Benefit Issuances - When and How Benefits are Delivered

Revised October 8, 2012

ACES PROCEDURES

WAC 388-412-0020

WAC 388-412-0025

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

1.      Washington’s Quest Card:

a.    Clients may pick up the Quest card in the local office or have the EBT card vendor mail them a card. A person may want to pick up their Quest card at the local office if:   

                  i.    Picking up the card at the local office would reduce the chance the card would be lost; or

                ii.    The household would receive the card earlier.

b.    If the client cannot come into the office, it takes 5 to 7 days for them to receive the Quest card.

c.    The Washington State Quest Card is accepted in most ATMs and food retailers across the country.    

2.       When EBT benefits can be cancelled (Pending Voids):

      A "pending void" applies to a window of time between ACES deadline and when the funds become available to the client. You cannot void a partial amount. The full issuance amount must be voided.

To process a "pending void", the following conditions must occur:

a.   Issuance has occurred for the benefit month;

b.   The cash case is closed fo r one of the following ACES reason codes:

 c.    The Basic Food case is closed for one of the following ACES reason codes:

• (244) Death of all AU members
• (557) Household request
• (251) Recipient of assistance in another State

3.  EBT benefits can be recovered from EBT account prior to be expunged:

Benefits may be removed from an account when we discover that a client is deceased and there are no other eligible members.  If the client died prior to the issuance month for cash benefits, we attempt a pending void to get the benefits back.  If we cannot complete a pending void, we contact EBT headquarters staff to remove the issuance month’s benefits.  The case is then closed in ACES (See ACES User Manual,  Close an Assistance Unit/Client, Manually Close an AU/Client).

4.    Cancelled (expunged) benefits:

Benefits in an EBT cash or food account that are cancelled (expunged) if there is no withdrawal/debit from the account for 365 days.  Cash and Basic Food accounts age separately depending on the last withdrawal date from the specific account. A debit in one account does not update the inactive status of the other account.

a.    Replacing expunged benefits:

                                            i.            Expunged cash benefits may be replaced to the head of household or any other remaining household member at any time.

                                          ii.            Expunged food benefits may only be replaced if the benefits were deposited and available to the client less than 365-days from the date of the client request.

                                        iii.            Replace food and/or cash benefits according to instructions in the EBT manual under 4.10 Replacement of EBT Benefits to Clients.

b.    Replacement of warrants (checks):    

      The Office of Accounting Services (OAS) holds the funds from cash benefits issued to someone in the form of a state warrant (check). Warrants are stale-dated at the 180 days from issuance based on the statute of limitations.   

• Clients can have a stale-dated warrant replaced by contacting the local office or calling OAS at (360) 664-5753.   
• OAS holds funds from stale-dated warrants for two years. After two years, they send the funds to the Department of Revenue to hold until the payee claims these benefits.
• OAS does not replace any other type of benefit.

      c.    Expunged Basic Food & outstanding overpayments:

      The department uses expunged Basic Food benefits to reduce any outstanding Basic Food overpayments. The DSHS Office of Financial Recovery automatically uses any expunged Basic Food benefits to reduce person's outstanding overpayment balance.

5.    Client can ask Post Office to hold mail:

Normally we require that mail we send must be returned if the post office knows that the client does not live at the residence.  However, if a client requests the post office to hold their mail due to a temporary absence (i.e., vacation or hospital stay), the post office may hold mail that we send.

6.    Types of allotments:

a. An initial allotment is the first allotment issued to an assistance unit during a month.

b. A supplemental allotment is any allotment after the initial allotment in a month including an issuance of benefits for a past period that a client was eligible to get (restoration of lost benefits).  This does not include replacement of lost benefits.

7.   Drug and alcohol treatment center as alternate card holder:

If a client receives Basic Food benefits while they are a resident of a qualified drug and alcohol treatment center under WAC 388-408-0040, the facility will be an alternate card holder even if the client does not sign to authorize them as an alternate card holder.

WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Inactive accounts:

   If you receive an ACES alert that a client’s EBT account has been inactive for 60 days contact the client to determine why they have not used their benefits.

   1. If they don’t know how to use their EBT card, explain how to access their benefits;

   2. If they don’t need the benefits, ask the client if there is other income or resources available to them.

   3. Explain that if they do not use their account for a period of 365 days the benefits in their EBT account are expunged. Expunged food benefits issued a year or more ago cannot be replaced.

   4. Inactive benefits are automatically expunged from the clients' accounts after 365 days of nonuse.

2. Direct deposit or Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT):

Clients may have their cash assistance deposited directly into a checking or savings account by completing Part 1 of the Direct Deposit Enrollment - DSHS 14-432 and taking Part 2 to their bank to complete.

1. When the financial institution returns the completed form to you, send the form to the EBT Project Office by:

   • Forwarding the form to MS 45445; or

   • Faxing this form to EBT/Direct Deposit at (360) 725-4577.

2. Provide the client with the toll free number to call if they have questions about EFT:  1-888-235-2954.

3. Client chooses an alternate card holder:

A client who wants another person to have access to their benefits must authorize the person to be an alternate card holder.

1. Explain to the client that an alternate card holder has access to all of the benefits in the client’s EBT account (cash or food access only, if the client requests it);

2. If the client wants to authorize another person to be an Alternate Card Holder, have the client complete and sign the EBT 002, Alternate Card Holder Authorization; and

3. When the form is returned, authorize the issuance of a Quest card for the alternate cardholder.

4. Assigning an alternate card holder in special circumstances:

   If a responsible member of the AU cannot access the benefits for the AU because the head of household cannot complete and sign the Alternate Card Holder Authorization due to incapacity or other circumstances, document the circumstances in the case record and authorize the issuance of a Quest card for the responsible member as an alternate card holder.

5. Client wants to end or change EFT:

   If client contacts you about wanting to stop receiving their benefits through EFT, you have two options to assist the client.  You may delete the banking information on the EFTR screen or you may inform the client that a written request can be sent to EFT HQ via fax 360-725-4577 or mailed to:

   DSHS Direct Deposit/EBT
   PO Box 9254
   Olympia WA 98507-9737

   If a client wants to make a change to their EFT, provide them with the following phone number so they can have the change made: 1-888-235-2954.

   For details on Financial Workers procedures stopping/deleting EFT for active cash AUs, please refer to Chapter 10, section C (1) of the EFT Manual. For details on written request procedures to HQ, please go to section C (2).

6. Post Office box:

Checks for cash benefits can be mailed to a Post Office box or the CSO when a payee meets WAC 388-412-0025(1)(c) and makes this request in writing.  If a client requests that checks be mailed to an address other than their residence address:

1. Verify the client’s current living situation;

2. Evaluate the client’s reasons for wanting the check mailed;

3. Notify the client of the decision;

4. Make the necessary changes in ACES, if approved;

5. Notify the appropriate staff of the address change;

6. Document the action taken; and

7. Create an alert to review the situation at least once every six months.

7. Combined issuance:

Authorize benefits at the same time for the month of application and the following month when a client applies on or after the 16^th of the month.