Hawaii Administrative Rules › Title 17 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES › Department of Human Services › Chapter 683 - UNDERPAYMENT, OVERPAYMENT, AND RECOVERY › Subchapter 1 - OVERVIEW › Section 17-683-2 - Definitions

Current through June, 2024
As used in this chapter:
"Administrative error" means an error attributable to the
					 department staff such as calculating, clerical, procedural, typing,
					 misapplication of policy, failure to take action, or using the wrong benefit
					 amount table.
"Agency error claim" means a food stamp claim established
					 against households for an overpayment which was caused by department action or
					 failure to take action; or, in the case of categorical eligibility, an action
					 by an agency of the State which resulted in the household's improper
					 eligibility for AFDC provided a claim can be calculated based on a change in
					 net income or household size, or both.
"Assistance unit" means persons whose needs, income, and
					 assets are considered in determining eligibility for and the amount of
					 financial assistance payment.
"Benefit drawdown amount" means the remaining benefit
					 balance in the EBT account.
"Budget month" means the calendar month from which the
					 department shall use income to compute the amount of benefit issued.
"Claim determination" means a decision made by the branch
					 regarding the basis, the amount, and liability, if warranted, for the
					 overpayment of food stamps.
"EBT" means Electronic Benefit Transfer.
"FNS" means the Food and Nutrition Service of the U. S.
					 Department of Agriculture.
"Inadvertent household error claim" means a food stamp
					 claim established against households for overpayments caused by:
(1) a misunderstanding or unintended error on the part of
					 the household;
(2) a misunderstanding or unintended error on the part of a
					 categorically eligible household provided a claim can be calculated based on a
					 change in net income or household size, or both; or
(3) social security administration action of failure to
					 take action which resulted in the household's categorical eligibility provided
					 a claim can be calculated based on a change in net income or household size, or
					 both.
"Initial allotment" means the total value of food stamp
					 coupons a household is authorized to receive from the month of application up
					 to the month the branch authorizes the benefits.
"Misunderstanding of the program with no intent to
					 defraud" is a situation where the participant did not understand the program
					 provisions or where the participant's lack of education or language skills was
					 a factor in improper reporting of eligibility factors.
"Nonsettling" means the item or dollar value of the item
					 that is not used by the EBT contractor when reconciling the settlement process
					 of the daily EBT transactions. The normal settling functions include, but are
					 not limited to, settlements for third party processors, networks, and EBT only
					 retailers; FNS drawdown and reconciliation transmission; State cash program
					 settlement and reconciliation transmission; and EBT system reconciliation and
					 balance processing. The nonsettling items include benefits that are expunged,
					 applied to repay overpayments owed by the household and food stamps that are
					 converted to cash.
"Offsetting" means the process of reducing the amount of
					 benefits to be restored to satisfy an outstanding overpayment against the
					 household.
"Overpayment" means the amount of benefits issued to a
					 household in excess of the amount it was actually entitled to receive by
					 regulation.
"Payment month" means the calendar month for which the
					 department shall provide benefits.
"Program loss" means coupons issued to or obtained by a
					 household to which the household was not entitled.
"Retroactive payment" means the food stamp benefit issued
					 to a household for the month in which an application is filed when the
					 determination of eligibility is made in a subsequent month on either a timely
					 or untimely basis.
"Report month" means the calendar month following the
					 budget month. "Restored benefits" means the food stamp benefit issued to a
					 household whenever benefits for a prior period were not given or were lost
					 because of an error by the branch.
"Underpayment" means the amount of benefits which is less
					 by any sum the amount of benefits which the household was entitled to receive
					 for the month.