend application for 30 days when requesting US citizenship verification." The 30 day pend is the standard pend period for all initial HAPHeating Assistance Program pends.
• Added the requirement to validate citizenship documentation through IEVSInstant Eligibility Verification System when aliens are listed in the household, to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003            INCOME

• Moved reference to garnishments to HAPHeating Assistance Program MS 3003-1C Garnishments to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Moved reference to recoupments to HAPHeating Assistance Program MS 3003-2A Non-Countable (Exempt) Income to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003-1B      UNEARNED INCOME

• Removed recouped UIBUnemployment Insurance Benefits benefits as countable unearned income. This type of income is not countable. 
• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003-1C      GARNISHMENTS

• Added subsection for garnishments to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003-2A       NON-COUNTABLE (EXEMPT) INCOME

• Added October 31, 2021 expiration date to the exemption of the 2020 Census income, to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Added recoupments as a type of non-countable income to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals and renumbered section to accommodate added noncountable income category.
• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Added major disaster and emergency assistance as non-countable income, to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003-3         SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT

• Replaced reference to obsolete DOLDepartment of Labor screen with reference to current DOLDepartment of Labor/SAMSecure Access Manager screen.

MS 3003-4E       SELF-EMPLOYMENT ANNUALIZATION STANDARD

• Updated self-employment annualization standards.
• Changed reference from 'worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3003-6         GUIDELINES FOR COMPUTING INCOME

• Removed reference to obsolete system codes.

MS 3004-1         ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION TIME FRAMES

• Updated HAPHeating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
• Removed "as soon as possible" from the processing time frames guidelines. Required processing time frames remain outlined within the section.

MS 3004-2         ASSISTANCE CATEGORIES

• Removed reference to obsolete eligibility system.

MS 3004-3         DWELLING TYPE AND FACTOR

• Added duplex and triplex units to the two-bedroom single family home dwelling type.

MS 3004-5         GRANT COMPUTATION

• Removed reference to the division when explaining how to calculate the HAPHeating Assistance Program grant.
• Added duplex and triplex units to the two-bedroom single family home dwelling type.
• Named the heating assistance software (ECOSEnergy Community Online System) referenced in this section.
• Updated FYFiscal Year 2021 to FYFiscal Year 2022.
• Updated the income and price per point for FYFiscal Year 2022 referenced in the examples.

MS 3005-1A       CRITERIA FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING

• Added exception requiring the caseworker to attempt to obtain verification of disconnect through the vendor if disconnect notice is not provided with application.

MS 3005-1B       EXPEDITED TIMEFRAMES

• Updated HAPHeating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
• Removed reference to the first payment issuance date of November 1 as there will no longer be a payment delay at the beginning of the season.

MS 3005-2         EXPEDITED PROCESSING FOR HOUSEHOLD WITH ELDERLY OR DISABLED MEMBERS

• Changed reference from "HAPHeating Assistance Program worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Added caveat removing the expedite entitlement in future years if a client fails to provide requested information that was temporarily waived in order to resolve an emergency situation. This aligns with the SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program manual.

MS 3007            SPECIALIZED PROCEDURES

• Removed the introductory statement since it described standard procedure for all public assistance case types.

MS 3007-1         ECOSEnergy Community Online System ALERT CODES - THIS SECTION WILL BE UPDATED ONCE ECOSEnergy Community Online System IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL

• Removed section. ECOSEnergy Community Online System does not issue alert codes.
• Renumbered subsequent subsections.

MS 3007-1         SUBSIDIZED HEAT AND APPLICATION PROCESSING

• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Removed reference to obsolete system codes.
• Converted subsections to bullets. Subsections became significantly shorter after removing the obsolete system code references.

MS 3007-2A      MUTUAL HELP

• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3007-2B      LOW INCOME TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS (LITC)

• Changed reference from "worker" to caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3007-4         OTHER UNIQUE SITUATIONS

• Removed subsection as all situations are discussed in HAPHeating Assistance Program MSManual Section 3002-1A.

MS 3008-1         TIMEFRAMES FOR ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS

• Updated timeframe and payment information from November 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
• Removed reference to issuing payments prior to the program start date for disaster proclamations. The new HAPHeating Assistance Program season is now a year long program.
• Removed reference to SRHUDSubsidized Rental Housing Utility Deposits being payable throughout the year. The new HAPHeating Assistance Program season is now a year long program.

MS 3008-2A      HEATING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THE PURCHASE OF:

• Changed "oil" to "fuel" as oil is not the only fuel type used for home heating.
• Removed requirement for the vendor notice to spell out what can be purchased with a grant issued for a client who self-harvests wood. These clients will be issued a direct payment.

MS 3008-2B      HEATING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS CANNOT BE USED FOR:

• Changed "oil" to "fuel" as oil is not the only fuel type used for home heating.

MS 3008-3A      DISTRIBUTION OF GRANT BETWEEN HEATING AND ELECTRICITY

• Removed redundant sentence regarding the 75/25 benefit split option.

MS 3008-4A      VENDOR PAYMENT

• Removed reference to obsolete system codes.
• Changed reference from "worker" to "caseworker" to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.
• Removed note regarding issuing a direct payment for the first year when the client uses a non-approved vendor. New policy requires the caseworker to notify dpapolicy@alaska.gov and await further instruction when this situation arises.
• Removed note referring to the Direct Payment log. This log is no longer in use.
• Removed reference to "Two-Party Payment." This payment type is no longer an option.

MS 3008-6         GRANT TRANSFER

• Changed reference from "furnace" to "heating system" as a furnace is not the only type of heating system used to heat a home.
• Changed references of "supervisor" to "sending an email to dpapolicy@alaska.gov" when determining when a grant may be transferred from one vendor to another.

MS 3009           FAIR HEARINGS 

• Removed the detailed fair hearing process and provided link to Administrative Procedures Manual Section 117, to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3011            FRAUD

• Replaced current content with policy written in DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program manuals.

MS 3012            PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND COSTS

• Updated administrative and direct program costs table.

Addendum B    HAPHeating Assistance Program TRIBAL PROVIDERS

• Changed FYFiscal Year 2020 to FFYFederal Fiscal Year 2022.

Addendum E    FEDERAL POVERTY INCOME GUIDELINES

• Changed FFYFederal Fiscal Year 2021 to FFYFederal Fiscal Year 2022.
• Updated HAPHeating Assistance Program season start and end dates from September 1 - August 31 to October 1 - September 30.
• Updated FPLFederal Poverty Level income guidelines.

Addendum F    HOUSING AUTHORITY CONTACT INFORMATION

• Updated housing authority contact information.