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Links to court or government agency websites. Also, materials issued by the agency or court itself (except for regulations and decisions) as well as rules and procedures governing the court or agency and its operations.

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PPER Email 2014-12: DOR Employment Verification Notice Issue

DTA
As part of the BEACON Build 46.2 on 3/17, functionality was added to automate the generation of DOR Employment Verification Notices with a DOR Match discrepancy. The return of the verification and the disposition of the outstanding match will be tracked, with automated case closings…

Ops Memo 2014-26: Electronic Document Management (EDM) Release 1.1

DTA
Overview On January 31, 2014, DTA implemented Electronic Document Management (EDM), Release 1. It is anticipated that periodically, between major releases, enhancements will be added and possible fixes will be made. Effective March 24, 2014, a number of enhancements were to DTA myWorkspace…

PS 99-10 Determining conditions or diagnoses requiring additional information

DES
This Procedural Standard was revised on March 24, 2014. This is the revised version.

PPER Email 2014-11: Photo EBT Exceptions

DTA
Effective March 24, 2014 BEACON enhancements will be implemented to expand Photo EBT exceptions to certain cardholders. In addition to the cardholders identified in Operations Memo 2014-17 and Operations Memo 2014-18, non-applicant heads of household will not be subject to the Photo…

PPER Email 2014-10: Transportation Reimbursement Reminder

DTA
TAO staff is reminded that clients who are meeting the participation hours of an ESP activity (including non-funded ESP activities) or combination of activities are eligible for a maximum Transportation reimbursement of $40 per month. This is an important benefit to ensure…

PPER Email 2014-09: Preliminary Changes to Heat and Eat

DTA
The Farm Bill of 2014 requires States participating in the Heat and Eat (H-EAT) Program to increase the amount of fuel assistance benefits provided to eligible SNAP households to greater than $20 effective March 10, 2014. This ended the existing H-EAT Program. On the evening of March 7, 2014,…

MA Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education McKinney-Vento Information

Mass. Department of Education, The Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
MA DESE web page for the Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. Advisories, policies, priorities and resources related to McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance federal grant, to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and well being of homeless children and youth in school.…

2014 DTA Field Operations Memos -- INDEX to Memos

DTA
Index of Operations Memos issued by DTA in 2014, as of March 2014.

Housing and District Court Forms (including Summary Process)

Massachusetts Courts
Housing Court Forms -- includes Summary Process, Small Claims, Supplementary Process, Civil Claims, Criminal Claims and General Use District Court Forms --

Ops Memo 2014-24: Enhancements to External Agency Match Processing (Automated DOR wage/new hire and SSA SSN automated matches)

DTA
Overview Effective with BEACON Build 46.2 scheduled for March 17, 2014, the Department will implement an automated process for data received through the Earned Income match with the Department of Revenue (DOR) and with the Social Security Number (SSN) match received from the Social Security…

Ops Memo 2014-22: TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP – Limitations on Program Eligibility

DTA
Overview In response to a recent United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service review of the Department’s SNAP application, new questions are being added to BEACON regarding certain unlawful activities restrict the eligibility of SNAP. Related questions are also being…

Ops Memo 2014-23: Program Integrity Checklist Overview

DTA
Overview As a part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to strengthen program integrity, enhancements continue to be made to the BEACON system. Effective with BEACON Build 46.2, scheduled for March 17, 2014, the Department will begin implementing the first phase of the Program Integrity (PI)…

Ops Memo 2014-25: TAFDC: Work Program Sanction Edits

DTA
Overview A Single State Audit review found that some TAFDC cases that were not complying with the work program requirements failed to be sanctioned in accordance with Department regulations. This was due, in part, to sanctions not being removed correctly from all required pages. This prevented the…

Ops Memo 2014-21: TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP – New York State Match OBSOLETE

DTA
Obsoleted by Operations Memo 2014-21A Overview The Department’s Program Integrity unit currently matches with the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) on a quarterly basis to identify any clients in Massachusetts that are or were receiving assistance at the same time in…

Access Brief: Language Access & Self-Represented Litigants

National Center for State Courts (NCSC)
Overview Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (“LEP”) experience heightened difficulty when navigating the judicial system in propria persona. The brief, produced by the Center on Court Access to Justice for All of the NCSC, adopts an expansive definition of LEP by embracing all…

Ops Memo 2014-20: Mandatory SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) Program and Job Search Requirements

DTA
DTA Overview On March 3, 2014, the Department modified BEACON to allow for the enrollment of all clients who are mandatory participants or voluntary participants in the SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program. This mandatory program applies to all nonexempt household members between the ages…

CarePlus -Provider Bulletin

Office of Medicaid
In this March 2014 Provider Bulletin, the Office of Medicaid summarizes the new coverage type for adults 21-64 with income under 138% FPL availalbe as of Jan. 2014

