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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2-Gen Economic Mobility Programs Report

DTA

Healthy Incentives Program Report

DTA

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rate Report

DTA

DTA Healthy Incentives Program Report: Healthy Incentives Program Report

DTA

Secure Jobs Report

DTA

Report on Agency Reduction Efforts

DTA

MA Attorney General’s Office Guidance for School Athletic Staff on Hate Incidents

MA Attorney General's Office
From the introduction to the guidance: School sports can help students develop leadership and teamwork skills, foster diversity and inclusion, and bring communities together. But achieving these goals takes work. School administrators, athletic directors, coaches, referees and other adult leaders…

OLGT 2022-16: TAFDC: Revised Assignment of Support Rights, Cooperation with Child Support, or Good Cause Claim Form

DTA
TAFDC clients are required to assign their rights to receive child support and cooperate with Department efforts to establish a child support and medical support order for each child in the filing unit, unless good cause for not cooperating exists. To document the child support cooperation or good…

OLGT 2022-17: Cross Program: The Essential Employee Premium Pay Program

DTA
  On December 13, 2021, Governor Baker signed into law the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay Program. This premium pay program, the first of its type in the nation, will distribute a $500 payment to 500,000 low-income workers across Massachusetts. The one-time lump sum payment…

OLGT 2022-12: Cross Programs – The 2022 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Massachusetts Earned Income Credit (EIC), Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Child Care Assistance Mailing and Text Message

DTA
  DTA is sending out a mailing and texts/emails to clients in March to inform them of tax credits and child care assistance. The mailing is scheduled to begin March 7, 2022 and the text/emails will begin on March 8, 2022. This year’s annual state and federal Massachusetts…

OLGT 2022-15: COVID-19: SNAP Application Interview Waiver Update

DTA
  As part of the continued effort to mitigate the difficulties the surge in pandemic-related applications has created, the Department is modifying the COVID-19 procedures for SNAP applications with an interview waiver (last detailed in OLGT 2021-37). These changes are expected to…

OLGT 2022-13: SNAP: Early Adjustment of the Standard Utility Allowance

DTA
Due to the high increase in fuel prices that has occurred during the current winter season, the Department is making an adjustment to the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA). Effective March 1, 2022, the new SUA amounts will be as…

OLGT 2022-14: TAFDC – Pathways to Work and Full Engagement Worker Actions to Support Engagement Work

DTA
  As part of the Department’s Pathways to Work redesign, a new page has been created in BEACON to support TAFDC case managers in discussing education, training and employment opportunities with clients and connecting them to a Full Engagement Worker (FEW) through a BEACON…

OLGT 2022-11: SNAP: Update to Asset Limits in the Online Guide

DTA
In September 2021, Online Guide Transmittal 2021-71 detailed the 2021 cost- of-living adjustment (COLA) for SNAP. As part of this COLA, the asset limit for non-categorically-eligible households with an elderly and/or disabled member increased to $3,750, and the asset limit for all…

OLGT 2022-09: Cross Program: Senior and Veterans Tax Work Off Programs

DTA
  The Senior Citizens Tax Work Off and the Veterans Tax Work Off are programs available to senior citizens (60 years of age and older) and veterans who own property and pay real estate taxes in select cities and towns in Massachusetts. Participation in the…

Updated Office of Medicaid Guidance on Cuban-Haitian Entrants

Office of Medicaid
This Feb 2022 Eligibility Operations Memo from the Office of Medicaid provides information on how to identify Cuban-Haitian entrants who are "qualifed aliens" eligible for medical benefits on the same terms as US citizens. It updates an earlier June 2020 El Ops Memo to include examples of…

OLGT 2022-08: SNAP: Update to DTA Finder

DTA
The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) encourages SNAP clients to purchase fruits and vegetables from local farmers. DTA Finder is a web-based interactive map that informs users of their nearest HIP vendors. DTA Finder includes features such as device geolocation, search filtering, individual vendor…

MDPH interpretation of "Reasonable Access"

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
A request has been made to define reasonable access in regard to the ability of an owner to enter an occupied dwelling unit for the purpose of making repairs ordered by the board of health. The citation referring to reasonable access is 105 CMR 410.810. The interpretation indicated above, is the…

