Mass change: federal adjustments to eligibility standards, allotments, and deductions and state adjustments to utility standards. What is a mass change?

Certain changes areA mass change is initiated by the state or federal government which may affect the entire caseload or significant portions of the caseload. These changes include, but are not limited to, adjustments to the income eligibility standards, the shelter and dependent care deduction, the maximum food assistance allotment, and the standard deduction; annual and seasonal adjustments to the state's utility standards; periodic cost-of-living adjustments to retirement, survivors, and disability insurance (RSDI), supplemental security income (SSI), and other federal benefits; periodic adjustments to Ohio work first (OWF) or disability financial assistance (DFA) payments; and other changes in the eligibility and benefit criteria based on legislative or regulatory changes. Federal adjustments to the eligibility standards, allotments and deductions, and state adjustments to utility standard shall go into effect for all assistance groups (AGs) at a specific point in time. State annual adjustments of the utility standards shall go into effect for all affected AGsassistance groups at the same time.

(A)Required notice What are the notice requirements for a mass change?

County agencies shall publicize these mass changes through the news media, through posters in certification offices, issuance locations, or other sites frequented by certified AGs assistance groups, or through general notices mailed to AGsassistance groups. The county agency shall notify adversely affected AGsassistance groups of these mass changes in accordance with Chapter 5101:6-2 of the Administrative Code. In addition, any AG assistance group whose certification period overlaps an annual adjustment in the utility standard shall be advised at the time of initial certification of when the adjustment will occur and what the variation in the benefit level will be, if known.

(B)Mass changes in public assistance (PA) What are the requirements for mass changes on public assistance cases?

When the state agency makes an overall adjustment to PApublic assistance payments, corresponding adjustments in the AG's assistance group's food assistance benefits shall be handled as a mass change.

(1)More than thirty days advance knowledge

When the county agency has at least thirty days advance knowledge of the amount of the PApublic assistance adjustment, the county agency shall recompute food assistance benefits to be effective in the same month as the PApublic assistance change.

(2)Less than thirty days advance knowledge

If the county agency does not have sufficient notice, the food assistance change shall be effective no later than the month following the month in which the PApublic assistance change was made.

(C)Mass changes in federal benefits What are the requirements for mass changes in federal benefits?

The county agency shall establish procedures for making mass changes to reflect cost-of-living adjustments in benefits and any other mass changes under RSDI, SSI, and other programs such as veterans' assistance under Title 38 of the United States Code, (1/2007) (3/2011) and the black lung program, where information on cost-of-living adjustments is readily available and is applicable to all or a majority of those programs' beneficiaries.

(D)AGs on change reporting What is an assistance group's responsibility for reporting a change made in accordance with this rule?

AGsAssistance groups shall not be responsible for reporting these changes. The county agency shall be responsible for automatically adjusting an AG's assistance group's food assistance benefit level. These changes shall be reflected no later than the second allotment issued after the month in which the change becomes effective.