STATE OF ALASKA

Department of Health and Social Services

Division of Public Assistance

TRANSMITTAL NUMBER: 2020-01

MANUAL: Heating Assistance Program

DATE: September 1, 2020

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 3000-1 (B)      RECORDS AND REPORTS

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (C)      NONDISCRIMINATION

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (E)      DISCLOSURE AND USE OF INFORMATION

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (F)      VOLUNTEERS

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (G)      QUALITY ASSESSMENT REVIEWS

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (I)      PRUDENT PERSON JUDGEMENT (PPJ)

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3000-1 (J)      PROCESSING APPLICATIONS OF STAFF, FRIENDS, OR RELATIVES

• Removed section as this subject is addressed in Alaska Administrative Procedures Manual section 100-10 C 2

MS 3000-2         DEFINITIONS

• Revised definition of fee agents by removing the link to current fee agents as this is not available to the public
• Revised definition of gross monthly income to clarify that the month prior to receipt of the application is used
• Revised definition of shelter costs by removing the heating source limitations as these are no longer applicable
• Revised definition of supplemental benefit to clarify that issuance of supplemental benefits when the State has received contingency funding or has unspent funds remaining from the block grant are not guaranteed

MS 3001          APPLICATION PROCESS

• Removed hyperlink to current fee agents as it is not available to the public

MS 3001-1      APPLICATION FORM AVAILABILITY

• Removed online application submission option as this is not currently available
• Removed reference to specific application page numbers since the HAPHeating Assistance Program application content has changed

MS 3001-2 (A)      WHAT IS AN IDENTIFIABLE APPLICATION FORM?

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3001-2 (F)      COMPLETE APPLICATION

• Generalized the need for proof of ID by removing specific reference to head of household

MS 3001-2 (G)      SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION

• Removed section as this subject is covered in the Alaska Administrative Procedures Manual
• The section was renumbered and renamed to 3001-2 G Tribal Applications

MS 3001-2 (H)      DUPLICATE APPLICATIONS

• Removed section as it is located in the ECOSEnergy Community Online System How To User Guide
• The section was renumbered and renamed to 3001-2 H Voter Registration Applications

MS 3001-2 (I)      TRIBAL APPLICATIONS

• Removed reference to inputting an alert as this procedure is no longer applicable
• This section was renumbered to 3001-2 G

MS 3001-2 (J)      APPLICATIONS NOT TIMELY/LATE APPLICATIONS

• Removed section since now that HAPHeating Assistance Program runs 12 months a year there is no submission date requirement

MS 3001-4      VERIFICATIONS

• Removed reference to HAPHeating Assistance Program's retired database (HASHeating Assistance Software)

MS 3001-4(A)      VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL APPLICATIONS

• Removed screen shots of HAP's retired database (HASHeating Assistance Software)

MS 3001-4 (E)      HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

• Removed reference to old policy where the signature date of the application was a factor of eligibility and replace with new policy referencing application received in DPADivision of Public Assistance office as a factor of eligibility

MS 3001-4 (F)      INCOME

• Removed reference to old policy where the signature date of the application was a factor eligibility and replaced with new policy referencing application received in DPADivision of Public Assistance office as a factor of eligibility

MS 3001-5 (C)      EXPEDITE PROCESSING OF THE APPLICATION

• Removed seasonal references as HAPHeating Assistance Program now runs 12 months a year
• Removed the heating source limitations referenced in HAPHeating Assistance Program's shelter costs as these are no longer applicable

MS 3001-5 (E)      PENDING THE APPLICATION

• Removed the direction to re-pend when only partial requested verification is received to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program policies
• Removed reference to old policy where the signature date on the application was a factor of eligibility
• Removed requirement for self-employment documentation as verbal statement from the client is now considered acceptable to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program policies
• Removed "elderly or disabled" as a reason to re-pend an application as this client base is covered under re-pend reason "extenuating circumstances"

MS 3001-5 (F)      DENYING THE APPLICATION

• Removed the requirement to submit a complete application to the HAPHeating Assistance Program office as all DPADivision of Public Assistance Field Offices will now accept HAPHeating Assistance Program applications
• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3002-1 (E)      SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS

• Revised to only require verification of SSNSocial Security Number when questionable to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program policies

MS 3003      INCOME

• Added reference to how income is countable in the month prior to receipt of an application. This provides for better understanding of the new policy change of using the application receipt date instead of the signature date

MS 3003-1 (A)      EARNED INCOME

• Added the option to use written or verbal verification of self-employment income to align with DPADivision of Public Assistance's other program policies

MS 3003-3 (C)      BUDGET

• Removed duplicate reference to Threshold Test

MS 3003-4      INCOME FROM SELF-EMPLOYMENT

• Removed note referencing requirement for hard copy documentation of self-employment verification as this requirement is no longer applicable

MS 3003-4 (C)      VERIFICATION OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT INCOME AND EXPENSES

• Rewrote section to better align with other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3003-4 (E)      THRESHOLD TEST

• Changed reference of "threshold test" to "annualization standard" to keep policy terminology consistent between DPADivision of Public Assistance programs
• Renamed section to Self-Employment Annualization Standard
• Updated reference from FY2020 to FY2021

MS 3003-6      GUIDELINES FOR COMPUTING INCOME

• Added reference to how income is countable in the month prior to receipt of an application. This provides for better understanding of the new policy change of using the application receipt date instead of the signature date.
• To avoid confusion, reiterated HAPHeating Assistance Program does not prospect future income like the other DPADivision of Public Assistance programs

MS 3004-1 (A)      ORDER RECEIVED

• Deleted section referencing how applications are processed as procedural content should be addressed in the HowWe Guide

MS 3004-1 (B)      ONE AWARD PER SEASON

• Due to section deletion, 3004-1B One Award Per Season has been renumbered to 3004-1A
• Changed seasonal reference from September 1 - April 30 to September 1 - August 31

MS 3004-1 (C)      PROCESSING TIME FRAMES

• Due to section deletion, 3004-1C Processing Time Frames has been renumbered to 3004-1B
• Removed the requirement to submit a complete application to the HAPHeating Assistance Program office as all DPADivision of Public Assistance Field Offices will now accept HAPHeating Assistance Program applications

MS 3004-5      GRANT COMPUTATION

• Updated Fiscal Year to FY2021
• Changed rate from $140 to $165 per point

MS 3005-1 (A)      CRITERIA FOR EXPEDITED PROCESSING

• Removed the heating source limitations referenced in HAPHeating Assistance Program's shelter costs as these are no longer applicable

MS 3005-1 (B)      EXPEDITED TIME FRAMES

• Updated expedited eligibility service from November 1 - April 30 to September 1 - August 31
• Added note to clarify that the issuance of expedited payments start November 1

MS 3008-1      TIME FRAMES FOR ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS

• Extended payment award dates from November 1 - April 30 to November 1 - August 31 as HAPHeating Assistance Program is now being processed 12 months out of the year

MS 3010      PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Deleted section. Performance Measures are not used by field staff to determine eligibility