Policy Directive                                                             Issuance Number: TEA PD 00-4

Transitional Employment Assistance Manual      Issuance Date: April 1, 2000

From: Ruth Whitney, Director                                       Expiration Date: Until Superseded

Subj: TEA 24-Month Time-Limited Extensions and Case Closures

The purpose of this directive is to provide procedures and general guidance for providing an extension or closing a TEA case subject to the 24-month time limit.

Based on the report sent to county offices each month identifying time-limited cases, counties will schedule cases for staffings as appropriate (i.e., 6, 12, 18, & 22 months).

For two-parent cases, both adults will be staffed at the same time based on the count of the adult who reaches the staffing timeframes first. 

NOTE: Prior to scheduling the staffing, the Case Manager should ensure that the count shown on the report and the TEA Payment Count (TEPC) screen is the correct count according to the information contained in the case record. If the count is not correct, appropriate action to correct it will be taken.

Upon completion of the 22^nd month staffing, a determination as to whether the case should be extended or closed will be made. Although consideration of an extension and in some cases, a recommendation to extend may be made at the 18^th month staffing, the final decision to extend or close a time limited case will occur in the 22^nd month.

The Case Manager will complete forms DCO-197, Case Management Staffing, and DCO-198, Twenty-Two Month Time Limit Case Review Checklist, and use this information when making the decision. Upon making the recommendation, the final approval to extend or close a time-limited case will be made by the DCO County Administrator.

The client will be notified of the extension or case closure via form DCO-177, Notice of Time Limit Determination within 10 days of the date of the decision.

Copies of the forms are attached.

An extension may be granted if the individual circumstances identified during the staffing fall into any one of the three reasons for extension outlined in TEA 4141.1. Although the third reason regarding education and training is fairly straightforward, the first two are broad and could encompass various situations.

The following guidance for all three reasons is provided.

1. The client has cooperated and participated in the required activities but was unable to obtain employment because of circumstances beyond his or her control.

Examples of situations which could fall under this reason include but are not limited to:

• The unavailability of employment in the area.
• The client has interviewed for jobs but not been hired through no fault of their own.
• The client has received ARS or other needed services such as substance abuse treatment, etc., but still is not job ready.
• Although not deferred, supportive services were delayed or not provided as required for the individual to satisfactorily participate in a required work activity.
• Other similar situations that the county office determines fall under this reason.

2. It has been determined appropriate to extend the time limit, particularly, but not limited to, cases in which it is necessary to protect the child from risk of abuse or neglect.

Examples of situations which could fall under this reason include but are not limited to:

• The staffing team determines that the child is at risk of abuse and neglect, and/or at risk of entering foster care.
• ARS has determined the client has too severe an impairment for ARS Services but SSA has denied the disability application.
• The family has suffered a disaster or other disruptive event such as an ill non-household family member, death in the family, etc., during the 22 months which may have affected participation.
• Regular contact as required of the Case Manager has not been provided, thus adversely affecting the client’s satisfactory participation.
• Client is receiving ARS services through a sheltered workshop.
• Other similar situations that the county office determines fall into this reason.

3. Individuals participating in education and training activities who have reached the end of their twenty-four (24) month cumulative limit on financial assistance, have complied with all TEA requirements and are within six (6) months of completing their current education or training program.

Example: Ms. Smith’s TEA cash assistance case is scheduled to be closed due to the time limit in September 2000. During her 22^nd month case staffing, it is determined that she is currently attending college and that she is expected to graduate in February 2001. Because Ms. Smith will be within six months of completing her education once she reaches her 24^th month, an extension to the time limit should be granted.

Extensions to the time limit may be granted for a specified number of months from one month up to a maximum of six months. The extension determination will be documented on form DCO-198.

Upon final approval by the County Administrator to extend the time limit, Section I of form DCO-177, Notice of Time Limit Determination, will be completed. The client will be advised of the number of months the cash assistance is being extended and the time period it covers. If necessary, the client will be provided with a date and time to come into the county office for an employment plan update. During the employment plan update appointment, the Case Manager will discuss with the recipient the required activities during the extension period. The Case Manager will also continue monthly contact with the individual during the extension period.

1. Work Participation Status Codes - Extended Time Limited Cases

If an extension is granted, the individual’s work program status code will be changed to one of the following mandatory codes after the 24^th payment has extracted but prior to extract of the 25^th payment. If it is a 2-parent household, the code will be changed on the adult who has received 24 payments. Please note that the code will not be changed following the 22^nd month staffing when the DCO-177 is sent to the client authorizing the extension.

5A – Participated Satisfactorily, Unable to find job due to circumstances beyond the client’s control
5B – Extension deemed appropriate based on individual case circumstances
5C – Education or Training related reasons

NOTE: These codes must be used so that the case is identified as an extended time-limited case.

Supportive Services will be provided to a recipient whose case has been extended so that he or she can participate in the required activities.

