Louisiana's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Online Document.
Family Independence Temporary Assistance (FITAP)
What is FITAP?
The Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) is a public assistance program that provides financial aid for children in their own homes who are in need considering they exercise not have sufficient financial back up from parents. The overall goal of FITAP is to decrease the long-term dependency on public assist by promoting job preparation and piece of work. Public aid is no longer a lifetime benefit but an opportunity to go independent after a fiscal crisis.
FITAP is authorized by the Social Security Act equally amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Constructive Jan 1997 FITAP is funded by the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Block Grant. The Department of Health and Human Services is the federal bureau responsible for its administration. The programme is administered at the state level by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
FITAP Benefits
Louisiana is increasing the cash benefit amounts available through the federal Temporary Assist for Needy Families (TANF) program for the first fourth dimension in more than two decades. The increases will finer double cash assistance through FITAP showtime in January 2022.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for FITAP, the family must meet all the conditions listed below:
- the customer must be living in the state, must intend to brand a home hither and the stay cannot be temporary.
- the client must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.
- a family must be considered financially needy to be eligible. This ways that the income available to intendance for the child does non meet his needs. DCFS has standard amounts based on the number of persons included in the grant. Income is subtracted from these amounts to make up one's mind need.
- all applicants or recipients must provide or apply for a Social Security number for each member of the help unit.
- children must be nether the historic period of 18 to exist eligible or 18 years of historic period and enrolled full-time in a secondary schoolhouse or in the equivalent level of vocational or technical training.
- in order to receive FITAP assist for a child, an private must exist a qualified relative by coming together sure human relationship requirements, i.e., must be related by blood, marriage or adoption.
- information technology must be verified that the child actually lives in the aforementioned dwelling with the qualified relative.
- the client must assign whatever child back up and medical back up rights to the state and must cooperate with the agency'southward Child Support Enforcement Services in establishing paternity and obtaining child support and medical back up from the absent parent(due south) unless good cause has been established.
- monthly countable income, both earned and unearned, cannot exceed the flat grant amount for the number of persons in the assist unit of measurement. Full countable income is subtracted from the flat grant amount to determine the client'due south grant amount. The allowable earned income deductions are:
- Standard earned income deduction of $120 for each employed member.
- Dependent care deductions may be allowable for each employed member. Certain requirements must be met to qualify for this deduction.
- Time-express deduction of $900 for six months for each employed member.
- Piece of work eligible applicants and recipients must participate in the Strategies to Empower People (STEP) Plan unless exempt nether criteria established by the agency.
- sufficient evidence of amnesty or immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases according to the Office of Public Health schedule or show that such an immunization program is in progress, must be provided for each recipient nether the age of eighteen.
- each applicant/recipient who is significant or has a child under the historic period of 1 must attend parenting skills grooming.
- the family is ineligible to receive assist if a parent or either parent in a two-parent family has received benefits for 24 of the prior lx months. There is a lx-calendar month lifetime limit if the aid unit of measurement includes a parent/flagman relative.
- minor unmarried parents and their children must reside in the dwelling of a parent, legal guardian, other adult relatives, or in an adult-supervised living system in order to qualify for help.
- Applicants/recipients age xviii and over must cooperate in screening for the use of illegal drugs, and, if necessary, drug testing, instruction and rehabilitation.
How Do I Apply?
- A qualified relative applying for the child tin use online through the Louisiana CAFÉ Self Service Portal (www.dcfs.la.gov/buffet).
Click hither for a video tutorial on how to upload documents to CAFÉ. Other helpful How-To videos about CAFÉ can likewise be institute at http://dcfs.la.gov/page/cafe-video-tutorials.
Applications may also be submitted at a local DCFS customs partner. Click here for a statewide list of community partners.
- When applying for FITAP benefits, there are several documents you need to provide – either past uploading them in CAFÉ when you use or by emailing/mailing/faxing them to us. Uploading these documents in CAFÉ when you apply will help reduce the fourth dimension it takes to process your FITAP application. Please get together these documents and relieve them to your computer or mobile device earlier you starting time the application process and so you volition have them ready to upload when y'all apply. CAFÉ tin can take scanned PDF documents, as well every bit GIF, JPG and PNG photos. Click here for a list of what kinds of documents can be used equally proof.
If someone applies on the applicants' behalf, additional information is needed to found the child's relationship to the applicant.
DCFS must conduct an interview and obtain other verifications to decide if the child is eligible.
- Income from all sources must be taken into account in the decision of eligibility and the amount of grant. This includes income from Social Security, veteran's benefits, railroad retirement, or wages, and any other regular income. However, the law exempts sure income.
- When you apply, be certain to requite all of the facts concerning your situation.
- If you lot withhold information, misrepresent facts in any way, or neglect to report changes as required, you may be prosecuted under the police force or asked to repay the amount of assistance y'all received illegally.
