Section 144-301-200-FS 222-4 - Interview Process1.GENERAL RULEThe person interviewed may be any responsible household member or an authorized representative.
2.FOR APPLICATION AND ANNUAL ELIGIBILITY REVIEWHouseholds must have telephone interviews prior to certification, except for the following circumstances:
A. The Department shall process all applications and annual eligibility reviews without an interview until March 31, 2023 unless -(1) the household requests an interview,(2) there is unclear information on the application or renewal form, or(3) the household would be determined to be ineligible based on information provided on the application or renewal form.B. Households are not required to have face-to-face interviews with Office for Family Independence (OFI) staff for applications or annual eligibility reviews.C. Households will be scheduled for face-to-face interviews at (OFI) regional offices or available itinerant sites, if requested by the household or their authorized representative.D. Households which have no earned income and in which all adult members are elderly and/or have disabilities are not required to complete an interview at annual eligibility review unless -(1) there is unclear information on the renewal form, or(2) the household would be determined to be ineligible based on information provided on the renewal form. The Department shall conduct an interview if the household requests one.
3.SCHEDULING AND NOTICINGA. All interviews must be scheduled as promptly as possible to ensure that eligible households receive benefits within the appropriate time limits for processing.B. In the case of applications received from residents of correctional facilities (Section 222-1), a telephone interview may be completed prior to release at the request of the applicant. Absent a request from the applicant, the Department may not schedule an interview date prior to the anticipated release date.C. If the household fails to complete the first scheduled interview, the Department shall notify the household in writing that they are responsible for re-scheduling the interview. If the household contacts the Office for Family Independence (OFI) within the 30 day application period, the Department shall schedule a second interview. If, after 30 days from the date of application (Section 999-1), the household has failed to complete an interview, the Department shall deny the application.D. During the interview, the Department shall advise the household of their rights and responsibilities and the consequences of failure to comply with program requirements. The Department shall provide written notice of rights and responsibilities and the consequences for failure to comply with program requirements at each determination whether or not an interview has been conducted.4.DURING THE CERTIFICATION PERIODRecipients cannot be required to come into the office for a face-to-face interview during a certification period; however, the Department may request an interview in instances of information that is contradictory to information known to or received by the Department. The Department shall give the household ten days to respond to the request to clarify the contradictory information. Failure to resolve the contradiction results in closure procedures for failure to resolve the contradiction, not for failure to complete the interview.
10-144 C.M.R. ch. 301, § 200-FS 222-4