Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 016 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Division 14 - Department of Finance (Administrative Services)
Rule 016.14.06-002 - Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Program Manual

Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 016.14.06-002

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024

2500 Departmental Policy Issuances and Interpretation (Continued)

Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services

Office of Finance and Administration

Donaghey Plaza West, Slot W401

P.O. Box 1437

Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1437

2600 Waiver Process

A formal written request for a waiver of policy contained in the Social Services Block Grant Program Manual must be submitted to the CFO or designee for approval. The request must be submitted or approved by the appropriate program agency director and state the specific section of policy for which the waiver is requested, duration of waiver request and complete justification for the waiver.

4000 PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY

4100 Application for Services

4110 Initial Application for Assistance

Applications for direct services delivered by DHHS divisions must be made at the appropriate division or office. Applications for purchased services must be made at the office of the SSBG provider from whom the individual wishes to receive services. The applicant is responsible for the completion of all application documents; however, the provider representative or applicable DHHS representative shall provide assistance in the completion of such application forms upon request.

Applications must be made on the Application for Social Services Block Grant Services (Form DHHS-100) (Appendix D) and signed by the applicant except in the following cases:

A. Information and referral services do not require a signed application.

B. Services delivered to investigate or remedy the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children and adults do not require a signed application if delivered by DHHS staff or by other providers who receive a written referral from DHHS indicating services are needed as a result of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

C. Services to Division of Children and Family Services clients needed as a result of a case plan for family support/reunification, prevention or remedy abuse, neglect or exploitation of children, crisis intervention with children and families, and designed to help adoptive and extended families at risk or in crisis. Appropriate documentation (referrals, etc.) must be in the client's file.

D. Clients of the Division of Youth Services who are Status Eligible. The youth's case record must contain the information listed in Section 4231 under the Status Eligibility category.

E. If the service requires a signed application and the individual for whom the services are requested is under age eighteen, the application must be signed by a parent or guardian unless the individual is considered an emancipated minor (see Section 4112). If an adult has a legally appointed guardian or custodian, the guardian or custodian must sign the application. In both of these cases, the parent or guardian shall be advised that

4220 Factors of Eligibility

The case record must document that each eligibility requirement has been met before services may be granted. These points of eligibility include:

A. Categorical Requirements;

B. Need for Service; and

C. Residence.

4230 Categorical Requirements

4231 Applicant Eligibility Status

The following are categories under which applicants may receive SSBG services.

A. Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) This category refers to recipients of Transitional Employment Assistance, essential persons, and adult relatives whose needs were taken into account in determining the TEA grant.

B. Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

C. Income Eligibles. These are individuals who qualify for specific services but who are not receiving TEA or SSI if their family's monthly gross income is at or below the income scale applicable to the service received by the client.

D. Without Regard to Income. Services needed as a result of a protective services case plan designed to prevent the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child or adult, may be provided without regard to income. This category may not be used unless documentation exists in the client's case record that the services are being delivered as a part of a protective services case plan. The documentation must be in the form of a written referral from DCFS Protective Services workers, a Domestic Violence Prevention program, or Division of Aging and Adult Services Protective Services workers. (Any service funded by SSBG and listed in this manual may be provided without regard to income if the above conditions are met.)

Services to Division of Children and Family Services clients needed as a result of a case plan for family support/reunification, prevention or remedy abuse, neglect or exploitation of children, crisis intervention with children and families, and designed to help adoptive and extended families at risk or in crisis may be provided without regard to income.

E. Status Eligibility - Division of Youth Services (DYS). This category will be used to establish eligibility for clients of DYS who fall into the priority target population of DYS . Youth in this category are eligible regardless of financial status; however, documentation must exist in the provider's case record that the youth is either a delinquent or Family in Need of Services. This category may only be used by DYS providers who provide Substitute Care for Youth and Non-Residential Services for Youth.

The required documentation for the youth's case record to establish status eligibility is a written referral of the youth to the provider for services by the courts, a law enforcement agency or the Division of Youth Services . The written referral must include the following information: date, name or ID number of youth, referring justice system agency, statement of problem/reason for referral, signature and title.

