Govt. Agency /Court Links& Materials

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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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Field Ops Memo 2010-11A: BEACON 3.0 User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

DTA
Overview BEACON 3.0 User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is designed to test the typical transactions encountered by DTA field and Central Office users, as well as external agencies that interface with BEACON on a daily basis. Testing is being conducted at TAOs and Central Office by staff who…

Field Ops Memo 2010-14: TAFDC – Reminder: CIES Populations Best Served

DTA
Background Field Operations Memo 2009-45 advised TAO staff about: changes to ESP activities as a result of the CIES procurement process; which clients are best served by the new activities; and prioritizing referrals to ESP activities as a result of the CIES procurement. This Field…

Parents Notice of Procedural Safeguards prepared by MA DESE - 2010

MA DESE
Links to Parent Handbook of Parent Rights in several languages and memo from the state Special Education Director to all special education administrators about the updated Parent Notice of Procedural Safeguards (PNPS) which replaces the previous PNPS from 2008.  The memo advises the…

Martinez Settlement

SSA
Official SSA Martinez page with links to court documents and a summary of the key points of the settlement. On September 24, 2009, the United States District Court in the Northern District of California approved a nationwide class action settlement agreement in the case of Martinez v. Astrue. The…

Hotline Focus 02/10

DTA
Q. My client is receiving SNAP benefits. At her recertification, she mentioned that she has not made a mortgage payment in over a year. In recertifying this case on BEACON, can I still deduct her mortgage payment as a shelter expense? A. Yes. As long as your client is still responsible for making…

SNAP Benefits Not Subject to Public Charge

USDA
In 2010, USDA sent a letter to states confirming that food stamps/SNAP does not create a "public charge" problem for immigrants. Attached is a letter from FNS Under Secretary Kevin Concannon to DTA Commissioner Julia Kehoe confirming federal policy that SNAP benefits do not make an…

Request for Comments (DAA)

SSA
SSA comments request on its operating procedures for determining disability for persons whose drug addiction oralcoholism (DAA) may be a contributing factor material to our determination of disability.

Field Ops Memo 2010-13: TAFDC, EAEDC, and SNAP – Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Screen Guide

DTA
Overview Field Operations Memo 2009-24A informed TAO staff about the extension of unemployment benefits as the result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The ARRA legislation extended the period of time for which claims for these extended benefits can be filed and benefits…

Contact Information for SSA Offices in Massachusetts

SSA

Contact Information for all Hearing Offices in Region I (New England)

SSA
Hearing Office Locator -- Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) Boston Region I provides services to residents in the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and…

SSA Provides Free Interpreters

SSA
SSA must provide free interpreters on request.

Social Security Office Locator

SSA
Page on SSA website to locate Social Security offices.

English-Spanish Glossary of Social Security Administration Terminology

SSA

Glossary of Social Security Terms

SSA

Glossary of SSI/SSDI Work Incentive Terms

SSA

Field Ops Memo 2010-08: TAFDC – MassHealth Central Filing Unit Initiative

DTA
Overview DTA in partnership with MassHealth is providing our clients opportunities to gain work experience by offering on-the-job training opportunities at MassHealth’s Central Filing Unit (CFU) in Taunton. For DTA purposes, this opportunity will be considered an Employment Training and Education…

AHVP Memo January 22, 2010

DHCD

Field Ops Memo 2010-02: ARRA $25 Weekly Unemployment Compensation Benefit Noncountable for SNAP

DTA
Overview A new law enacted on November 6, 2009 changes the treatment of the $25 weekly ARRA unemployment compensation (UC) payment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The $25 weekly UC payment is now excluded from the calculation of income and resources. However, the payment…

Field Ops Memo 2010-07: Security Enhancement to the EPPIC System

DTA
Overview EPPIC (Electronic Payment Processing Information Control System) is the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system through which all SNAP clients and the majority of cash assistance clients access their benefits with the use of an EBT card. Certain DTA employees access EPPIC for a variety of…

Field Ops Memo 2010-06: My Account Page (MAP): Initial Roll-out

DTA
Background Field Operations Memo 2009-41 advised TAO staff that My Account Page (MAP) was scheduled to be released August 8, 2009. However, there was a delay in the initial roll-out. The new MAP roll-out date is scheduled for January 25, 2010. TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP applicants and clients will be…

