BROADCAST TO ALL DPADivision of Public Assistance STAFF FROM

Ellie Fitzjarrald, Chief

Policy and Program Development

The 2003 policy that created the process for secondary medical screening of applicants for the Interim Assistance program (IA ) is rescinded.

Effective immediately, all IAInterim Assistance disability determinations must be based solely on the information provided by an applicant's physician or psychiatrist on the Preliminary Examination for Interim Assistance (AD #2 ) form. For purposes of IAInterim Assistance, an individual will be considered disabled when the individual's physician or psychiatrist certifies on the AD #2 form that the individual is presumptively disabled or meets the Social Security definition of disability, as defined on the AD #2 .

This policy change is the result of recent litigation and became effective yesterday, September 13, 2005. It must be applied to all IAInterim Assistance determinations made on or after September 13, 2005. Any IAInterim Assistance applications that may have been denied yesterday or today as a result of the medical screener's findings must be redetermined, using the information provided by the applicant's physician or psychiatrist on the AD #2 .

Attached is APAAdult Public Assistance manual change #12, incorporating this revised IAInterim Assistance policy. Please print and replace these pages in your APAAdult Public Assistance manual immediately. Due to the immediacy of this change, we will not be issuing a paper manual change.  MCManual Change #12 will be incorporated into the on line manual within the next few days.

Please continue to forward AD #2 forms and supporting medical evidence for all applicants determined eligible for IAInterim Assistance to the medical screener, as instructed in MCManual Change #12.

If you have questions about this change or need additional information please write to DPADivision of Public Assistance policy at dpapolicy@health.state.ak.us.