Tracking #2009-01083
FA/P 1/8/10, eff. 3/2/2010

I:/09102001.rtf
[I/09102001.doc] 

(10 CCR 2506-1)

[Instructions: insert before line 1514142.] 
Revisions to Sections B-4242 through B-4242.1 and B-4242.12 through B-4242.13 were final adoption following publication at the 1/8/2010 State Board meeting, with an effective date of 3/2/2010 (Rule-making# 09-10-20-1). Statement of Basis and Purpose and specific statutory authority for these revisions were incorporated by reference into the rule. These materials are available for review by the public during normal working hours at the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Boards and Commissions, State Board Administration. 

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[Instructions: replace lines 938900 through 938907.] 
B-4242  CHANGES DURING THE CERTIFICATION PERIOD [Rev. eff. 3/2/10]
Certified households are required to report changes as follows: 
Households shall be required to report changes in household circumstances no later than ten (10) days from the end of the calendar month in which the change occurred. The household shall be allowed to report changes in person, by telephone or in writing. A toll-free number or a number where collect calls will be accepted for households outside the local calling area will be indicated on all the Change Report Forms.
The Change Report Form shall be provided to newly certified households at the time of certification and recertification. Households shall be provided a new change report form each time a change is submitted using the form.
B-4242.1  WHEN CHANGES ARE CONSIDERED REPORTED [Rev. eff. 3/2/10]
A change shall be considered to be reported as of the date the reported change is received by the food assistance office, provided that required verification is received within ten (10) calendar days from the date the change is reported. If verification is received more than ten (10) calendar days from the date the change is reported, or during the adverse action period, the change is considered to be reported on the date the verification is received. The food assistance office has up to ten (10) calendar days to act from the date of the reported change and/or the verification that has been provided.
Households shall be notified of the receipt of the Change Report Form at the time the household is notified of an increase or decrease in benefits resulting from the reported change, or at the same time the household is notified that additional verification is necessary to process the reported change. If additional verification is required to process the reported change, the household shall be notified of the verification needed, and the deadline for submitting required verification to the food assistance office. The notice shall inform the household that the change must be verified prior to action being taken by the food assistance office if benefits are to be increased.
Households shall be advised that assistance can be obtained from the food assistance office if it experiences difficulty in obtaining required verification.
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[Instructions: replace lines 938930 through 938933.] 
B-4242.12  Reporting Changes [Rev. eff. 3/2/10]
Households shall report changes no later than ten (10) days from the end of the calendar month in which the change occurred. Changes reported by the household by telephone or in person shall be acted on in the same manner as those reported on the Change Report Form. If reporting by mail, households will have met the reporting requirement provided the envelope is postmarked within the required 10-day period. Public Assistance (PA) households which report a change in circumstances to the PA worker shall be considered to have reported the change for food assistance purposes. 
An applicant household shall report all changes related to its food assistance eligibility and benefits at the certification interview. If a change is reported in a beginning month and the application has not yet been processed, the food assistance office shall act on the most current information. Changes that households are required to report which occur after the interview, but before the date of the Notice of Eligibility, shall be reported by the household within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the notice.
B-4242.13  Failure to Report Changes [Rev. eff. 3/2/10]
If coupons are overissued because a household fails to timely report changes in household circumstances or income as required, a Form FS-14, Report of Claim Determination, must be prepared. If the discovery is made within the certification period, the household must be given advance notice if its benefits are to be reduced. A claim is not required if changes are timely reported by the household and timely acted on by the food assistance office. A household shall not be held liable for a claim because of a change in household circumstances which it is not required to report.

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