If an individual finds employment during the extension period and is income ineligible or requests the case be closed, the Case Manager will close the case using Action Reason 503 or 504 to authorize the ESS bonus and transportation payments. ESS child care will also be authorized if needed. (See Section II. B for an explanation of the codes.)

An individual will be granted a deferral or exemption (i.e. child less than 3 months or 3-12 months and child care not available) during the extended period if he or she meets a work participation deferral or exemption reason. The months that the individual is deferred will not count toward the number of extended months he or she was given. This means that when the person comes out of deferral status, he or she may receive assistance for the number of months remaining in the extension period.

Example: A case was extended for six months (7/00 – 12/00). In September, the client was deferred due to illness. The deferral ended in November. Because the client had been in deferred status for three months, the extension period will now end in March 2001.

The deferral and exempt codes for TEA cases during the extension period are:

6A – Deferred, Transportation Services not available
6B – Deferred, Adult age 60 or over
6C – Deferred, Child Care not available
6D – Deferred, Medically Incapacitated
6P – Deferred, Woman in third trimester of pregnancy
6N – Deferred, Needed in home for care of seriously ill or incapacitated family member
6R – Deferred, Adult referred to Rehabilitation Services for Disability Assessment
6S – Deferred, Supportive Services not available
6E – Deferred, Extraordinary circumstances
6V – Deferred, Victim of Domestic Violence
6X – Deferred, Second parent required in home to care for severely disabled child
6Y – Deferred, Medically incapacitated – second parent
6T – Deferred, Parent in two parent family deferred to care for children in home 
                          which are not receiving Federally funded child care
6Z – Exempt, Parent with child less than 3 months old or 3-12 months old without available child care

If the individual does not comply with the required work activity, the worker will contact him or her to discuss the reason for non-compliance. If it is determined that the individual does not have good cause, the extension period will end and the TEA cash assistance case will be closed due to the time limit. A 10-day notice will be sent to the client by completing section II of form DCO-177, Notice of Time Limit Determination, checking the appropriate reason advising the client of the closure and the explanation for the closure. A follow-up notice, form DCO-178, Final Notice of Time Limit Determination will be sent when closing the case on the ACES system as a reminder that the case has been closed.

6. Granting Additional Extensions

A client may be given additional extensions provided a reason is met as outlined above.

Prior to making the determination, a case staffing will be completed to review the individual’s circumstances. If an extension is granted for more than two months, the staffing should occur in the second month prior to the last month of the extension. If an extension has been granted for one or two months, the staffing will occur in the first month of the extension period.

It may be appropriate to grant an extension to a case in which the individual found employment but the income did not close the TEA case. For example, the individual may have found the employment near the end of the extension period and may need supportive services for a period of time while employed. This would be an appropriate reason to give an extension.

The client will be notified of the extension via form DCO-177.

2. Closing the TEA Cash Assistance Case at 24 Months or at the End of the Extension Period.

If, upon completion of the case staffing, the decision is to close the TEA case, form DCO-177, Notice of Time Limit Determination, will be completed advising the client that the cash assistance will be closed at the end of the twenty-four months, or at the end of the previously authorized extension period. Upon closure of the cash assistance case on the ACES system, form DCO-178, Final Notice of Time Limit Determination, will be sent to the client as a reminder that the case has been closed.

1. Cases with Earnings

If the case being closed has earnings, the Case Manager will authorize the ESS Bonus and Transportation payments. ESS child care will also be provided if needed. Action Reason 502 will be used.

The following codes based on the reason for closure will be used to close a case due to the time limit.

502 - Employed, Reached 24-month Limit, No Extension Given (Send DCO-177)
503 - Extended, Found Employment during Extended Period, Requested Case Closure (System Generated Client Notice)
504 - Employed, became Ineligible during Extended Period (System Generated Client Notice)
505 - Extended, Employed at End of Extension Period, No Additional Extension Given (Send DCO-177)
222 - No Extension Given or Continued – Not Employed (Send DCO-177)

Action Reasons 502, 503, 504, and 505, will cause the ESS Employment Bonus and Transportation Payments to be made.

3. Appeal Rights

The client has the right to appeal the decision to not extend and to close the cash assistance case within 30 days of the date of the closure notice. If the client appeals within 10 days of the date of the notice (DCO-177), benefits will continue pending the hearing. The date of the notice will be the date the County Administrator signs it. The client will be informed of the timeframe for appeal on the notice by entering the date in the box in Section II (10 days from the date the County Administrator signs the form.)

NOTE: The timeframes for an appeal are based on the date of the DCO-177 even if the effective date of the closure is more than 10 days from the date of the notice.

Example: Date of closure notice: April 10, 2000
                   30-day appeal must be made no later than May 10, 2000.
                   Appeal date for benefits to continue must be made by April 20, 2000.
                   Effective Date of Closure: July 1, 2000

Inquiries to:  Lorie Williams, 682-8256

  Renee Green, 682-8266

  Gerry Reed, 682-8253