Data Relating to Homeless Students in Massachsuetts

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The Massachusetts Department of Education included a housing question for the first time in the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.  The Department of Elementary and Sectondary Information publishes summary data about homeless students in Massachusetts.  As of March 2014, the following…

Bankruptcy Basics

United States Courts
The United States Courts have developed a series called Bankruptcy Basics, which provides  basic information to debtors, creditors, court personnel, the media, and the general public on different aspects of federal bankruptcy laws. It also provides individuals who may be considering bankruptcy…

Hotline 3/14: SSA match, identity match and names in BEACON

DTA
From the Hotline If you have any questions on this column or other policy and procedural material, please have your Hotline designee call the Policy Hotline at 617-348-8478. Q. 1. My TAFDC client’s name in BEACON is Jessica Barry. She recently appeared on a Social Security Administration…

District Homeless Liaison Contact List

MA Department of Education
List of Homeless Liaisons by district.  Click the "Go to Website" link below to access the directory from DESE's website.  Select "people search" from the left column, then Homeless Liaison from the function field. Homeless liaisons have the responsibility…

PPER Email 2014-08: Photo EBT Card Opt-In

DTA
Effective with BEACON Build 46.2, scheduled for March 17, 2014, EBT cardholders who are not required under Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2013 to have a Photo EBT card, but wish to have one, may be issued one by EBT clerk without seeing a case manager first. Cardholders who…

Index to DTA's 2013 SNAP and Cash Assistance Policy Hotline Q&As

DTA

Ops Memo 2014-16: SNAP- Standard Medical Deduction

DTA
Overview In March 2008, the Department received a waiver of medical expense deduction rules from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. This allowed the Department to provide a Standard Medical Deduction (SMD) to eligible elderly or disabled clients who verified more than $35 in monthly medical…

Ops Memo 2014-13: TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP - Special Messages Daily Report in Actuate

DTA
Overview The Special Messages Daily Report lists retroactive benefits that cannot be paid through FMCS, such as a reopened case with retroactive benefits owed over $1500. A new report is generated daily and is organized by DTA region. Case managers must check the report daily to make sure any…

Ops Memo 2014-15: External Agency Data: Registry of Motor Vehicles OBSOLETE

DTA
Obsoleted by Ops Memo 2014-39 (June 11, 2014). Overview In an ongoing effort to enhance the Department’s program integrity, DTA continues to expand data verification by interfacing with real time online services provided by external sources. DTA has expanded access to the MassDOT…

Ops Memo 2014-14: Change to the Landlord Verification Form (LL-VER) and the Shared Housing Form (VLA)

DTA
Forms The Landlord Verification form (LL-VER) and Shared Housing form (VLA) are used to verify where clients live and how much they pay for household expenses. In an effort to strengthen program integrity, a recommendation was made by the Bureau of Program Integrity of the Office of the…

Ops Memo 2014-10: Division of Hearings BEACON Functionality

DTA
Overview The Division of Hearings (DOH), an impartial unit within the Department, administers hearings and renders decisions for appeals requested by applicants and clients (hereafter referred to as clients). DOH is also responsible for those cases brought by the Administrative Disqualification…

Ops Memo 2014-08: Unaccessed EBT Benefits

Overview Cash balances held on an EBT cards are a countable asset for TAFDC and EAEDC purposes with certain exceptions. SNAP balances are not a countable asset for any DTA program. Additionally, all program benefits held on EBT cards that are not accessed for time periods specified by regulation…

Ops Memo 2014-09: Expunged and Offline EBT Benefit Restoration Requests

DTA
Overview Operations Memo 2014-8 explained new procedures for managing high balance EBT accounts. This Operations Memo describes the processes for clients to request that their offline or expunged benefits be restored and for the approval or denial of such requests. With BEACON Build 46.1,…

Ops Memo 2014-07: Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card Fees, Replacements and Notices

DTA
Overview Operations Memo 2012-56: TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP–Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card Fees Replacements and Notices advised TAO staff about changes to the EBT card replacement process, various client notices, and a $5.00 replacement fee to be charged to TAFDC and EAEDC…

PPER Email 2014-05: National School Lunch Program

DTA
Children eligible for free national school meals are automatically determined eligible through a direct certification process implemented through a quarterly data match. DTA provides a list of children receiving SNAP and/or TAFDC benefits to DESE for direct certification for free meals…

FYI February 2014: MassHealth Application, and Low Cost Banking Options

DTA
New Under Age 65 MassHealth Application and Member Booklet MassHealth has significantly changed its application for benefits and member booklets for individuals under age 65 to incorporate eligibility and other changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Effective immediately, the MassHealth…

PPER Email 2014-06: Offline and Expunged Benefit Notifications

DTA
As outlined in Operations Memo 2014-8, effective with BEACON Build 46.1, the Department automated many of the procedures regarding high balance and unaccessed benefits. Additionally the Department implemented a new procedure of storing stale SNAP benefits…

Hotline 2/14: Categorically Eligible SNAP Households and Assets

DTA
Q. 1. I did not ask my SNAP client for asset information, but he volunteered information on his pension balance. Since he is part of a categorically eligible household, do I need to follow up on this client’s information? A. 1. While no follow up is required for asset purposes on…

Attorney Handbook, U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts

US District Court
Click the "Go to Website" link below to download the handbook, which is intended to provide the public and the bar with information needed to conduct business with the United States District Court of Massachusetts, from the the court's website..  

