C-1021 Reserved for Future Use

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

C-1022 OIG IEVS Action Message Clearance Process

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF, SNAP and TP 08

Designated CCC staff conduct a daily review of the “MATCH TW Alert Details” in the ASOIG IEVS module and assign HHSC IEVS staff to review and take steps to clear each action message.

HHSC IEVS staff create a task to clear the action message for cases in TIERS within two business days of receiving the message. If these tasks are assigned to specific units, the unit supervisor or a designee (such as a clerk) assigns the task to the appropriate staff by the next business day following receipt. Staff must complete the change within 10 days after the date it is assigned. The date of assignment is day zero.

When an IEVS MATCH TW action message is generated based on IRS FTI, the action or resource message will be on a screen clearly labeled with an FTI warning. All information in the IEVS module containing FTI (such as payer name, account number or pay amounts) is considered IRS FTI. If staff print IEVS module worksheets, they must secure them according to IRS safeguard requirements.

Each worksheet with a message from OIG BPI will indicate the type of action required. OIG BPI staff process action messages if the household did not provide accurate information during the interview or application processing, or if the increase in income identified via IEVS caused the household income to exceed 130% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for SNAP streamlined reporting (SR) households.

Upon receipt of an action message, HHSC IEVS staff must take the following action to clear the message based on the reason the message was issued.

If the ...then HHSC IEVS staff ...
verification provided to OIG BPI indicates income affects current eligibility,
  • send manual Form H1017, Notice of Benefit Denial or Reduction, to deny or reduce the benefits based on income or resources. If staff do not receive verification from OIG, then document that OIG has the verification. Copies of verification received by OIG may be provided to Texas Works staff upon request.
  • provide advance notice and process the denial or adjustment after the adverse action period expires.
person fails to provide verification to OIG BPI,
  • send a manual Form H1017 to deny the benefits for failure to provide the information. Note: A manual notice and denial is required because TIERS will not allow a denial for failure to provide information without previously issuing Form H1020, Request for Information or Action.
  • for Non-FTI Alerts: In the comments section, document the information the person failed to provide and what the person can do to re-establish eligibility as specified in the Form H1017 instructions. If the person fails to provide the requested information within the adverse action time frame, process the denial for failure to provide information.
  • for FTI Alerts: In the comments section, document the following message:
    • "You failed to provide information to the Office of Inspector General. Contact [OIG investigator's name] at [investigator's phone number] if you have questions. You may reapply for benefits and will be required to provide the information previously requested."
    • "Usted no presentó información a la Fiscalía General. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con [OIG investigator's name] al [investigator's phone number]. Puede volver a solicitar beneficios, pero tendrá que presentar la información que se le pidió anteriormente."
  • if the person fails to provide the requested information within the adverse action time frame, manually process the denial for failure to provide information. Note: A manual notice and denial is required because TIERS will not allow a denial for failure to provide information without previously issuing Form H1020.
  • if verification is provided within the adverse action time frame, send an email to the OIG investigator notifying the investigator about receipt of the information and include a copy of the verification. Take action on the case based on the verification provided.

Notes:

  • The investigator's name and phone number are listed on the automated worksheet in the IEVS module.
  • If HHSC IEVS staff do not provide the case record within 10 days or upon OIG BPI request, OIG BPI staff will contact the regional director.

Additional Information Regarding IRS FTI MATCH TW Action Messages

If HHSC IEVS determines that the person does not have the resource or income for which OIG requested information, staff must request verification of the information (including IRS FTI) using a manual Form H1020, Request for Information or Action. If attaching a verification form, such as a bank verification form or Form H1028, Employment Verification, do not include any IRS FTI on the verification form. File the manual Form H1020 in the case record and secure the case according to the IRS safeguarding requirements, because the case record now contains IRS FTI.

When the person provides the information requested on the verification form, the information on the verification form is no longer considered IRS FTI. The file copy of Form H1020 remains IRS FTI and must be kept in the case record for the duration of the retention period.

When requesting more information that does not contain IRS FTI, staff may issue a second Form H1020 through TIERS or request the information on a manual Form H1020.

Note: If HHSC IEVS staff complete a manual Form H1020 because the only required verification is IRS FTI, TIERS will not allow a denial based on failure to provide verification, since Form H1020 was not generated via TIERS. Staff may generate Form H1020 indicating a manual Form H1020 was provided to the person. Do not provide the notice generated from TIERS to the person. Document the reason for generating an electronic pending notice in the case comments and reference the manual Form H1020 that was issued.

If the person fails to provide the information, issue a manual Form H1017 to deny the case for failure to provide information.

C-1023 Reserved for Future Use

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

C-1024 Client Reapplies

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF, SNAP and TP 08

If a person reapplies after being denied for failure to provide information to OIG, interview staff must obtain the verification requested by OIG before recertifying the case. If the person indicates the verification was provided to OIG, contact the OIG investigator. Exception: If the person can reasonably explain why the requested information cannot be obtained or provided, use the best available information.

Note: For FTI-related information, if the person self-discloses the information on the application that was observed through an IEVS FTI action message, the information is no longer considered IRS FTI.

Related Policy

Questionable Information, C-920

C-1025 Appeals

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF, SNAP and TP 08

If staff receive a request for an appeal based on action taken by:

  • OIG, contact the OIG via the Benefits Program Integrity (BPI) mailbox on the same day the request is received.
  • Eligibility staff as a result of an action message, file the appeal. Complete Form H4800, Fair Hearing Request Summary, and Form H4800-A, Fair Hearing Request Summary (Addendum). On Form H4800-A, Section 2, Materials Attached, indicate under Other Related Materials, that action messages generated by OIG need to be considered in the appeal. Enter the OIG Investigator's name and phone number on Form H4800, indicating the OIG investigator as potential resource witness.

If OIG receives a request for an appeal based on action taken by eligibility staff, OIG will notify the Central Representation Unit (CRU) the same day. CRU will coordinate with the eligibility staff person who took the action based on the action message. If the appeal is related to an IRS FTI match, OIG may assist by providing more information to the hearing officer according to IRS requirements for safeguarding FTI.

C-1026 HHSC IEVS Information Message Review Process

Revision 21-4; Effective October 1, 2021

TANF, SNAP and TP 08

At the region's discretion, staff may contact HHSC IEVS staff to review the messages in the IEVS module before certification of benefits. Information messages serve as a case clue to eligibility staff to identify potential resources not reported by the person applying for benefits.

When a MATCH TW Message is generated based on IRS FTI, the action or resource message will be on a screen clearly labeled with an FTI warning. When based on an FTI match, consider all associated information on the IEVS module such as payer name, account number and pay amounts, as IRS FTI. While eligibility staff are not prohibited from printing IEVS module worksheets with MATCH TW Messages, staff must secure these worksheets per safeguarding requirements.