Individuals receive a ME OIAS statement (Exhibit 1) that shows the monthly grant amount
and who is included in the grant upon approval, payment change, or redetermination
of their TANF benefits. Use this statement and/or the recipient's allegation to determine
the recipient's share of the grant amount if the statement and/or allegation cover
the period requiring verification and the grant amount matches exactly a grant amount in the “Adult
Included” chart in SI BOS00830.404E.2. It is possible to use a combination of the allegation and ME OIAS statement in order
to verify the entire period applicable as long as there is an exact match between
the statement/allegation and the chart. If the individual removed from the grant is
an adult, use the “Adult Not Included” chart to determine the grant amount after the individual is removed from the TANF
grant. If the individual removed from the grant is a child, use only the “Adult Included” chart to determine the amounts before and after the child is removed from the grant.
See SI BOS00830.404E.2 for an example.
The “Special Need” grants sections on the charts are applicable to those households whose housing costs
equal or exceed 75% of their countable income. These households are entitled to a
higher grant. Develop cases with a “Special Need” grant in the same manner as you develop other TANF cases.
If you are verifying the first month of TANF payment using the ME OIAS statement and/or
recipient's allegation, determine the prorated amount for the first month using the
proration chart in SI BOS00830.404E.1. If there is not an exact match, contact the local ME OIAS as described below.
Document the grant amount, agency name, source of verification (i.e., ME OIAS statement
and/or recipient allegation), date of contact, and charts used to determine the individual's
TANF amount. For initial claims taken in MSSICS, use the IADC and ASSOCIATED REMARKS
screens. For non-MSSICS cases, use the EVID screen and input the individual's share
as type “F” income in the UM field per SM 01005.180 – SM 01005.185.
For fully electronic folders, the documentation on the EVID or MSSICS screens as described
in SI BOS00830.404ff is sufficient. Do not fax a copy of the ME OIAS statement to
the electronic folder.
If the allegation and/or statement do not match the chart, contact the servicing DHHS ME OIAS office per SI 00830.403C. Its address and phone number is located on the DHHS ME OIAS website. Obtain from
the agency:
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•
the amount of the TANF grant paid to the family for each month of SSI eligibility
and
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•
the amount the grant would be without the SSI applicant for each month of SSI eligibility.
Document the grant amount, agency name, date of contact, method of contact (i.e.,
phone or fax), and the name and phone number of the individual contacted. For initial
claims taken in MSSICS, use the IADC and ASSOCIATED REMARKS screens. For non-MSSICS
cases use the EVID screen and input the individual's share as type “F” income in the UM field per SM 01005.180 –SM 01005.185.
For post-eligibility situations, do not use the FILE DOCUMENTATION REMARKS of the
ASSOCIATED REMARKS SCREEN (for the IADC screen) when documenting TANF. The screen
must lock in order for the documentation to be acceptable. The FILE DOCUMENTATION
REMARKS of the ASSOCIATED REMARKS SCREEN only locks for information posted at the
time of adjudication. Use the EVID screen or the Report of Contact page (and lock
it) in post eligibility situations.
Click the following links for examples on documenting TANF and coding the appropriate
screens. These screens are located in the Maine TANF Guide on the Boston Region SSI Subject
Index:
Example 1 – Verification and Documentation of TANF Grant for SSI Applicant – MSSICS Case
Example 2 – Verification and Documentation of TANF Grant for SSI Applicant – Non-MSSICS Case