Head of Household (HOH)

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Revised March 25, 2011

Who is the Head of Household (HOH)?

When should I change the HOH on an AU?

When is a HOH change not allowed on an AU?

How do I change the HOH on an AU?

How do I change a HOH from a recipient to a non-member or a non-member HOH to a recipient?

How can I tell if a case has had a HOH change?

What happens to EBT or EFT benefits if I change the HOH?

What happens to EBT benefits when the HOH is unavailable?

Who is the Head of Household (HOH)?

· The person entered during screening on the Applicant page is always the head of household (HOH).

· If there is another person in the household who wants benefits issued in their name, such as a caregiver, enter the other person as an authorized representative. See Authorized Representative/Protective Payee.

When should I change the HOH on an AU?

· Change the HOH when the HOH leaves the household or is deceased and the remaining household members are still eligible to receive benefits.

· Only change the HOH in the ongoing month.

· Changing the HOH in historical months does not transfer the benefits already issued to the new HOH.

When is a HOH change not allowed on an AU?

· A change in HOH is not allowed when an AU is in the Mid-Certification Reporting (MCR) month and the Report Cmplt field on the MISC screen has an indicator for the MCR.

How do I change the HOH on an AU?

NOTE:

If more than one change needs to be taken, process the change of HOH first.

· To change the HOH in the ongoing month, take the following steps:

1. On the STAT screen for the selected AU:

o Change the relationship code in the Rel field for the new HOH to [SE] – Self and update the verification valid value code.

o Change the relationship code for all other household members as they now relate to the new HOH and update the verification valid value codes.

o Edit 0641 – HOH (SE) CHANGED, REVIEW THE HOH RELATIONSHIP CODE FOR ALL CLIENTS displays. Press <F4> to bypass the edit.

2. Call DONE and commit the data.

3. On the ELIG screen:

o The relationship codes should now show the desired HOH as [SE] – Self.

o If eligibility is correct, confirm the data.

4. On the FSFI or CAFI screen, override Letter 010-01 (General – No Change in Benefits).

5. The benefits for the ongoing month will now be issued to the new HOH. An EBT card should be issued under the new HOH’s name. For information on EBT card issuances, see the EBT Manual.

NOTE:

Incorrect processing can result in corrupt data. If you do not get the expected results, <F3> out of your case and call OSD ITS Customer Support at (360) 664-4560 for assistance.

How do I change a HOH from a recipient to a non-member or a non-member HOH to a recipient?

· In these situations, establish a new AU.

EXAMPLE

If a non-needy caretaker relative on an F01 AU applies for assistance for herself and is now a needy relative, a new AU needs to be screened.

How can I tell if a case has had a HOH change?

· The change appears on the NARR screen as:

02/27/09 (USERID) NEW HOH, CLID ID #XXXXXXXXX, SELECT TO XFER

· Enter a [Y] – Yes in the select field to see the other HOH’s NARR screen.

What happens to EBT or EFT benefits if I change the HOH?

· When the HOH is changed for the ongoing month, the ongoing month’s benefits issue to the new HOH. An EBT card should be issued under the new HOH’s name. For information on EBT card issuances, see the EBT Manual.

· When the HOH is changed on an AU with issuance method EFT, the issuance method changes to EBT.

o Edit 1977 – HOH/AREP CHANGE WILL RESULT IN EFTR DELETION generates.

o The new HOH must enroll in EFT if they wish to change the issuance method from EBT to EFT.

EXAMPLE

The HOH John is receiving food assistance with his girlfriend and their 4 kids. He is incarcerated for an unknown amount of time. The assistance has already issued to John for the current month. The girlfriend needs access to the assistance issued to the family but does not have John’s EBT card. In this situation, take the following steps:

1. Issue an Alternate Cardholder EBT card for John’s case to the girlfriend.

2. Complete the steps in How do I change the HOH on an AU? to change the HOH in the ongoing month.

o This way, the girlfriend can use the alternate card to access the benefits already issued and then in the ongoing month, the benefits will be issued to her as the HOH.

o After the girlfriend is changed to the HOH, an EBT card needs to be issued under her own name for her case.

3. Once the HOH has been changed, take the actions to code John as being incarcerated to remove him from the assistance unit.

What happens to EBT benefits when the HOH is unavailable?

· Sometimes when the AU is not active in the ongoing month and the HOH is unable to or unavailable to access the benefits, there may be a need for other household member to have access to the EBT benefits issued to the HOH. Workers need to make the determination if it is appropriate to issue an alternate card to another member of the household or caregiver of the children in the household.

EXAMPLE

The HOH is a single mother of two children receiving both TANF and FS. She was in a car accident and passed away. The cash and food AUs are closed for the ongoing month since the HOH is deceased. The court ordered caregiver for the children would like to access the remaining balance of assistance to be used to care for the children. In this situation, it may be appropriate to issue an Alternate Cardholder EBT card for the cash and FS AU. This way the court ordered caregiver can use the remaining balance of assistance to care for the children.