Consolidated Program Integrity Report

DTA

OLGT 2022-06: Cross Programs: 2022 Social Security COLA for TAFDC, EAEDC, and SNAP

DTA
  Every year in January, the Social Security Administration (SSA) implements a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for RSDI and SSI recipients. This COLA can affect TAFDC, EAEDC and SNAP benefits. COLA calculations for February 2022 DTA benefits are anticipated to be completed on the…

EEC Financial Assistance Policy Guide

EEC
Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Financial Assistance Policy Guide.   EFFECTIVE DATE: Updated February 1, 2022

Update on Haitian Entrants

Misc
Feb 2022 UPDATED MassHealth Guidance on Cuban-Haitian Entrants https://www.mass.gov/doc/eom-22-03-eligibility-rules-for-cuban-and-haitian-entrants-0/download  Background Information on Newly Arriving Haitians Recently, hundreds of Haitian families, many with children, have arrived in…

OLGT 2022-03: Cross Program: Federal Mileage Rate

DTA
The new federal mileage rate of 58.5 cents must be used when calculating allowable transportation costs to be used as a medical deduction or a dependent care deduction. The new mileage rate is an increase when compared to last year’s rate.

OLGT 2022-04: Cross Program: Updates to SAVE and Clarifications on Operation Allies Refuge Guidance

DTA
In September, USCIS and DHS updated the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) website by: updating the web address and streamlining its Login page; changing the label of the “Initiate Case” button to “Create New Case”; and…

OLGT 2022-07: TAFDC and SNAP: The 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines

DTA
Each year, updates to the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) are published in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Once the FPGs are published, BEACON is programmed to use new eligibility standards when calculating income eligibility for TAFDC teen parents under…

DOR Case Closing Policy & Procedure

Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Attached is the Department of Revenue's Case Closing Policy and Procedure.

OLGT 2022-05: Cross Programs: Revised COVID-19 Procedures for Disability Verification Process

DTA
  On March 10, 2020, a State of Emergency was declared by Governor Baker to support the Commonwealth’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, DTA has taken the necessary steps to ensure that clients receive benefits in a timely manner and do not experience a disruption…

OLGT 2022-01: Cross Programs – Change to Massachusetts Minimum Wage

DTA
  Effective January 1, 2022, the Massachusetts minimum wage will increase from $13.50 per hour to $14.25 per hour. This change impacts all DTA programs, including all wage information and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) calculation for TAFDC or SNAP clients participating in a…

MassHealth Protection Notices During COVID-19

Office of Medicaid
This is a copy of the "protection notice" that MassHealth is sending out to certain beneficiaries who had been sent a renewal form, request for information or reported a change. It notifies them that they are still enrolled in their current coverage, not because they are eligible for it,…

Annual Department of Transitional Assistance Organizational Report

DTA

MassHealth Dental program resources

MassHealth
For general information on dental services in MassHealth, CMSP and the Health Safety Net, visit this MassHealth website https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-masshealth-dental-benefits For legal advocates the starting point is in the MassHealth Dental Regulations, they are…

Report on Economic Independence Accounts

DTA

OLGT 2021-100: TAFDC: Restart of TAFDC Learnfare Requirements

DTA
The TAFDC Learnfare requirement mandates that any child age six (or in first grade, whichever occurs later) through age 15 must attend school regularly. Verification of attendance must be obtained for any child who is subject to the Learnfare requirement. To comply with Learnfare rules, a child…

OLGT 2021-99: Cross Program: Front Office Group Processing Model

DTA
The Department is adding several new actions for Clerks and Human Service Assistants to process in the business group “Front Office Group.” Front Office staff will pull actions for centralized work through the My Actions page in BEACON. Front end staff will continue to pull actions from…

OLGT 2021-97: SNAP: Verification of Legal Obligation of Child Support from Unemployment Compensation

DTA
  The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) verifies an individual’s legal obligation to pay child support at the time an unemployment claim is filed. DUA will withhold child support payments from an individual’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) payments if advised by…

OLGT 2021-98: SNAP: Extending Certification Periods to July 2022

DTA
  The Department has received authorization to extend certification periods for certain households with a certification end date from December 31, 2021, through January 2022. These certification periods have been extended by 6 months and will end by July 2022. With this change, the…

OLGT 2021-96: SNAP: Unclear Information

DTA
Unclear information is information about a household’s circumstances from which staff cannot readily determine the effect on the household’s benefit amount or continued eligibility for SNAP. During a household’s certification period, if the Department receives unclear information…

Section 30 Training Flier

Monica Halas, GBLS
Flier outlining the DUA's Training Opportunity Program (TOP).

