108-3          GUIDELINES FOR CREATING THE FREE FORM SECTION

108-3 A.      MAKE SURE YOUR WRITING IS CLEAR AND EASY TO READ

1. CLARITY

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.

2. SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

Review notices before sending them to ensure spelling and grammar are accurate and correct.

3. SENTENCE LENGTH

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.

4. WORDS

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.

5. ACRONYMS AND SHORTHAND

Avoid the use of acronyms such as TATemporary Assistance for Alaska Temporary Assistance Program, and abbreviations such as "thru" for through."

6. USING THE WORD "YOU"

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 EISEligibility Information System and ARIESAlaska's Resource for Integrated Eligibility Services 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

1. INCOME INFORMATION

• 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.

• Identify the person receiving the income. If there is more than one person with income in the household, list whose income it is.
• List the type or source of income (example: $100 in wages from Wal-Mart).
• Specify any unreported income that was discovered and counted; provide an explanation of how the income was discovered unless in situations where we have to keep the information confidential such as a fraud report by a neighbor.

Self-employment income:

• List all gross income from self-employment and allowed deductions for expenses.
• Clearly list all expenses that were not allowed and provide the reason for not allowing the expense.

2. RESOURCE INFORMATION

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.

• List all resources that were considered or counted.
• Specify the value of each countable resource.

3. DEDUCTIONS

The free form section of the notice must include details about each expense used in the determination.

• List all allowed shelter and utility expenses.
• List and identify the type of standard deductions given such as telephone, heat, electricity, water, etc. (Example: We allowed a standard deduction for your monthly telephone, heating, and electricity expenses.)
• List and identify the type of non-standard deductions and the amount allowed such as rent, child care, child or spousal support paid, and any allowed medical expenses. (Example: A monthly deduction was allowed for your $800 rent and $150 child support payment.)

Note:

Each expense listed on the application must be included in the notice, regardless of whether the SUDStandard Utility Deduction is allowed.

4. PENDING FOR INFORMATION

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.

• Be very clear and list precisely the information the client needs to provide and by what date in the notice.
• Encourage clients to inform the caseworker if they need help obtaining the information or have any questions.

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.

5. FAILURE TO PROVIDE

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.

• Encourage the client to reapply at any time. (Refer to the appropriate program policy manuals to determine if an application is required for failure to provide.)

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."

108-3 C.      TONE OF NOTICE

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 EISEligibility Information System NOTICE SCREENS

Helpful hints for composing notices are available in EISEligibility Information System by pressing the F10 key on the NORE screen. The information includes tips on formatting, completing notice fields, and macros help.