Field Ops Memo 2010-05: TAFDC – Work Program Requirement Change Cancellation

DTA
Overview Field Operations Memo 2009-65A advised TAO staff of an initial mailing to clients about a change to the number of hours per week that a client must work under the Work Program. This change has been canceled. For clients whose youngest child in the case is mandatory full-time school age…

Field Ops Memo 2010-03: Prefilled SNAP Recertification Forms: SNAP Recertification Form and the Updated Food Stamp Semiannual

DTA
Overview In 2005, the Department implemented a prefilled recertification form for Universal Semiannual Reporting (USR) households. In an effort to streamline the SNAP recertification process, the Department will expand the use of a prefilled recertification form to additional SNAP households. A…

Field Ops Memo 2010-04: Medex Premium Rate Changes and Medicare Changes

DTA
Overview Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts has announced Medex premium rate changes for the following non-group plans: Bronze, Core, Core Plus, Gold, Silver, and Standard. These changes were effective on January 1, 2010. This memo: identifies the non-group plans that have changed and…

HUD Renter's Kit

HUD
HUD website with information for renters, including fair housing rents, tips tenants should know, budgeting, and housing counseling. See also HUD's Common Questions about Renting page.

Interim Report on Access to Justice Initiatives in the Trial Court

Honorable Dina E. Fein and Sandra E. Lundy, Esq.
Overview The Access to Justice survey was conducted using print and electronic methods. The response rate was 29 percent and 34 percent for trial court employees and courthouse employees, respectively. 7 fundamental components for providing meaningful access to justice were surveyed: services for…

Field Ops Memo 2010-01: Centralization of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child in Placement Match Process

DTA
Background DTA performs matches with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), formerly DSS, and receives information for the following matches: Child in Placement; Child No Longer in Placement; Client Deceased; and Guardian/Adoption Placement. Clients matched for these DCF…

Childrens Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI)

MA EOHHS
Webpage on the mass.gov website with links to information on CBHI, including eligibility criteria, services available and listings of Community Service Agencies (CSA). 

2010 - DTA Transitions Newsletters From 2010

DTA
DTA Transitions newsletters from 2010 are posted here. December 2010 EAEDC: New Interim Assistance Reimbursement Agreement and New Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance (AP-SSI-IAR) Form; Funeral and Final Disposition Payment Changes; Verification; Access to the Work…

FYI: Verifying Medical Deductions in SNAP

DTA
Many elderly and/or disabled SNAP clients have difficulty obtaining verification of medical expenses, for a variety of reasons. Additionally, due to privacy issues, it may be impossible for a case manager or authorized representative to assist a client in obtaining medical expense…

Hotline Focus Index 2009

DTA
A “From the Hotline” index of the questions and answers published in Transitions during 2009 has been compiled below. The index is intended to provide quick access to policy and procedural information. Please remember that this index explains policy and procedure as of the month and year in which…

Understanding Supplemental Security Income Expedited Payments

SSA
SSA can start payments more quickly than usual in four different types of situations: presumptive disability (PD) or presumptive blindness (PB) payment; emergency advance payment; immediate payment; and expedited reinstatement cases. Follow the link to the ssa guide on expedited payments.

2009 DTA Field Operations Memos: INDEX to Memos

DTA
Index to the DTA Field Operations Memos issued in 2009.

Field Ops Memo 2009-68: TAFDC – Community Service Site Clean-up Project

DTA
In September 2009, a report was generated from BEACON identifying all Community Service Sites that had been inactive for the previous 12 months. Local Office Quality Control (LOQC) reviewed the report and found that the majority of the sites listed had no contact information or outdated…

Field Ops Memo 2009-69: AFDC – ESP Transportation Changes

DTA
ESP Transportation Changes: TransAction Associates Due to the current fiscal crisis, the Department has revised its eligibility requirement for ESP Transportation payments for clients. The referral process to TransAction Associates for transportation payments ends effective December 31, 2009. ESP…

Field Ops Memo 2009-67: SNAP Program Access Review

DTA
The Department of Transitional Assistance and USDA are committed to providing eligible low-income households with full access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. To ensure program access, USDA conducts a yearly nationwide review of selected state offices providing SNAP…

Part D Update: LI NET

Massachusetts Office of Medicaid
Effective January 1, 2010 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will replace the Wellpoint Point-of-Sale Facilitated Enrollment process (Wellpoint) with a new Medicare Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (LI NET) program. This update explains how LI NET is intended to work.

