Income - Effecting Changes
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This section includes information about what happens when a change in income is reported.
Policy
During the application process, the budgetary unit is required to report changes in income. After approval, the budgetary unit must report changes based their assigned reporting requirement. See any of the following for income reporting requirements:
When information and verification is received indicating a change in the monthly income of one or more participants, eligibility is redetermined. When ineligible and the income change is reported timely, the participant may be eligible for Transitional Benefit Assistance (TBA). (See TBA for eligibility information.)
When information and verification is received indicating a change in the monthly educational income or expense, the educational income or expenses are recalculated for the entire period over which they are intended to cover.
Countable income is used to determine an income budget. (See Income Budgeting to see how FAA determines the income budget.) FAA needs to know about income that is both countable and not countable to determine whether a budgetary unit’s expenses are exceeding their income. (See Income Eligibility for more information about how FAA uses countable and not countable income.)
Procedures
See Verifying Reported Changes to determine whether additional verification is needed and whether action is to be taken on the reported information.
When the monthly income amount changes and action is to be taken, complete all of the following:
●Make the appropriate changes to AZTECS in the appropriate month. (See When to Effect Changes for guidance.)
●Redetermine NA eligibility.
●Send the appropriate notice allowing for NOAA, when necessary.
NOTE For changes to educational income or expenses, do not initiate overpayments or restored benefits.
Verification
System interface and the case file(g) must be reviewed before verification is requested. No additional verification is needed when AZTECS interface or HEAplus hubs have verified the information.
The participant has the primary responsibility for providing verification. (See Participant Responsibilities – Providing Verification for additional policy.)
For NA, all of the following income is required to be verified before eligibility is determined:
●Reported on a new application, during the interview of a new application, or changes reported before the eligibility determination of a new application.
●Changes after an eligibility determination of a new application (e.g., a renewal application, mid approval contact, etc.) and any of the following apply:
The source of the income has changed.
The income is questionable(g) or unclear(g).
The reported income amount has changed by $51 or more.
The previous verification in the case file is more than 59 days old.
For CA, all income is required to be verified before determining eligibility.
See the specific income type for examples of what can be used for verification.
AZTECS Keying Procedures
Document the case file(g) thoroughly to support keyed codes, amounts, and frequencies. See the AZTECS Data Entry Guide for instructions on keying the AZTECS income screens.
NOTE Documentation must support determinations of eligibility and benefit level. Document in sufficient detail to ensure that any reviewer can assess whether the determination is reasonable and accurate. Include specific information regarding the reason the income is determined to be normal. (See Budgeting Income Documentation Requirements for additional information.)
See the specific income type for income keying instructions.
When the income change is reported untimely, key the UT Verification Code in the VR field on the appropriate income screen.
When the budgetary unit is determined ineligible for one or more programs, use the appropriate Denial Closure Reason Code for AZTECS to accurately determine Transitional Benefit Assistance (TBA).
Legal Authorities
7 CFR 273.2(f)(1)(xii)
7 CFR 273.9(c)(17)
7 CFR 273.12(a)(1)(vi)
AAC R6-12-703.3
last revised 10/02/2023