4232 Services Income Scale

SSBG eligibility and, if applicable, fee assessments are determined on the basis of income and family size of the eligibility unit of the primary client, using the following income scale (see Section 4210, subsections B, C, and D to determine family size):

Family Size

Annual Income

Monthly Income

Family Size

Annual Income

Monthly Income

1

$12,018

$ 1,002

6

$30,508

$2,542

2

15,716

1,310

7

31,201

2,600

3

19,414

1,618

8

31,895

2,658

4

23,112

1,926

9

32,588

2,716

5

26,810

2,234

10

33,281

2,773

For over ten family members, add $693 to the annual income for a family size of ten for each additional member.

4233 Determination and Verification of Income

The amount of any currently available income not specifically excluded under one of the provisions in Section 4210.G. must be determined and considered. The client's statement will normally be sufficient verification of income. However, the provider representative is expected to act as a prudent person and to make additional investigation when the client's statements are unclear, incomplete, or contradictory, or when he/she has

5000 SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT (SSBG) FINANCIAL GUIDELINES

The following financial guidelines are in addition to those published in the Financial Guidelines for Purchased Services and, taken together, provide the rules and regulations governing the methodology of financial control of SSBG funds administered by the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Office of Finance and Administration.

5100 Matching Funds

5110 Match Rates for SSBG

Agreements for SSBG purchase of services in the State of Arkansas are normally required to be matched from state and/or local funds at a rate of 25 percent of the total contracted amount, unless otherwise specified in the official allocation.

The standard matching requirement may be increased or decreased for particular services if requested by the DHHS division/office responsible for the service and approved by the Chief Fiscal Officer of DHHS.

See Section 3700 of the Financial Guidelines for Purchased Services for regulations regarding matching funds.

5120 Funds and Expenditures Not Allowable for Matching

In addition to the items listed in Section 3700 of the Financial Guidelines for Purchased Services, the following cannot be used to satisfy the matching requirement for SSBG funds:

A. Fees from SSBG clients except when authorized by DHHS;

B. Funds received from SSBG reimbursement; and

C. Funds received from any other state or federal funds, except when the state or federal legislation authorizing the funds specifically allows them to be used as the local matching share for other federal programs.

It should also be noted that SSBG funds are not allowed to be used as matching funds for other state or federal funds except as allowed by specific state or federal statute.

5130 Donation or Use of Property as Match

An agency may donate property or the use of property to a provider to be considered as match. If title to the property is donated, the fair market value of the property may be considered as match. If the use of property or equipment is donated, the fair rental value may be considered as match. Please see the Financial Guidelines for Purchased Services for the acceptable methods of establishing fair rental or fair market value.

Appendix A-1

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Adult: By legal definition, either an individual who is 18 years of age or over or an emancipated minor.

Adult Single: See Single Adult.

Alcohol Abuse: Excessive use of or dependency on alcoholic beverages; or the use of alcoholic beverages to the extent that health is substantially impaired or endangered, or social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.

Blind: Legal blindness is the condition in which visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with best correction or in which the field of vision is restricted to 20 degrees or less. Casework services may be extended to individuals with conditions involving progressive visual loss or a progressive eye disorder that will result in blindness.

Child: An individual between birth and 18 years of age unless the individual has been emancipated. (See definition of Emancipated Minor.) Individuals between 18 and 21 may be considered children in order that they may receive certain specified services. These services are: Substitute Care for Children for foster children under 21 when in school or training, in specialized foster care, in a residential treatment facility, or in a therapeutic foster care situation; Substitute Care for Youth for individuals ages 8 through 18.

Children, Foster: See Foster Children.

Client, Primary: The individual for whom or on behalf of, a service is given, i.e., the person for whom a goal is set. The terms "individual", "customer", "consumer" and "service recipient" are interchangeable with the term "client". *

Deaf and Hearing Impaired: Those individuals with physical impairment causing severe irreversible damage to the sensorineural and/or cortical structures of the ear necessary for normal hearing and whose condition has been present since birth or from the formative years and is not amenable to current medical or surgical treatment. The loss of functional hearing is of such magnitude as to severely impede or preclude the ability to hear conversational speech, as well as most information messages conveyed through sound, both vocal and non-vocal.

