This Action Change Transmittal Letter establishes changes to the Ohio Works First (OWF) initial application process.

On August 28, 2009, Ohio received notification of its failure to meet both the two-parent and all-family work participation rates for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2007. As a result, the state faces a potential $32,758,572 penalty to the State Family Assistance Grant (Ohio´s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families grant). Ohio filed an appeal of reasonable cause for failure to meet the rate. On July 29, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, responded that the information submitted for FFY 2007 did not demonstrate Ohio´s claim of reasonable cause. As a result, the state entered into a corrective compliance plan.

Included in the corrective compliance plan are changes to the OWF application process. House Bill 337 of the 129th General Assembly was signed by the Governor on January 27, 2012, and is effective immediately. This bill includes a provision that eliminates the requirement to make an OWF eligibility determination regardless of whether the self-sufficiency contract is signed.

Prior Policy: The former policy allowed for the self-sufficiency contract to be signed no later than 30 days following the submission of an application for cash assistance; however, if all eligibility factors were verified, the authorization of OWF benefits could not be delayed.

New Policy: Effective immediately, the following changes have been made to the initial application process:

• Each work-eligible individual, adult and minor head of household, must have a signed self-sufficiency contract before the OWF benefits may be authorized.
• County agencies that choose for work-eligible individuals to complete job search/job readiness applicant assignments as part of their eligibility determination can allow the OWF application to pend until the applicant assignment is completed. However, county agencies must make eligibility determinations no later than 30 days following the submission of the application for OWF benefits.

Implementation: Effective immediately, as part of the OWF application process, county agencies cannot authorize an OWF application prior to the self-sufficiency contract being signed by each work-eligible individual, adult and minor head of household.

The policy contained within this Action Change Transmittal Letter will be incorporated into rules to be included in a future Cash Assistance Manual Transmittal Letter.