Alabama Administrative Code › Title 660 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES › Chapter 660-2-2 - AID TO DEPENDENT CHILDREN › Section 660-2-2-.05 - Definitions: Application Process

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
The administrative definitions applicable to the application
				process are as follows:
(a) An
			 applicant is an individual who made application for public assistance to the
			 County Department in behalf of dependent children and whose application has not
			 been disposed of by appropriate County Department action.
(b) An application is the action taken by an
			 individual in filling out and signing an application form requesting
			 assistance. A request to add someone who joins the assistance group is also
			 considered as application for that person.
(c) An inquiry is a request for information
			 only. An inquiry differs from an application in that the person's intent is to
			 obtain information rather than to receive financial aid. Intent to receive
			 financial aid is demonstrated by the person's signature on the application
			 form.
(d) A referral is classed as
			 an inquiry. It is a request for information, service, or aid in behalf of an
			 individual. It may be made by an agency, an institution, or another person. The
			 agency considers a referral as an inquiry until application is made.
(e) An application form is the document which
			 when completed, dated, signed and received by the Department serves as official
			 notice that a person wishes to receive assistance.
(f) The date of application is the date on
			 which the application form is received by the Department. The applicant shall
			 retain the original date of application when the application is denied in error
			 because of certain administrative or worker errors or when an appeal is upheld
			 by a Department Hearings Officer.
(g) The application process begins with
			 receipt by the local Department office of a completed, dated, and signed
			 application form and is considered complete when the application is rejected or
			 when the applicant's name appears on a new case payroll.
(h) A determination of eligibility is the
			 process in which the Department's worker obtains the facts of the situation of
			 the individual applying for or receiving assistance as related to each factor
			 of eligibility. The worker, considering these facts, invokes his/her knowledge
			 of the Department's approved policy interpretation and makes an objective and
			 equitable decision concerning the individual's eligibility or ineligibility for
			 public assistance. In the determination of eligibility process certain
			 information must be substantiated, verified, or documented.
1. Substantiate. To establish accuracy of
			 information by obtaining consistent, supporting information.
2. Verify. To confirm the accuracy of the
			 information through a source(s) other than the individual. Verification may be
			 secured on the telephone, in written form, or by personal contact.
3. Document. To establish the accuracy of
			 information by obtaining and including in the case record an official document,
			 official paper or a photocopy of such document or paper that supports the
			 statement(s) made by the individual.