Authorization to Review a Record of Proceeding

USDOJ: Immigration Court - Boston

Hotline Focus 12/09

DTA
Q. An individual came in to apply for benefits today. He is a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) who has been residing in the U.S. since 2007. As an LPR, he meets the EAEDC noncitizen requirements as described in 106 CMR 320.620. He has also applied for SNAP. As a 65-year-old with an LPR noncitizen…

HUD's Elderly/Disabled Housing Inventory

HUD

Field Ops Memo 2009-63A: SNAP: Modifications to the Waiver of the Face-to-Face Interview

DTA
To improve customer service, increase efficiency and reduce the case processing burden for case managers, the Department recently requested USDA to modify the current waiver of the face-to-face interview to allow telephone interviews at both application and recertification without the need to…

Field Ops Memo 2009-66: TAFDC – Countable SSI Informational Mailing

DTA
Due to the current fiscal crisis, certain individuals who are ineligible for TAFDC due to receipt of SSI who have a legal obligation to support their dependent children or spouse will have their income (excluding the first $100 of income) count in determining eligibility. This change is effective…

SNAP -- Excluding $25 Unemployment Compensation Payments from Income and Resources

USDA
USDA recently issued guidance that the $25 additional UI payment as a result of the "Worker, Home ownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009" is not countable income. Attached is a copy of the USDA Policy Memo. Background (based on USDA guidance): Section 2002 of the "Assistance…

Field Ops Memo 2009-61: TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP: Treatment of 2010 Census Earnings

DTA
The 2010 Census will begin in April 2010. Some of our clients may be accepting short-term jobs with the Census Bureau. The primary period of activity for the 2010 Census will be from March 2010 through July 2010, although some positions may begin before or extend after this time period. The…

Link to USDA FNS SNAP Guidance Program Policy Guidance

USDA
The Food and Nutrition Services of USDA provides guidance to the states on implementing SNAP/ Food Stamps program policy.  This guidance is available on the USDA website.

Field Ops Memo 2009-62: EAEDC – No Provider Number Needed

DTA
In May, the EAEDC Medical Report was revised. As part of the revision, the field used to identify the Medical Report Provider Number was eliminated. The Disability Evaluation Services (DES) unit requested this field be eliminated as they no longer required the information. However, the “Provider…

Field Ops Memo 2009-60: Fall 2009 SNAP Heat and Eat (H-EAT) Program Update

DTA
DTA, in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Community Development, provides H-EAT benefits to eligible SNAP households each year. The newly selected households will receive a significant increase in their SNAP benefit amount based on receipt of the H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program. On the…

DCF and DHCD Administrative Plan - DCF Verification of Housing Unavailability

DHCD
Administrative Plan between DHCD and DCF concerning DCF doing "health and safety assessments" related to applications for EA shelter. That Plan and the Assessment form DCF is supposed to use are attached. Please let MLRI know if you see families who are deterred from seeking shelter, delayed in…

Hotline Focus 11/09

DTA
Q. My TAFDC applicant reported that he recently lost his job. During the application interview, he also said that he still holds the lease on a 2007 truck that he had been using to get to and from his job. Since this applicant does not currently own his vehicle, is it considered a noncountable…

Field Ops Memo 2009-59: EAEDC and TAFDC – SSI Extension of Benefits

DTA
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) which provides income assistance to lowincome seniors and persons with disabilities. A law enacted in 1996 granted refugees and certain immigrants eligibility for SSI benefits for seven years.…

Field Ops Memo 2009-28B: Bay State CAP Outreach Plan Phase 3 Fix: Opening Eligible Cases

DTA
In May 2009, the Department sent outreach notices to 13,000 SSI clients who appeared eligible for Bay State CAP food assistance benefits. It was later determined that approximately 1,400 of these clients, who were otherwise eligible, did not open for Bay State CAP food assistance benefits in July…