101-5          WHERE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

101-5 A.      DPADivision of Public Assistance OFFICES

Individuals and families living in areas where there is neither a DPADivision of Public Assistance office nor a designated fee agent may obtain applications from any DPADivision of Public Assistance office. Requests for applications can be made by phone or in writing. Applications can be found online at:

http://dpaweb.hss.state.ak.us/node/46

Individuals can mail, fax, email, or hand-deliver applications for public assistance to any DPADivision of Public Assistance office location. A list of DPADivision of Public Assistance offices statewide can be found online at:

http://dhss.alaska.gov/dpa/pages/features/org/dpado.aspx

101-5 B.      FEE AGENTS

Paid volunteers, called fee agents, help individuals apply who live in communities that do not have a local Division of Public Assistance office. DPADivision of Public Assistance provides fee agents with a supply of applications and other forms individuals need to apply for public assistance.

Individuals living in areas where there is no DPADivision of Public Assistance office will normally submit an application to the local fee agent. The fee agent assists the applicant in completing the application, interviews the applicant, and forwards the application and required forms and verification to the appropriate DPADivision of Public Assistance office for processing.

Individuals are not required to go to a fee agent and may send the application directly to the nearest Division of Public Assistance office. Refer to MS 120 for additional information about the role of fee agents in DPADivision of Public Assistance.

101-5 C.      NATIVE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

See Chapter 116, NFAPNative Family Assistance Program and DPADivision of Public Assistance Case Processing Procedures for information on accepting application forms from Native Family Assistance Programs.

Note:

A workflow chart for applications received from Fee Agents and Native Family Assistance Programs is provided in Addendum A to this chapter.

101-5 D.      LOCATION OF APPLICATIONS

Applications must be worked statewide by any DPADivision of Public Assistance office.

The following are exceptions:

Application Received in Full Service Offices and Specialized Offices

1. Applications for Long Term Care and TEFRATax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act categories will be processed and assigned to the Long Term Care Office (070/071).
   
2. Senior Benefits cases will be processed statewide by any DPADivision of Public Assistance office, regardless if the household has an open case for other programs assigned to a different office.

• Stand-alone Senior Benefits cases (no other programs / or cases open in the 12 months) will stay in the office that received the new application. Senior Benefits cases will always have the Field Service Office 030. (Exception: Cases assigned to the LTCLong Term Care office will be worked by that office only - 030-X-070 CARC)
• Senior Benefits cases that have other open programs will remain in the office that has the other open programs.

Example:

A household member who has an open SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program case assigned to the Muldoon Office submits a Senior Benefits application to the Kenai Office. The Kenai Office process the Senior Benefits application and the case will remain in the Muldoon Office where the SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program case is assigned or opened.

3. Heating Assistance applications will be processed statewide by any DPADivision of Public Assistance office.
4. If an application is received at a local DPADivision of Public Assistance office and the household had a closed case assigned to another office within the last 12 months, the application will be worked by a staff member and will be assigned to the office that received the application.

• The office that receives the application will not transfer the case from the other district office when a client moves. The office that processed the application will update the address information and make any necessary changes. The case will continue to be maintained by the assigned office that received the application regardless of the client's move.

Examples:

• An LTCLong Term Care application is received at the Muldoon Office. The application will be assigned to 070 or 071 and transferred to the LTCLong Term Care Office.
• A Ketchikan client with an open SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, and Medicaid case moves to the Anchorage area. The case will remain assigned to Ketchikan District Office. The Wasilla, Gambell, or Muldoon Offices will not transfer the case to their office. If the client comes in to any of these offices for service, the client will be informed that their case remains assigned to the Ketchikan Office.
• A recipient from Anchorage moves to Fairbanks with an open SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, and Medicaid case assigned to the Gambell Office. The Fairbanks District Office will not transfer the case to the Fairbanks office. The case remains assigned to the Gambell Office.
• An application is received at the Wasilla Office from an Anchorage household. Upon checking the CLPMCase Profile Maintenance screen in EISEligibility Information System, it was found that the household had a case that closed within the last 12 months and the case was handled in Bethel. The application will be processed and maintained by the Wasilla Office.

5. If all cases have been closed for 12 months or more, the office that receives the application will maintain that case.

Example:

• A SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program application is received at the Kenai Office from a household that moved from Anchorage. Prior to their move, the household had a Medicaid and SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program case that closed more than 12 months ago. The application will be processed and maintained by the Kenai Office.