Closing Welfare Transition Cases in the One Stop Service Tracking (OSST) System

1. Closing Welfare Transition Cases in the One Stop Service Tracking (OSST) System Agency for Workforce Innovation Statewide Training Spring 2005

2. Topics of Discussion • Reasons cases are closed in the Welfare Transition Program • Appropriate time to close cases • Closure reasons to be entered on the Case at a Glance screen

3. Reasons for Case Closure • Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Sanctions • Opting off • Exemption • Welfare Transition Sanction (Work Penalty) • Unable to Determine Continued Eligibility • Earned Income

4. Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Sanctions • CSE closure To-Do received on a mandatory Welfare Transition (WT) case • Review case on the FLORIDA system • Participant is included in the denominator of the participation rate • Attempt to engage the participant until the eligibility end date

5. Case at a Glance

6. Closure

7. Closure

8. Opting Off of Temporary Cash Assistance • Participant “opts off” through the Department of Children and Families (DCF) • Review the case in the FLORIDA System • Participant is included in the denominator of the participation rate • Attempt to engage the participant until the eligibility period ends • If the participant is non compliant, initiate the penalty process

9. Opting Off • Terminate services, activities, training, deferrals, jobs • If the service, activity, training or job does not have an Actual Start Date, it does not have to be closed • Do not enter an actual start date and actual end date • Enter an outcome of “Not Started” • Initiate case closure • Select “Assistance Cancelled” from the closure reason drop down

10. Sanction is Subsequently Requested • Closure alert is received on March 15, 2005; the participant has “opted off” • The participant will receive cash through April 2005 • The participant fails to comply April 1, 2005, and the penalty process is initiated • On April 12, a sanction is requested because the participant did not respond to the 2290 or oral contact • DCF does not respond to the sanction

11. Case Closure Due to a Subsequent Sanction Request • The individual is required to participate in a month of cash assistance receipt unless exempt • End the penalty request with “Sanction not imposed” using the Eligibility End Date from the To Do • The case note should reflect the actions taken • The case should be closed by selecting “Assistance Cancelled” from the drop down on the Case at a Glance page

12. Status Change-Exemption • Case Closure “To-Do” is received when DCF determines the individual meets an exemption • Close WT case immediately using the Date Created on the To-Do • If participant is still receiving TCA and chooses to participate DCF must change the status on AGPI to “exempt volunteer”

13. OSST Case Closure Due to Exemption • Terminate the services, activities, trainings, jobs and deferrals • Use appropriate outcome • If the service, activity, training or job does not have an Actual Start Date, it does not have to be closed • Do not enter an actual start date and actual end date • Enter an outcome of “Not Started” • Initiate case closure • Case closure reason- “Became Exempt”

14. Welfare Transition Sanction (Work Penalty) • Sanctions are requested by the RWB provider and imposed by DCF • Sanction and Case Closure To-Do’s will be received when DCF actually imposes the sanction • Close case immediately in OSST using the Date Created on the To-Do • Select the “Sanctioned Level 1, 2 or 3” from the Closure Reason dropdown on the Case at a Glance page

15. Unable to Determine Continued Eligibility (DCF) • Case Closure To-Do received when DCF is unable to determine continued eligibility (no show for appointment, failure to provide documentation, etc.) • Review case in the FLORIDA System • Participant is included in the denominator of the participation rate • Attempt to engage the participant until the end of the eligibility period • If the participant does not comply, initiate the penalty process

16. Case Closure Due to DCF’s Inability to Determine Continued Eligibility • Close all services, trainings, activities, jobs and deferrals • Select the appropriate outcome • If the service, activity, training or job does not have an Actual Start Date, it does not have to be closed • Do not enter an actual start date and actual end date • Enter an outcome of “Not Started” • Initiate case closure in OSST • Select “Assistance Cancelled” from the Closure Reason dropdown on Case at a Glance

17. Case Closure Due to Earnings • Case Closure To-Do received when reported earned income to DCF terminates the TCA • Do not close OSST case at this time • Participant is included in the denominator of the participation rate calculation until the last day of the last month of eligibility for cash assistance • Review To-Do to determine appropriate closure date • Set a Future To-Do to be reminded to close the case in OSST or to change the OSST status to transitional

18. Case Closed Due to Earnings • Engage the participant in a minimum of 30 hours per week • Continue to update JPRs through the end of their eligibility period • Do not request a sanction for failure to participate or provide requested documentation after a Case Closure To-Do has been received • Participant may be eligible for transitional services

19. Case Closure Due to Earnings • If the participant does not comply with program requirements • Terminate support services, trainings, activities, employment and/or deferrals • If the participant subsequently requests transitional services, the case may be re-opened and the status changed to transitional • Case closure reason- “Employment” • If the participant complies with program requirements • Terminate support services, trainings, activities, and/or deferrals (employment can remain open) • Change participant status to “transitional” • Provide and record transitional services • Monitor progress

20. Frequently Asked Question • If employment has been closed on the Skill Development screen, how do we update the job if the individual comes back in for transitional services?

21. Great Question!

22. Follow-up Information

23. Another Question • If a transitional individual loses their original job and obtains a new job, are we allowed to enter the new job in OSST? • Which employment should be “tracked”?

24. Subsequent Employment • Yes, the new employment should be entered in OSST • End the previous employment by entering an end date if not already ended • The “follow up” hyperlink is associated with the job listed on the Skill Development page. Begin tracking the new employment using the appropriate job follow-up hyperlink

25. Changing the Case Status in OSST • The RWB provider receives a “Closure Alert” on March 17, 2005 • The case is closing due to employment, and the participant will receive cash through April 2005 • The RWB provider continues to engage the participant through April 2005, and the participant provides on-going verification of employment • The RWB provider must close all support services, activities and trainings. The employment may remain open • The RWB must change the status of the case to “transitional” and change all services to “transitional” once April 2005 has ended

26. Changing the Case Status in OSST

27. Changing the Case Status in OSST

28. Reminder: OSST Case Closure • When a case is closed, all open services, activities, trainings, deferrals and employment must be ended • The OSST closure reason should reflect the reason for closure in FLORIDA • The OSST closure date should reflect the date the RWB provider terminated the case • Update Case Notes

29. Summary • Cases close for a variety of reasons • Always investigate the reason on the FLORIDA system • Engage the participant, if appropriate • Close the case