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Department
of Human Services Families
First Online Policy Manual Child Support Cooperation |
Revised: |
26.10 |
GOOD CAUSE DETERMINATION PROCEDURES |
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If the caretaker, adult parent or minor
parent who is caretaker of his/her own case claims good cause for
non-cooperation, the caseworker must determine if the individual meets the good
cause criteria for a waiver of the cooperation requirement. (Refer to the criteria listed in the good
cause section of this chapter). If the individual’s good cause claim meets our criteria, he/she must
provide the required verification within 20 days after the claim is
made. This time limit may be extended
with supervisory approval in exceptional situations when the individual is having
difficulty in obtaining the appropriate verification. A final decision on each good cause claim
must be made within 45 days of the date the claim is made. This time standard may be extended only if
the information required to verify or investigate the claim could not be
obtained within the time limit or if the individual has been given additional
time to obtain necessary verification.
If the individual has complied with the requirements to establish good
cause, Families First benefits will not be denied, delayed or discontinued
pending the determination of whether or not good cause exists. A good cause claim will be denied if: ·
The
individual does not furnish the required verification within the 20-day time
limit unless this time frame is extended. ·
The evidence
submitted does not substantiate the claim and the caretaker/parent does not
submit additional evidence. ·
The
individual has not provided information for an agency investigation, if
necessary. ·
The agency
investigation establishes that the claim is not valid. The results of a good cause investigation will be transmitted by the
eligibility and case management system to Child Support (IV-D) when the
pertinent information is entered on the appropriate absent parent
screens. In addition, the caseworker
must notify the individual in writing about the good cause decision. If the good cause claim is denied, the individual must be given the
opportunity to cooperate, withdraw the application or have the case
closed. If the individual continues to
be non-cooperative, sanctions will be applied. Once good cause is established, this decision must be reevaluated at
renewal only if the circumstances on which it is based are subject to
change. If the circumstances have
changed, the individual must be given an opportunity to provide additional
evidence to establish that good cause continues to exist. The same procedures used for the original
good cause determination will be used to review the good cause decision. If the good cause determination is
reversed, the caseworker will notify the individual that cooperation with
IV-D is now required. The individual
can claim good cause at any time if additional evidence becomes available and
is presented to substantiate the claim. |
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