701-2          TRACKING & RECORDING MONTHS OF ASSISTANCE

EISEligibility Information System tracks months of assistance and updates the information each month when an ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payment is issued.

The number of months that should be on the counter is determined by caseworkers at initial application, and reviewed whenever a family reapplies for assistance. Caseworkers may need to request adjustment or changes to the 60-month counter to:

• Add or correct the number of months of assistance received from another state, Tribal TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families, or NFAPNative Family Assistance Program;
• Add or subtract months that were counted in error; or
• Subtract months of assistance that were counted and then recouped, repaid, or voided.

Once a case is opened, only Systems Operations staff can record changes and adjustments to the 60-month counter. Requests to adjust the number of months should be sent to the EISEligibility Information System Helpdesk. Refer to EIS Procedure 2002-2 for instructions on requesting on adjustment.

TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families Received from Other Programs

When a client who previously lived in another state or jurisdiction applies for assistance and reports receipt of TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families, information about their number of months of assistance must be verified.

1. Call the other TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families agency (state, county, tribal organization or NFAPNative Family Assistance Program) to verify:

• Which calendar months the adult received TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families since October 1, 1996;
• The number of months of TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families the adult received; and
• Confirm total number of months do not include months disregarded because the adult lived on an Indian reservation or in an exempt Alaska Native village. These months do not count and should not be included in the total.
• Document the contact you make with the other agency and include the following information:

• Name, title, and phone number of the agency and person you spoke to;
• The period of time the adult received TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families; and
• How many months of TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families the adult received.

2. Months of assistance received from another TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program count toward the time limit, even if they were received before ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program began in July 1997. The earliest month of assistance that could have been received from another TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program is October 1996.