STATE OF ALASKA

Department of Health and Social Services

Division of Public Assistance

TRANSMITTAL NUMBER: 2022-01

MANUAL: Administrative Procedures Manual

DATE: April 1, 2022

Several sections of the Administrative Procedures Manual have been revised.

If you have questions, please contact Division Operations Support Team at hss.dpadost@alaska.gov or the Policy and Program Development Team at hss.dpa.policy@alaska.gov.

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

MS 100-3 H      REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES

• Added ANTHC and SCF Medicaid outreach staff due to a newly signed MOA

MS 100-6 A      LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP)

• Clarified when an individual declines interpreter service that it must be documented in the case notes
• Clarified that a minor, friend, and family member should be used to interpret on an emergency basis when there is no other available option for an interpreter, and it must be documented in the case notes

MS 101-4      RECEIPT OF AN IDENTIFIABLE APPLICATION

• Revised when an identifiable application is received without a signed Statement of Truth, the application will be registered as a full program and pended, and not registered as a request for service

MS 103-3 A      ASSIGNING CASE NUMBERS

• Revised that the same case number can be used when the household members remain the same, but another non-PI adult on the case signs and submits a review form or application

MS 105-10      SOCIAL SECURITY ENUMERATION

• Clarified that the household should be given 30 days to provide verification from the Social Security Administration that the name associated with the SSN has been changed

MS 111      PROGRAM LOSSES AND CLAIMS COLLECTION

• Clarified who is responsible for paying a claim, including individuals who are responsible for trafficking-related offenses
• Added clarification that TAPD for ATAP and FSAD for SNAP screenshots are submitted to BIRU when submitted GEN 95 forms
• Renamed Claim Specialist to BIRU throughout the section and chapter since claims collection can be handled by any staff in the Claims Unit

MS 111-4      CLAIM ESTABLISHMENT AND COLLECTION

• Added clarification that BIRU establishes claim in EIS and i-Sight
• Renamed Claim Specialist to BIRU since claims collection can be handled by any staff in the Claims Unit

MS 111-5      RECOUPMENTS, REPAYMENTS, AND ALLOTMENT REDUCTIONS

• Renamed section to include "Repayments" in the heading title
• Clarified repayment and recoupment process
• Clarified that a household must sign a repayment agreement within 30 days for recoupment
• Added information that a household may request a compromise to reduce SNAP recoupment amount owed
• Added that client can make a repayment using EBT benefit account
• Added information on Unspecified Joint Collection when a client does not specify which program to apply the collection on a combined assistance program
• Added information on expunging SNAP benefits when a client has not used their benefits for a specific amount of time

MS 111-9      TERMINATION OF CLAIMS

• Added new section on when to terminate or close claims upon death of recipient and bankruptcy
• Added steps on how to terminate a claim
• Added information that DPA may act on behalf of FNS in any bankruptcy proceeding against a household with outstanding claims

MS 111-10      OVERPAID CLAIMS AND REFUNDS

• Added section that if SNAP household overpays a claim that a refund is issued

MS 117-4 A      SCHEDULING THE PRE-HEARING CONFERENCE

• Clarified that if contact with the client is not possible, a pre-hearing conference notice should be sent to the client

MS 117-12 B      DENIAL OR DISMISSAL OF A FAIR HEARING

• Revised to include the ability to accept verbal fair hearing withdrawals before a case is referred to OAH and the need to document these in a case note

MS 120-2      STATEWIDE FEE AGENT COORDINATION

• Revised that DOST handles all fee agent selection, billing report forms, and maintaining fee agent active list and removes this responsibility from the field office

MS 120-3      FEE AGENT SELECTION

• Revised that local field offices are no longer involved in fee agent selection and process

MS 121-14      STOP PAYMENT AND FORGERY PROCEDURES

• Updated stop payment and forgery procedure to include HAP and ECOS
• Replaced System Operations to Systems Support due to renaming of the unit

MS 125-3      WHERE TO DIRECT IA QUESTIONS

• Renamed section to "Where to Direct IA Questions" since there are no longer IA liaisons in the field offices
• Updated that field offices will no longer have IA liaisons but instead IA related questions are sent to Statewide Needs Assistance Group (SNAG)

MS 125-4      SUBMITTING INFORMATION AND CONTACTING THE MEDICAL REVIEWER

• Updated email address for IA Reviewer from DPAInterim.Assistance@alaska.gov to hss.dpa.interim.assist@alaska.gov