OLGT 2021-95: SNAP: Updates to Prefixes in the Phone Queue

DTA
Changes have been made to the Cisco Finesse phone queue system that changed the 3-digit prefix that precedes an authenticated caller’s displayed APID. Additionally, the Variable 10 line in Cisco will display the APID in a format that will be easier to copy and paste into BEACON for quick case…

ABCs of Seeking Judicial Review of a MassHealth Board of Hearings Decision

MLRI
Attached is an updated guide on the process of filing a complaint for judicial review of a MassHealth fair hearing decision. Please contact Kate Symmonds (ksymmonds@mlri.org) if you notice any errors or have any tips for other advocates; and please be sure to check the court rules and statutes for…

OLGT 2021-94: TAFDC – Temporary Procedures due to COVID-19 for Initial Engagement Period and Work Program Rules

DTA
In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the Department temporarily suspended TAFDC work program requirements to support access to and stabilization of benefits, during the State of Emergency. The Department is reinstating work program requirements for TAFDC families who do not have an…

OLGT 2021-93: TAFDC and EAEDC: Implementation of the Asset Limit Repeal–Phase 2

DTA
  A change in legislation has eliminated asset limits for both the TAFDC and EAEDC programs. This change is retroactive to July 1st, 2021. The Department is beginning the second phase of implementation for the asset limit repeal where eligibility will be assessed for certain…

OLGT 2021-91: SNAP: Bay State CAP Clients Reporting Medical Expenses

DTA
  Clients on Bay State CAP cannot receive a medical expense deduction while on Bay State CAP. However, there are times when a client would benefit from being removed from Bay State CAP and placed on regular SNAP, once medical expenses and other deductions are considered. Staff must…

OLGT 2021-90: Cross Program: Prepaid Return Envelope

DTA
To support remote work a Request for Return Envelopes option is being added to the Letter Request tab in BEACON. This option, scheduled to be available beginning December 7, 2021, will allow staff to send pre-paid return envelopes to clients. The Letter Request functionality has existed in BEACON…

OLGT 2021-89: Cross Program: Extending Certification Periods

DTA
  The Department has received authorization to extend certification periods for certain households with a certification end date from November 30 through December 2021. These certification periods have been extended to June 2022. With this change, the Department aims to facilitate the…

OLGT 2021-87: TAFDC: Good Cause from Cooperation with Child Support for Relative Caregivers

DTA
Children under the care of a relative that is not their natural or adoptive parent are eligible for TAFDC benefits. The caregivers of these children may choose to apply for TAFDC for both themselves and the child, or for just the child. These cases may be referred to in a variety of ways, such as…

OLGT 2021-85: TAFDC and EAEDC: Asset Eligibility Limits Eliminated

DTA
A change in legislation has eliminated the asset limits for both the TAFDC and EAEDC programs. This change is retroactive to July 1st, 2021. Effective immediately, assets will no longer be counted when determining eligibility for TAFDC and EAEDC. Assets include but are not limited to bank…

OLGT 2021-88: Cross Program: Updates to Temporary COVID-19 Verification Procedures

DTA
On March 10, 2020, a State of Emergency was declared by Governor Baker to support the Commonwealth’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, DTA has taken the necessary steps to ensure that active clients do not experience a disruption in benefits, while maintaining timely benefits…

OLGT 2021-82: Cross Programs: Updated Trust and Invest Collaborative (TIC) page

DTA
On June 3, 2021, The Department announced its collaboration with UpTogether to participate in the Trust and Invest Collaborative (TIC). TIC is a research study designed to assess the role of financial and social capital in helping families out of poverty. The Department continues to help recruit…

OLGT 2021-84: EAEDC: Extension and Redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen and Somalia

DTA
  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the extension and re-designation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. This extension and re-designation will be in effect from September 4, 2021, through March 3, 2023. Department of Homeland Security…