Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 340 - Department of Human Services
Chapter 65 - Public Assistance Procedures
Subchapter 3 - Eligibility for Benefits
Section 340:65-3-6 - Cash assistance payment procedures
Universal Citation: OK Admin Code 340:65-3-6
Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a) Payment method choices. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) issues cash assistance benefits through a contractor on a debit card or by direct deposit. DHS initially issues the benefit on a debit card.
(1) After the
first benefit issues, the recipient may continue to receive benefits by debit
card or change the payment method to direct deposit.
(2) The recipient may switch between direct
deposit and debit card as needed.
(b) Debit card procedures. Debit card procedures are listed in (1) through (6) of this subsection.
(1) Unless the applicant was previously
issued a debit card, it is issued to the applicant after the application is
placed in application status or after benefits are approved.
(A) A debit card issues after the application
is placed in application status when the applicant was previously issued a
client number. DHS assigns a client number to a person after he or she is
approved for a DHS benefit or when the person has an open child support case
with DHS Child Support Services (CSS).
(B) When the applicant does not have a client
number, the debit card issues after the worker certifies the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or State Supplemental Payment (SSP)
benefit.
(C) DHS does not issue a
debit card to an applicant when he or she was previously issued a debit card.
When the applicant states he or she no longer has the debit card, the applicant
must call 1-888-401-9843, the contractor's customer service phone number, to
obtain a replacement card.
(2) Once the applicant receives the debit
card, he or she must call the customer service phone number located on the back
of the debit card to activate the card and choose a personal identification
number (PIN).
(3) Initial and
replacement debit cards are mailed to the applicant or recipient's mailing
address along with information regarding
(A)
the customer service phone number the applicant must call to activate the debit
card or to report a lost or stolen card;
(B) how to make purchases using the debit
card or get cash from participating automated teller machine (ATM)
locations;
(C) free services,
including two free ATM withdrawals per calendar month from MoneyPass ATMs, and
fees;
(D) how to request a
companion cardholder or switch to direct deposit; and
(E) the website address where the applicant
may access his or her account balance and transaction information.
(4) The recipient is eligible for
a free replacement card once every 12 months upon request. The recipient is
charged a fee when he or she requests a replacement card more than once every
12 months. The debit card expires every three years and a free replacement is
sent to recipients with open benefits.
(5) The recipient may request one or more
companion cards. The companion card(s) may only be ordered online.
(A) The companion card is sent to the
recipient's address.
(B) Once the
companion cardholder receives the companion card, he or she must call the
customer service phone number located on the back of the debit card to activate
the card and choose a PIN.
(C)
Funds are placed on the companion card by the recipient. The recipient may:
(i) choose to transfer funds to the companion
card by amount or by a percentage of benefits received for the month;
(ii) set up the transfer on a recurring basis
or as a one-time occurrence; and
(iii) move money back and forth between the
primary account and the companion card as he or she chooses.
(D) The same fees apply to
companion cards as they do for the recipient's card.
(6) When the recipient informs the worker
that he or she did not receive the debit card, the worker checks to see if the
recipient's address changed. When the address changed, the worker updates the
system with the correct address. The recipient must call the customer service
phone number to request a replacement card.
(7) When the recipient fails or refuses to
activate his or her debit card within 90-calendar days, the benefits are
expunged from the debit card and returned to DHS.
(A) Upon notification of expunged benefits,
the worker contacts the recipient to offer assistance in pinning the debit
card.
(i) When the worker is unable to reach
the recipient by phone, he or she sends Form 08AD092E, Client Contact and
Information Request, and gives the recipient 10-calendar days to contact the
worker.
(ii) When the worker talks
to the recipient, he or she determines why the recipient did not choose a PIN
for the debit card and offers assistance. The worker advises the recipient to
choose a PIN for the debit card within 10-calendar days and let the worker know
when it is pinned so he or she can restore expunged benefits to the debit card.
When the client does not contact the worker within 10-calendar days to reissue
the expunged benefits, the worker sends Form 08AD092E and gives the client 10-
calendar days to respond.
(B) The funds may be reloaded on the
recipient's debit card if he or she chooses a PIN for the debit card and
requests DHS reissuance within 365-calendar days of the issuance date.
(C) When the recipient fails or
refuses to choose a PIN for the debit card within 10-calendar days of issuing
Form 08AD092E, the worker closes the cash assistance benefit due to
non-cooperation. When the:
(i) TANF cash
assistance benefit closes due to non-cooperation, the assistance unit's
SoonerCare (Medicaid) benefit closes. When the recipient wants to continue to
receive SoonerCare (Medicaid) benefits, he or she must reapply through the
Oklahoma Health Care Authority's online enrollment system; or
(ii) State Supplemental Payment cash
assistance benefit closes due to non-cooperation, the recipient's SoonerCare
(Medicaid) benefit remains open.
(D) The recipient's cash assistance benefit
may be reopened when the recipient chooses a PIN for the debit card and
notifies the worker within 30-calendar days of closure.
