705-3          THE INTERVIEW

705-3 A.      WHEN IS AN INTERVIEW REQUIRED?

Interviews are mandatory for all ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program applicants. An interview is required at the time of initial application and once every 12 months thereafter.

Note:

An interview does not need to be completed if a household submits their recertification after the end of the certification period but within the following month and they are not due for their annual interview.

705-3 B.      WHO MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW?

A member of the applicant family who can sign the application form or an individual authorized by the family must participate in the interview.

705-3 C.      WHO CAN CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW?

DPADivision of Public Assistance Caseworker: Most individuals will be interviewed by a DPADivision of Public Assistance caseworker in the DPADivision of Public Assistance office or by telephone.

DPADivision of Public Assistance Contracted Fee Agent: In communities where there is no DPADivision of Public Assistance office, the fee agent conducts the interview for individuals who want to apply for public assistance. The fee agent will complete a Fee Agent Interview Report form (FA 1) and submit it with each application.

Native Family Assistance Program (NFAP): We will accept the NFAPNative Family Assistance Program interview, if one is conducted, and not require the individual to be interviewed again. If the NFAPNative Family Assistance Program interview notes are not provided with the application, the caseworker will obtain them from the NFAPNative Family Assistance Program agency.

Note:

Regardless of who conducts the interview, if additional information or verification is needed to process the application, the caseworker will contact the applicant to get this information.

705-3 D.      HOW TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW

Interviews can be conducted face-to-face, by phone or, in rare circumstances when a face-to-face or phone interview is not possible, by correspondence.

The caseworker may require a face-to-face interview if they determine it is appropriate to the situation unless attending in person is a hardship to the household. A face-to-face interview must be provided when requested by the household.

705-3 E.      SCHEDULING INTERVIEWS

Interviews must be scheduled for applicants who cannot be interviewed on the day they submit a physical or telephonic application. The interview must be scheduled timely to ensure eligible families have an opportunity to participate within 30 days after the application is filed. If an interview is held for other programs, but the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program interview must be scheduled later, the applicant must be clearly informed of the need to participate in another interview. The office must document the applicant was informed of their interview date and time by one of the following methods:

• Writing a case note indicating the applicant was informed and agreed to their interview date and time over the phone. The case note must include the date and time the applicant was given for the interview; or
• Writing a case note indicating the applicant was informed of their interview date and time in writing via the "What do I need to bring to my interview?" sheet in the GEN 50C. The case note must include the date and time the interview was scheduled for; or
• Sending an EISEligibility Information System notice informing the applicant of their interview date and time.

Applicants may have anyone they choose to be with them at the interview. During the interview, applicants must be informed of their rights and responsibilities and basic program procedures.

When the applicant fails to participate in a scheduled interview and does not reschedule, the application is denied. If the family contacts the office within 30 days of the application filing date, the office must schedule an interview. If the family is determined eligible, the original application is used and benefits start based on the date the application was filed.

Note:

If an application is registered in EISEligibility Information System as an ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program request for service (RA), EISEligibility Information System will automatically deny the application. The denial action is done on or after the 30th day from the date the application was filed, depending on when the weekly denial job is run. The household is notified via the system-generated notice X010, "ATAP BENEFITS DENIED - MISSED INTERVIEW."

705-3 F.      CHANGES REPORTED DURING THE INTERVIEW

Applicant families must report all expected changes affecting their eligibility or benefits during the interview.

Changes reported after the interview, but before a case decision is made, will be considered in the initial eligibility determination.

With the exception of a newborn, when the family reports a new family member before a case decision is made, the new member is considered part of the family. The benefit start date is used to determine the benefits for the family, including the new member. ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefits cannot be paid on behalf of a household member that has not been born. The date of birth is used to add newborns to an ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program case when the birthdate is reported before an initial determination has been made. Please see ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 790-6 A when adding a household member to an existing case.

The individual must be in the home at least one day of the month to be included in that month. However, when the family reports prior to the eligibility determination that a person moved out, that person is not considered part of the family for any month.

Example:

A pregnant woman applies for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program on September 13th, her interview is scheduled for September 17th. During the interview she reports that her child was born on September 15th. The child is added to the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program household effective their date of birth on September 15th, because ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefits cannot be paid for a household member that was not yet born.

Example:

A family applies May 27. During the interview on June 5, the individual reports her spouse moved in on May 30. The spouse is considered part of the family and the family's benefit start date is May 27. If the spouse moved in on June 3, the spouse is included in the family effective June 1.

Example:

A family applies on July 28th and is interviewed August 9th. During the interview, the individual reports that her husband moved out on August 4th and is not expected to return. The husband is not considered part of the family for either July or August, and verification of his income and resources are not needed. Income and resources available to the family must still be considered.

705-3 G.      DO ANY DISQUALIFICATIONS OR PENALTIES APPLY?

A penalty or disqualification may have been imposed on the family during a prior period of assistance under ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program or another state's TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program or a NFAPNative Family Assistance Program. The caseworker must determine if this penalty or disqualification should continue.

1. If an adult in the assistance unit has a penalty imposed for not complying with the Family Self-Sufficiency Plan (FSSP), participation in work or self-sufficiency activities, or cooperating with CSSDChild Support Services Division from a previous period on ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, the penalty must be evaluated to determine if it is still appropriate. See ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 723 for policy on penalties.

If the case has been closed less than 30 days, the caseworker should leave the penalties in place. If the case has been closed 30 days or more, the caseworker should end the work activity or FSSPFamily Self-Sufficiency Plan penalty before the new application date.

A penalty from CSSDChild Support Services Division must continue until CSSDChild Support Services Division has notified DPADivision of Public Assistance that the client is in the compliance.

Note:

These types of non-compliance penalties do not carry over the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program from another state's TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program or an NFAPNative Family Assistance Program.

2. If a job quit disqualification has been imposed under ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, the length of the disqualification period must be reviewed to determine if the benefit start date for the application should be adjusted. If the end of the disqualification period is within 30 days of the application date, the benefit start date is the date following the end of the disqualification period. See ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 722 for policy on job quit disqualifications.

Note:

A job quit disqualification imposed by another state's TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program or an NFAPNative Family Assistance Program does not carry over to ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program. However, that does not prevent a disqualification from being imposed under ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program if a job quit occurred within 60 days of the application, even if the individual was receiving benefits under a TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families or NFAPNative Family Assistance Program program at the time and/or a job disqualification was imposed by the other program.

3. If an IPVIntentional Program Violation disqualification imposed by ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program or another state's TANFTemporary Assistance to Needy Families program or an NFAPNative Family Assistance Program is still in effect, the remainder of the disqualification period must be served under ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program. If the IPVIntentional Program Violation disqualification was suspended for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program due to another penalty or disqualification or because the case was closed, the number of months remaining to be served must be determined. See ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 793 for policy on IPVIntentional Program Violation disqualifications.