The person who receives the benefits must notify DCFS of any changes in accost, residence, living arrangements, and income co-ordinate to the requirements of the reporting system to which they are assigned.
Your Right to a Off-white Hearing
If you believe the action on your case is non correct, or that a decision was not rendered on your awarding with reasonable promptness, yous may request and obtain a fair hearing. The local part will present the evidence on which its decision was made, and you will be expected to present evidence to support your claim at the hearing.
If you wish to request a fair hearing, you lot should follow the instructions on the back of the detect yous receive from the agency or contact the local role. Requests for fair hearings are mailed to the DCFS Bureau of Appeals, P. O. Box 2944, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821. The request must exist made within 30 days after the local office conclusion.
Civil Rights
If you believe that you lot accept been discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sexual practice, age, disability, or on the footing of faith or political behavior, you may email your complaint to DCFS.BureauofCivilRights@LA.GOV or obtain a Civil Rights Complaint class at whatsoever local DCFS Role. You may likewise write to the Department of Health and Human being Services (DHHS), Regional Office for Civil Rights, 1301 Young Street – Suite 1169, Dallas, TX 75202.
Oftentimes Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I contact my caseworker through CAFÉ?
Yep, FITAP clients can contact their caseworkers through the upgraded CAFÉ Self-Service Portal at www.dcfs.la.gov/cafe.
- Log into your CAFÉ business relationship.
- Click on "Bank check My Cases" on your My Account folio.
- Click on the "Details" link next to the case you are asking about (for example, "FITAP Details" next to your FITAP example) under "Instance Summary." This volition accept yous to the Case Details page.
- On the Case Details page, scroll downwardly to the section labeled "Questions Most Your Example?"
- Select your question or topic from the drop-down menu (for example, "I would like to reschedule my interview" or "Why did my case close or benefit corporeality change?")
- Click the "Submit Now" push button to notify your caseworker of your question.
A message will and so exist sent to your caseworker for a response. Please note that the response tin can take up to two business concern days.
When your caseworker responds, y'all will receive a Notification in your CAFÉ account Inbox. Please check your CAFÉ account regularly.
How can I become personal assistance with my FITAP benefits?
Call the LAHelpU Customer Service Center at (888) 524-3578. The regular hours are 7:30 a.chiliad. to half-dozen p.m., G-F. Or, email the center at LAHelpU.DCFS@la.gov with a brief explanation of your reason for writing.
If you are a current FITAP recipient, please include your total proper name equally it appears in our records, all of your contact data and your case identification number (the smaller number beneath the 16-digit number on the forepart of your EBT card).
If you are not a current FITAP recipient, please include your total name as it appears in our records, all of your contact information, your appointment of nativity and the final iv digits of your Social Security number.
How tin I admission my benefits one time approved?
The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) carte is a method of delivering governmental benefits to recipients electronically. The card, which is referred to as the Louisiana Purchase Card, enables recipients to access benefits at ATM'due south and point-of-auction (POS) machines.
Greenbacks benefits are posted to recipient accounts during the commencement five days of the calendar month. Recipient benefits are accessible by 5:00 a.1000. on the morning after they are posted. Benefits are posted on the same appointment every month, regardless of the twenty-four hour period of the calendar week. Holidays and weekends do not affect the date of benefit availability.
Benefits are secure and accessible only to persons authorized by the recipient. The Personal Identification Number (PIN) is selected past the recipient and must be correctly entered in order to successfully complete all electronic transactions. Equally purchases or cash withdrawals are fabricated at grocery store checkout lanes and ATM's, recipient accounts are debited and the recipient is given a receipt which provides the remaining account balance.
In improver to the transaction fee of $1.00 for each cash withdrawal which is assessed at all ATMs, a surcharge fee may also be assessed. A surcharge is the corporeality some ATMs accuse y'all each time you withdraw your cash benefits, and this surcharge is deducted from your available balance. The post-obit list of surcharge-free ATM owners provide you access to your cash benefits without being surcharged past the ATM:
- ASI Federal Credit Union
- Bankcorp South Depository financial institution
- Whitney Depository financial institution
- Regions Bank
How can I report the misuse of FITAP benefits?
The agency relies on retailers and the public to written report the misuse of benefits. Individuals are encouraged to call DCFS' toll-free hotline at 1-888-LAHELP-U (ane-888-524-3578) and select option vii from the master bill of fare or by filling out the online form.
To report a complaint to the Fraud & Recovery Unit, retailers and the public may call the ane-888-LAHELP-U (1-888-524-3578), email the complaint to DCFS.Fraud@LA.GOV, fax the complaint at (225) 219-1663 or mail service the complaint to: Fraud and Recovery Unit, P.O. Box 91147, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9147.
Source: http://www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/fitap
0 Response to "Louisiana's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Online Document."
إرسال تعليق