Delinquent Youth: Youth adjudicated as delinquent or youth referred by an official of the justice system because of an alleged delinquent act or a pattern of delinquent acts.

Developmental Disabilities: Any one or a combination of conditions which has continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely related to autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation (or a person who functions like a person with mental retardation) existing from birth or as a result of illness, accidents, or unknown causes prior to the age of twenty-two (22).

Appendix A-2

COMPONENT DEFINITIONS

Advocacy: See SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES.

Aftercare: Services provided to youth committed to a youth service facility under the authority of the Division of Youth Services . Services to specific individuals may include: providing a field evaluation including recommendations for release plans; services to families of committed youth; visiting youth at the Division of Youth Services ; developing an individualized case plan; advocacy on behalf of the youth; supervision; transportation and follow-up.

Arrangement: See SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES.

Assessment: An investigative process which may include administration and interpretation of appropriate evaluative tools in order to determine a client's adaptive behavior and functioning level, so that appropriate programming activities may be planned.

Attendant Activities: See PERSONAL CARE.

Camping: An experience which provides a creative recreational, social and educational opportunity to encourage each camper's mental, physical, and social growth through personal and social adjustment, recreational activities (such as swimming, classes, field trips, archery, and cookouts), and room and board.

Case Plan Development: Setting of client goals and objectives and determination with client of strategy to meet goals and objectives; selection of appropriate services, service providers, and treatment modes; scheduling of service delivery dates and times; estimating length of time or units of service required to meet client need; re-planning if necessary.

Casework Management: Significant communication, either directly or by correspondence, with or on behalf of a client. These communications must be in relation to the development of individualized case plans or the delivery of services based on a case plan. Services to specific individuals may include: gathering and processing social and medical information; developing an individualized case plan, including establishment of time-framed and measurable objectives; problem solving; consultation with youth and family; arrangement with other appropriate services; advocacy on behalf of the youth; supportive services; transportation and follow-up.

Child Day Care: Services to provide appropriate care for eligible children during any part of the calendar day (including after-school care) which meet not only the normal supervisory, physical, health, and safety needs, but also provide for the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth and development of the child. These services are provided to enable employment of the parent or legal caretaker or relatives with physical custody (where the parent or parents are not residing in the household) to participate in training or education programs; or to prevent or remedy a family crisis.

Commodity Distribution: Activities involved in provision of food to eligible recipients, including transporting the commodities to distribution sites and storing and distributing the commodities.

Communication Equipment: Device or apparatus which enables or aids an individual to receive and transmit information orally, in writing, or in any other form which will assist that person to function more effectively in daily living or employment.

Community Integration Companion: Activities to instruct the individual in daily living and community living skills in integrated settings. Included are such activities as shopping, sports, participation in clubs, etc. Such services are focused on training/mentoring and are not meant to be recreational.

Comprehensive Training Center Activities: Activities provided to assist individuals in attaining needed skills. These are provided in a residential setting. Activities are: vocational assessment; aptitude testing; instruction in personal grooming and self-care; training; tutoring; attendant services; placement services; purchase of special clothing necessary to engage in training (such as cosmetology uniforms, protective aprons, mechanics' uniforms); and occupational therapy.

Consultation: See SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES.

Counseling, Group: Same as INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY COUNSELING, but offered in a group setting where individuals can benefit from inter-action among group members and counselor(s).

Counseling, Individual and Family: Exploration of interests and skills; problem identification and resolution; identification of feasible goal; provision of emotional support and guidance; advice about community resources; provision of basic skills for functioning in the community; exploration with client of possible alternative behavior patterns; development and strengthening of capacity for personal and social functions. In family counseling, service is provided to one or more family members to help them fulfill their roles. Counseling is provided by a qualified professional (as defined by the DHHS Division or Office administering the program).

Court Study: Same as INVESTIGATION.

Court Testimony: In response to a subpoena, the person who developed a home study appears in court to give information and respond to questions under oath regarding the development of the report and to provide

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