NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA
April 29, 2011

IM 5121

TO:		County Social Service Directors
Economic Assistance Policy Regional Representatives
Economic Assistance Policy Quality Control Reviewers

FROM:	Tove Mandigo, Director, Economic Assistance Policy
		Maggie Anderson, Director, Medical Assistance

SUBJECT:	Electronic Correspondence

PROGRAMS:	All

EFFECTIVE:	Immediately 

RETENTION: 	Until Manualized

SECTIONS 
AFFECTED:	Administrative - 449-15-05 - Verification Responsibility
		SNAP - 430-05-67-55 – 10-Day Advance Notice
		TANF - 400-19-115-10 – Advance (10-Day) and Adequate Notice
		Basic Care – 400-29-25 – Notice of Decision
		CCAP - 400-26-07-09 – Mandatory Changes
		Medicaid - 510-05-25-25 – Decision and Notice
		Healthy Steps – 510-07-15-30 – Decision and Notice

Program policies allow for counties to communicate with applicants and recipients via e-mail.  Counties are not required to communicate via e-mail or to provide applicants and recipients with their e-mail address, however, if an applicant or recipient requests a worker’s or county’s e-mail address, the state’s open records law requires it be provided.

If a county does provide an e-mail address to applicants and recipients, it is recommended that the county have one e-mail address for the county where applicants and recipients send their information.  This will allow for another worker to receive information when a worker is out on leave.

When accepting information via e-mail, care must be used to ensure the e-mail is from the applicant or recipient.

If a household reports a change via e-mail on a weekend, holiday or after hours, the change is considered reported on the next working day.  

Should the applicant or recipient report information via e-mail, program policies apply as follows:

SNAP
Changes reported via e-mail are considered a reported change for SNAP.  SNAP cannot consider changes reported via e-mail as signed by the household.  If the change results in an increase in benefits, the F419 must be sent for verification of the change.  If a change reported via e-mail results in a decrease in benefits, the change must not be acted on until review.  

Exception:

If the change meets the criteria to reduce benefits, the change must be acted on within 10 days from the date the change was reported and a 10 day advance notice must be sent.   

TANF and BCAP 
Changes reported via e-mail are considered a reported change for TANF and BCAP.  TANF and BCAP consider changes reported via e-mail as signed by the household.   If a change reported via e-mail results in a decrease in benefits, the change can be acted on with Adequate Notice (a 10-day notice is not required).

CCAP
Changes reported via e-mail are considered a reported change for CCAP.   CCAP considers changes reported via e-mail as signed by the household.

Health Care Coverage
Information reported via an applicant’s or recipient’s known email address is considered a signed report for Medicaid and Healthy Steps.

LIHEAP
Changes reported by e-mail would fall under the “other type(s) of communication” at 415-40-05:

	Household Reporting Requirements 415-40-05

Households are required to report and verify changes on a timely basis. Changes are considered "timely" when they are reported and verified within 10 days from the date the change occurs. The following changes are mandatory changes to report:
1.	Loss/addition of a household member. (Income and Assets of the new household member will need to be reported and verified.)
2.	Household moves to different home.
3.	Change in the type of heat.
4.	Change in rent subsidy status.
5.	Change in assets.

The household will be informed of the change reporting requirements in the approval notice. They may contact the eligibility worker by telephone, letter, or other type of communication to report the changes.