B-6200, Financial Management

If a person does not report a bank account, trust fund or similar account on Form H1200, Application for Assistance – Your Texas Benefits, or other application for assistance, ask the person or the authorized representative to explain how the person's financial affairs are handled. This includes determining who:

• cashes the checks and where;
• pays the bills and how; and
• keeps the money and how the funds are kept.

If the person reveals previously unreported liquid resources, request verification to determine the value, ownership and accessibility according to the requirements for the resource involved.

Sources for verifying financial management are as follows:

• Statements from the applicant and the person who handles the applicant's funds.
• Statement from a knowledgeable third party (for example, an administrator or bookkeeper in the facility usually knows who receives the applicant's benefit payments and pays the bills).

Use Appendix XVI, Documentation and Verification Guide, for sources of needed verifications.

Include the following information in the case record documentation:

• Where checks are cashed and how bills are paid.
• Who handles the person's checks, pays the person's bills and maintains the person's money.
• How much money, if any, the person or anyone else keeps.
• How much has accumulated.
• Source of information.

Note: If the person's bank account is dormant, financial management must be verified and documented. For applications, explore financial management if there has been no activity in a reported account during the month of application and the month before.