Ops Memo 2014-03B: Electronic Document Management (EDM) Release 1 - DTA Clerical Staff Responsibilities

DTA
Overview Effective with BEACON Build 46.1, DTA will implement Electronic Document Management (EDM), Release 1. Release 1 focuses on implementing EDM and DTA myWorkspace (MWS) to facilitate the centralized scanning and distribution of postal mail. The implementation is being introduced through five…

Ops Memo 2014-03: Electronic Document Management (EDM) Release 1 – EDMC Mail Facility Processing Responsibilities

DTA
Overview Effective with BEACON Build 46.1, DTA will implement Electronic Document Management (EDM), Release 1. Release 1 focuses on implementing EDM and DTA myWorkspace (MWS) to facilitate the centralized scanning and distribution of postal mail. The implementation is being introduced through five…

Ops Memo 2014-03C: Electronic Document Management (EDM) Release 1 – Case Manager and Central Office Business Unit Responsibilities

DTA
Overview Effective with BEACON Build 46.1, DTA will implement Electronic Document Management (EDM), Release 1. Release 1 focuses on implementing EDM and DTA myWorkspace (MWS) to facilitate the centralized scanning and distribution of postal mail. The implementation is being introduced through five…

Ops Memo 2014-03A: Electronic Document Management (EDM) Release 1 – DTA myWorkspace Functionality

Overview Effective with BEACON Build 46.1, DTA will implement Electronic Document Management (EDM), Release 1. Release 1 focuses on implementing EDM and DTA myWorkspace (MWS) to facilitate the centralized scanning and distribution of postal mail. The implementation is being introduced through five…

Ops Memo 2014-05: SNAP Revised Paper Applications, Recertification and Annual Reporting Forms

DTA
Overview The Department has updated the paper versions of both the SNAP Benefits Application (hereafter called Regular App) and the Simplified SNAP Application for Elderly Applicants (hereafter called Elderly App). This is based on a USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) evaluation of the…

Ops Memo 2014-04: TAFDC and SNAP 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines

DTA
Overview On January 24, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the federal poverty guidelines (FPG) in the Federal Register. The poverty guidelines are used to calculate the eligibility standards for the TAFDC and SNAP programs as follows: TAFDC: Income from the…

EITC Program Information on Mass.Gov

Department of Revenue
Link to information about Earned Income Tax Credit Programs (both federal and state) on Massachusetts state website, including a link to find someone to help you prepare your return for free. Also attached is a poster with information about the EITC.  For 2012, you qualify…

PPER Email 2015-4: Benefit Assist SNAP Applications

DTA

Ops Memo 2014-02: 2014 Social Security/SSI Benefit Adjustment for TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP

DTA
Overview Effective January 2014, Social Security benefits and federal SSI payments increased by 1.5 percent. This is sometimes called a Cost of Living Adjustment or COLA. The base level Medicare Part B Premium remains at $104.90. The Medicare Part B Penalty Premium is identified in the 2014…

Ops Memo 2014-01: SNAP – Medex Premium Rate Changes

DTA
Overview Medex is a Medicare supplement policy that is offered through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA). BCBSMA has announced Medex premium rate changes for the following non-group plans: Bronze (Supplement 1), Core, Gold, Silver, Standard, Basic, Core Plus, Basic No Rx and…

MassHealth CarePlus Fact Sheet

Office of Medicaid
On January 1, 2014 a new type of MassHealth coverage became available called MassHealth CarePlus for adults age 21 to 65 with income at or below 133% of the poverty level and who are not eligible for Medicare. It is part of the expansion of the Medicaid program under federal health reform.…

OCR - DOJ Guidance on School Discipline

US OCR and DOJ
The Office for Civil Rights together with the Dept of Justice released a Dear Colleague letter on January 8, 2014 on to help schools administer school discipline without discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) has found that students…

2013 DTA Field Operations Memos -- INDEX to Memos

DTA
Index of Operations Memos issued by DTA in 2013. 

2014 - DTA "Transitions" Newsletters

DTA
DTA Transitions from 2014 are posted here. January 2014 Quality Corner -- In Change Reporting SNAP case, client didn't report income increase resulting in overpayment. Case manager should have checked New Hire Match, Match History Tab in Beacon; Case manager scheduled phone interview, but…