113-2          METHOD OF QUALITY ASSESSMENT REVIEW

DPADivision of Public Assistance's Eligibility Information System (EISEligibility Information System) is the information technologies platform supporting the delivery of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Alaska Temporary Assistance, Adult Public Assistance (APAAdult Public Assistance), and Medicaid benefits. Every month EISEligibility Information System randomly selects open, closed, denied, and suspended SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for QAQuality Assessment review. All cases (correct or error) are assigned to the office the case is CARCCase Record Control'd to when the sample is pulled. All cases will remain with the original office for reporting purposes.

For Child Care Assistance, sample cases from several programs are combined to create an all-encompassing "universe" for analysis. PASS I program cases are provided through EISEligibility Information System. PASS II & III are quarried from ICCISIntegrated Child Care Information System, while Office of Children's Services cases are recorded in the ORCAOnline Resources of the Children of Alaska system. Monthly, all cases from these three systems are combined and sampled through SPSSStatistical Package for the Social Sciences syntax by federally-approved methods.

The QAQuality Assessment Supervisor assigns reviews to each reviewer. When the QAQuality Assessment Reviewer request a case file, the field, region, or local office must send the case file to QAQuality Assessment within three working days. QAQuality Assessment may need to keep the file for up to seven working days before returning it.

The case record (EISEligibility Information System and case file) is the QAQuality Assessment Reviewer's primary source of information regarding the eligibility determination and case management activities. The QAQuality Assessment reviewer obtains information from recipient case files, EISEligibility Information System, ICCISIntegrated Child Care Information System, ORCAOnline Resources of the Children of Alaska, and other interagency databases. QAQuality Assessment Reviewers also make independent collateral contacts to determine if the information used in the eligibility process is accurate.

Reviewers use the Alaska Temporary Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Child Care, and Medicaid program policies to determine if the caseworker appropriately applied the policies to factors of eligibility, work activities, and benefit amounts or authorized payments of childcare. The reviewer will also use State statutes and Federal regulations to ensure the policy manuals accurately reflect current regulatory guidelines.

The Federal Quality Control FNSFood and Nutrition Service Handbook 310 provides guidance on how to conduct the review, verify and document information, and determine errors for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Generally, the same standards apply to the Alaska Temporary Assistance, Adult Public Assistance, and Medicaid review processes.

Alaska's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAPChild Care Assistance Program) is monitored by the Federal Child Care Bureau, which requires each state to submit yearly the Child Care Development Fund (CCDFChild Care Development Fund) report on the state's program. In addition to numerous policy, program, and market rate survey requirements, Alaska fulfills the quality assessment component through the QAQuality Assessment review process. Furthermore, CCAPChild Care Assistance Program is responsible for compliance with Alaska Administrative Code Title 7, AAC Chapter 41, and Alaska statute AS4725.001 through AS4725.095.