Issue Alert - 08-10-08
Document Actions
| Date: | 10/07/2008 | |
| Program Area: | Family Independence Program (FIP), State Disability Assistance (SDA), and Refugee Assistance Program (RAP) |
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| Issue Summary: |
DHS has revised its asset policy for FIP, SDA, and RAP to allow eligibility during the month the applicants assets are under the limit |
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| Persons Affected: | FIP, SDA, and RAP recipients and applicants who have assets greater than $3000 |
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| For More Information: |
Center for Civil Justice 320 S. Washington, 2nd Floor Saginaw, MI 48607 (989) 755-3120, (800)724-7441 Fax: (989) 755-3558 E-mail: info@ccj-mi.org
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Background
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Part of the eligibility criteria for FIP, SDA, and RAP is that the
applicant or recipient must have less than $3,000 in assets. Because some families would apply for
programs in anticipation of exhausting their few remaining assets, DHS would
test current and future months for asset eligibility. Applicants and recipients were not eligible
for any assistance for the entire month in which their assets exceeded the
$3,000 limit on any day of the month. |
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| What's Happening? | ||
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DHS has revised its policy to state that applicants are eligible for
assistance during the month if at any time of the month, there assets are below
the asset limit. |
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What Should Advocates Do?
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Advocates should inform clients of the change in policy. Advocates should inform clients to report a
loss in assets to the caseworker as soon as possible. Advocates should tell clients to request a
hearing and seek legal assistance if they were denied cash assistance because
they had too many assets but had reported a decline in assets prior to the
denial.
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What Should Clients Do?
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Clients should be aware of the change in policy. Clients should report a loss in assets to the
caseworker as soon as possible. Clients
should seek legal assistance if they were denied cash assistance because they
had too many assets but had reported a decline in assets prior to the date of
the denial from DHS.
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Finding Help
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Most legal aid and legal services offices handle these types of cases, and they do not charge a fee.
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Elder Law Task Meeting
