Notifying Participants of Actions Regarding Their Benefits
FAA has the responsibility to notify the participant of actions regarding their benefits unless policy permits no notification.
The NoticeListing.pdf contains a list of notices available in AZTECS. For more information, see the Procedures section.
Policy
A notice from FAA to a participant is required to communicate with the participant of any actions FAA takes on their application or case.
Participants with a visual impairment may request a large print notice in any of the following ways:
●By calling (855) 432-7587 Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
●On the Application for Benefits (FAA-0001A) form
●Online on the HEAplus Application (See https://www.healthearizonaplus.gov/)
A notice from FAA to a participant is required for all of the following actions:
●Approval
An approval notice is sent when a new or renewal application is approved or when a request for replacement benefits is approved. This includes approvals for No Pay Status and applications with a denied month and an approved month.
●Change in Benefit
A closure notice is sent when a change is reported and the participant fails to provide required verification or no longer meets the eligibility requirements.
●Denial
A denial notice is sent when a new application or a renewal application is submitted, and the participant fails to provide required verification or no longer meets the eligibility requirements.
●Change in Benefits
A notice is sent when a change occurs and benefits increase or decrease.
NOTE FAA sends a notice when a change is reported and there is no change in benefits.
●Information Request
An information request notice is sent when a determination cannot be made due to missing required verification. The notice allows ten calendar days(g) for the verification to be returned.
●Benefits are Ending or Renewal
For NA, a Notice of Expiration is sent when the approval period is coming to an end and another application and interview needs to be completed by the participant to continue benefits.
For CA, a Renewal Notice is sent when the approval period is coming to an end and another application and interview needs to be completed by the participant to renew benefits.
There are some situations when a notice is not sent. Most notices are mailed with adequate notice or adverse action to allow the participant time to prepare for a change in benefits. See all of the following for notice mailing requirements:
Adequate Notice
An adequate notice is a notice of action which is sent to the budgetary unit before benefits are affected. The notice is mailed before the effective date of the action.
For NA, adequate notice is sent when any of the following situations occurs:
●There is an NA benefit increase.
●When a participant verbally requests to stop benefits and FAA is unable to determine the reason for the request. (See NA Voluntary Withdrawal for information about stopping NA benefits.)
●When the participant fails to respond to the second Mid Approval Contact Form (X027) notice during the Mid Approval Contact (MAC) process.
NOTE For MAC, the notice must be received by the participant before the participant’s NA issuance date. The notice is sent with the automatic MAC process to provide adequate notice.
For CA, adequate notice is sent when any of the following occurs:
●There is a CA benefit increase.
●FAA has received verification confirming the death of a participant.
●The participant provides information and signs a statement of understanding that the information provided may result in closure or a decrease in benefits.
●The participant's whereabouts are unknown. FAA received returned mail indicating no known forwarding address.
●FAA verifies that a participant has been determined eligible for CA in another state.
●FAA has confirmed the death of the CA payee and no CA emergency payee is available.
●The participant requested either in writing or verbally that their benefits be stopped. See CA Voluntary Withdrawal for information about stopping CA benefits.
●The participant is admitted to a facility where their needs are being met. This includes, and is not limited to, all of the following:
Placement in skilled nursing care
Intermediate care (Extended care)
Incarceration
Long term hospitalization (Not expected to return home)
●State or federal governments initiate changes (also known as mass changes) that affect a significant portion of the entire caseload.
●The Two Parent Employment Program (TPEP) benefit is withheld or the TPEP case closes because of noncompliance with Jobs.
●A CA child is removed from the home as a result of a court order or voluntarily placed in foster care by the child's legal guardian.
No Notice Required for NA
FAA is not required to send a notice in all of the following situations:
●Benefits are stopped due to a move out of state by all participants.
●Benefits are stopped due to the death of all participants.
●Expedited NA with postponed verification.
NOTE The participant is advised on the NA decision notice at the time of the expedited approval that NA benefits are stopped when the listed postponed verification is not provided by the due date. No additional closure notice is required.
●Approval of CA that decreases NA, when all the following apply:
All the participants jointly apply for NA and CA.
The participants have been receiving NA pending the approval of CA.
The participant received an NA approval notice informing them that NA benefits would be reduced when CA is approved.
●A mass change was affected.
●The participants request in writing that their benefits be stopped. (For additional information about stopping NA benefits, see NA Voluntary Withdrawal.)
●Stopping NA benefits of residents of a drug and alcohol treatment center or a group living arrangement (GLA) when any of the following occur:
The facility loses its certification from the appropriate state agency.
The facility loses its status as a representative because it has been disqualified by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) as an NA retailer.
●The end of an increased payment to restore lost NA benefits.
●The budgetary unit was previously notified in writing of the date an increased payment would stop.
●When the Overpayment Unit receives notification from the Office of Accounts and Receivable Collections (OARC) that the participant has been disqualified for an Intentional Program Violation (IPV). For additional information, see Administrative Disqualification Procedures.
●The budgetary unit was notified of the action to decrease or stop benefits by an administrative disqualification hearing or a court of appropriate jurisdiction who imposed the penalty.
