108-3 GUIDELINES FOR CREATING THE FREE FORM SECTION
108-3 A. MAKE SURE YOUR WRITING IS CLEAR AND EASY TO READ
Information entered on a notice must be clear and concise so that anyone reading the notice will understand what action is being taken on the case and the reasons for that action.
Review notices before sending them to ensure spelling and grammar are accurate and correct.
Sentences should be short with a maximum length of no more than two lines. Keep the average sentence to about 15 words or less. Try bullets for short lists.
Use simple words with no more than 2 syllables whenever possible. Avoid hyphens and compound words because these affect readability. The following chart gives some examples of possible substitutions.
Instead of: | Use: | Instead of: | Use: |
Self-insured | Self insured | submit/provide | give |
verification | proof | anyone | any one |
discontinue | stop | beginning | start |
additional | more | excess | over |
increase | go up | decrease | go down |
effective | as of | contain | have |
advise | tell | required | needed |
determine | find | obtain/receive | get |
Avoid the use of acronyms such as TA for Alaska Temporary Assistance Program, and abbreviations such as "thru" for through."
Avoid beginning sentences with "you" whenever possible, especially in adverse situations.
For example:
Use "We did not receive" instead of "You did not give us..."
108-3 B. INCLUDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO THE ACTION TAKEN ON THE CASE OR ELIGIBILITY DECISION
Any information that was used as part of the eligibility decision must be included in the notice which include income, resources, and deductions. There are many EIS and ARIES notices that are pre-populated with some of the required elements, however, the caseworker will need to review each notice carefully to ensure all due process elements are present in the notice.
The free form section of the notice must include the following information when certain action is taken on an application or case to ensure elements of due process are met:
APPROVE / CLOSE / DENY APPLICATION AND CASE
Clearly explain and list all income considered or counted; specify the gross or net amount used in the determination. See the program policy manuals to determine if gross or net monthly income is used for the eligibility determination.
Self-employment income:
Any information that was used as part of the eligibility decision should be clearly written in the notice. If resources are used in the determination, the type of value of each resource must be included in that part of the notice.
The free form section of the notice must include details about each expense used in the determination.
Note:
Each expense listed on the application must be included in the notice, regardless of whether the SUD is allowed.
When a case is pended, the free form section may be used to explain additional information. This section is necessary to complete when the system generated verbiage in the notice does not address all aspects of the pended information.
Note:
An example of information to include in the notice free form section:
"We need proof of Jane's income from Walmart. Proof should include gross hourly wage, how many hours worked per pay period, and all other income such as tips, bonuses, etc. A copy of your most recent two or more pay stubs may be used for this verification. To help you obtain this proof, we have sent you a work statement that you may optionally give to your employer to be completed and returned to our office."
Note:
Cases must be pended for required verification when they cannot be readily verified through other sources.
Additional information may be included in the free form section of the notice for denying or closing a case due to failure to provide. This includes system generated notices, in which information needed has not been listed.
List only the information the client did not provide that is required to determine eligibility. If the household did not provide proof of the expense for which verification was requested, approve the application without allowing a deduction for the expense. Do not deny an application for failure to verify an expense. Document the reason why the expense was not allowed.
Note:
An example of information to include when denying or closing a case for failure to provide:
"We did not receive the following information:
Proof of United States Citizenship for Jane and John
You may reapply at any time."
In addition to making notices clear and easy to understand, aim to make them effective. Caseworkers must ensure the tone of their notice is pleasant for clients to read. Keep the notice professional, objective, and non-threatening.
108-3 D. HELPFUL TIPS FOR EIS NOTICE SCREENS
Helpful hints for composing notices are available in EIS by pressing the F10 key on the NORE screen. The information includes tips on formatting, completing notice fields, and macros help.
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