(c) Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) transaction restrictions. EBT transaction means the use of a credit or debit card service, automated teller machine, point-of-sale terminal, or access to an online system for the withdrawal of funds or the processing of a payment for merchandise or service. Per Section 4004 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Section 608(a) of Title 42 of the United States Code ( 42 U.S.C. § 608(a)(12)) , and Section 241.4 of Title 56 of Oklahoma Statutes, no debit or EBT card containing state or federal funds from programs including, but not limited to, TANF may be used in any transaction in any:
(1) liquor store. The
term liquor store means any establishment that sells exclusively or primarily
intoxicating liquor. The term does not include a grocery store that sells both
intoxicating liquor and groceries, including staple foods, per Section 3(r) of
the Food and Nutrition Act;
(2)
casino, gambling casino, or gaming establishment except for:
(A) a grocery store that sells groceries,
including staple foods, per
7
U.S.C. §
2012, and also offers, or is
located within the same building or complex as an establishment offering
casino, gambling, or gaming activities; or
(B) any other establishment offering casino,
gambling, or gaming activities incidental to the principal purpose of the
business;
(3) retail
establishment that provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers
disrobe or perform in an unclothed state for entertainment; or
(4) retail establishment whose principal
business is that of selling cigarettes, cigars, or tobacco products.
(d) Direct deposit procedures. When the recipient prefers to receive benefits through direct deposit, he or she goes online to www.goprogram.com or phones 1-888-401-9843 to set up a bank transfer.
(1) When the
recipient chooses direct deposit, he or she may decide to transfer 100 percent
of the benefit to a designated bank account or may choose to transfer a
percentage of the benefits to a bank account and keep the rest of the funds on
the debit card.
(2) Benefits are
transferred to direct deposit for the next payment due after direct deposit
information is entered in the system.
(3) The recipient may transfer funds from a
debit card to a bank account on a one-time basis. There is a fee associated
with the transfer.
(e) Benefit issuance. After the initial issuance, the recipient's cash assistance benefit is deposited in the recipient's checking or savings account or loaded on the recipient's debit card each month.
(1) The funds are available for withdrawal
after deposit.
(2) After the
monthly benefit is deposited in the recipient's account or loaded on the debit
card, DHS is not responsible if someone other than the payee withdraws the
funds. Banking regulations govern withdrawals.
(3) Recipients are encouraged to be prudent
about giving withdrawal privileges or debit card access to other
people.
(f) Issuance problem procedures. When problems occur with direct deposit or debit card deposits, procedures for dealing with these problems are listed in (1) through (5) of this subsection.
(1) When the recipient provides incorrect
account information, the cash assistance benefit cannot be deposited in the
recipient's bank account. When this occurs, the contractor converts the payment
method to a debit card. When the recipient wants direct deposit, he or she must
request direct deposit again, per (d) of this Section.
(2) When a deposit is not made to the
recipient's direct deposit account or loaded on the debit card, the recipient
must report the problem to the contractor's customer service phone number. The
contractor handles any communication with banking institutions or debit card
vendors and then contacts the recipient regarding resolution.
(3) When the recipient dies while receiving
benefits, questions may arise concerning unspent funds in the recipient's bank
account or on his or her debit card.
(A) When
the client is not eligible for a payment made after death to the recipient's
debit card or bank account, an overpayment may be established against the
estate.
(i) DHS notifies the debit card
contractor to expunge the funds from the debit card, when possible.
(ii) Payments made by direct deposit, cannot
be expunged or retrieved.
(B) When there are unused benefits on the
debit card at the time of death for which the recipient was entitled and
someone contacts DHS to request these benefits, he or she is advised to contact
the customer service phone number located on the back of the recipient's debit
card to request the funds. When unused funds remain in a bank account, the
person must contact the financial institution to request the funds.
(4) When the recipient's cash
assistance benefit closes due to transfer of eligibility to another cash
assistance case, the payment method is automatically transferred to the new
case provided the client number of the payee in the closed and new case is the
same. When the recipient's cash assistance benefit closes and he or she later
reapplies and is approved with the same client number, the previously chosen
payment method is used to issue the cash assistance benefit. The recipient must
call the contractor's customer service phone number to change the payment
method or to update bank account information.
(5) When the payee for the cash assistance
benefit changes for any reason, the new payee is assigned a new client number
unless one was previously issued to him or her.
(A) The new payee is considered an applicant.
Refer to (a) and (b) of this Section regarding payment methods and initial
payments.
(B) The new payee does
not have access to benefits issued prior to the payee change.
Amended at 10 Ok Reg 471, eff 11-30-92 (emergency); Amended at 10 Ok Reg 2343, eff 6-11-93; Amended at 11 Ok Reg 1347, eff 3-14-94 through 7-14-95 (emergency); Amended at 13 Ok Reg 353, eff 12-11-95; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 2096, eff 7-1-01; Amended at 25 Ok Reg 958, eff 6-1-08; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 1272, eff 6-1-09; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 880, eff 6-1-11
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Oklahoma may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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