●A benefit decreases because of imposing an automatic recoupment of a claim.
Notice of Adverse Action (NOAA)
A Notice of Adverse Action (NOAA) is sent to the participant when benefits are decreased or stopped, unless the reason for the action is listed in one of the following:
For CA, NOAA is required when a change in the CA payee occurs.
An Intentional Program Violation (IPV) disqualification is reported from another state. (See IPV – electronic Disqualified Recipient System (eDRS) for policies and procedures.)
FAA sends the NOAA so the participant receives the notice no later than ten days before the first day of the effective month of the decrease or termination.
For an IPV disqualification, NOAA is not required when the Office of Accounts Receivable and Collections (OARC) has notified the participant of the disqualification. OARC sends copies of the disqualification letters to the Overpayment Unit. (See Administrative Disqualifications Procedures - FAA Responsibilities for policies and procedures.)
NA Notice of Expiration (NOE) Public
AZTECS mails a NOE to each budgetary unit, so the notice is received as any of the following:
●At least one day before the last month of the approval period.
●No earlier than the next to last month of the approval period.
AZTECS automatically creates an NOE on the first day of the month prior to expiration.
AZTECS does not automatically generate the NOE to budgetary units approved for three months or less when the approval is keyed after the AZTECS NOE issuance date.
Procedures
Send notices immediately after a determination. (See NoticeListing.pdf by program and then by notice type for a list of available notices.)
NOTE Notices are printed nightly and mailed the following workday.
Notice Information
Any additional information added to a notice must be clear and understandable. Ensure all information is requested correctly to make an eligibility determination.
Do not request information that has already been provided and is in the case file.
NA Expedite
For an NA expedite, send the NA Approval Notice (F100) when all required verification is provided during the interview and the case is approved.
When there is missing required verification, send the Expedited NA Postponed Verification (F121) notice.
NOTE Do not send an NA closure notice when the F121 is sent. The F121 notice states benefits are stopped when required postponed verification is not provided.
Notice History
Notices are retained on the NOHS screen in AZTECS for four months. When notices need to be reviewed that are older than four months, and mailed before 11/15/2022, a DARS request must be completed. (See DARS – FAA9.A02 link for internal use only) for instruction on DARS requests.)
For notices mailed after 11/15/2022 and older than four months, complete all of the following using OnBase Unity Client:
●Click on the OnBase Customer Queries option.
●Click on the DBME AZTECS NOHS SCREEN option.
●Key the case number in the AZTECS Case Number field and click on Search at the bottom of the page.
●To access a notice, click on the notice in the Notice ID column.
Notice Time Frames
For an NA adequate notice, determine the date before benefits are affected by locating the NA Monthly Issuance Cycle in the AZTECS Monthly Production Schedule (AMPS).
For a CA adequate notice, determine the date before benefits are affected by locating the Last Day to Close CA SA listed on the AMPS.
For a Notice of Adverse Action (NOAA), determine the last date to send the notice, allowing for ten days to affect the benefits, by locating the NOAA date in AMPS.
NA Notice of Expiration (NOE)
AZTECS mails a NOE to each budgetary unit, so the notice is received as any of the following:
●At least one day before the last month of the approval period.
●No earlier than the next to last month of the approval period.
AZTECS automatically creates an NOE on the first day of the month prior to expiration.
AZTECS does not automatically generate the NOE to budgetary units approved for three months or less when the approval is keyed after the AZTECS NOE issuance date.
In cases where the timeliness of the NOE is in dispute, determine whether adequate mail time was allowed, using all of the following:
●The postmark on the NOE
●Adding two workdays to the NOE postmark date for receipt of the NOE
Do not prorate the initial month's benefits when all of the following apply:
●NOE was not issued during the prior approval period.
●The participant is reapplying for NA in the month following the month that the approval period ended.
AZTECS Keying Procedures
AZTECS suggests the appropriate notice on the NORE screen. However, when the procedure in the CNAP Manual identifies that a different notice must be sent, type over the notice number on NORE.
Any additional information keyed into a notice must be clear and understandable.
INDA must be keyed correctly according to the preferred reading language of the participant. Key the correct language code in the LANGUAGE THAT PI READS field on INDA based on the information provided on the application. Use the F5 key to display the language codes.
NOTE Languages other than English or Spanish (ENGL or SPAN) receive the Language Notification Flyer (FAA‑1208A).
When a face-to-face interview is completed, key # in the DELETE (#) field, to delete the generated notice when the verification is requested using the Information Request and Pending Information Agreement (FAA‑0077A) form. The FAA-0077A must be signed by both the participant and the worker. Upload the signed FAA-0077A into OnBase.
Legal Authorities
7 CFR 271.2
7 CFR 273.2(i)(4)
7 CFR 273.12(a)(4)
7 CFR 273.13
CFR 273.16
45 CFR 206
AAC R6-12-902.G
AAC R6-12-907.D
AAC R6-12-907
AAC R6-1206
ARS 46-215
last revised 04/01/2024