Section 112.9  Client Cooperation

a)         As a condition of eligibility, clients must cooperate:

1)         in the determination of eligibility;

2)         with Department programs conducted for the purposes of acquisition or verification of information upon which eligibility may depend;

3)         in applying for all financial benefits for which they may qualify and to avail themselves of such benefits at the earliest possible date;

4)         by designing a Responsibility and Services Plan (RSP) appropriate for his or her situation, signing the RSP and following through on the activities agreed to in the RSP.  These activities may not begin until at least 30 days after the date of application. An applicant who refuses to cooperate in designing or signing an RSP is not eligible for TANF cash assistance.  An applicant who refuses to follow through or fails, without good cause, to follow through with the activities agreed upon in the RSP is also ineligible for TANF cash assistance.

b)         TANF applicants who quit working without good cause during the application process are not eligible for cash assistance.

c)         Clients are required to avail themselves of all potential income sources.

d)         When eligibility cannot be conclusively determined because the individual is unwilling or fails to provide essential information or to consent to verification, the client is ineligible.

e)         At screening, applicants shall be informed, in writing, of any information they are to provide at the eligibility interview.

f)         At the eligibility interview or at any time during the application process, when the applicant is requested to provide information in his or her possession, the Department will allow a reasonable period for the return of the requested information.  The first day of the period is the calendar day following the date the information request form is sent or given to the applicant.  The last day of the period shall be a work day and is to be indicated on the information request form.  If the applicant does not provide the information by the date on the information request form, the application shall be denied on the following work day.

g)         At the eligibility interview or at any time during the application process, when the applicant is requested to provide third party information, the Department shall allow a reasonable period for the return of the requested information or for verification that the third party information has been requested.  The first day of the period is the calendar day following the date the information request form is sent or given to the applicant.  The last day of the period shall be a work day and is to be indicated on the information request form.  It is to be indicated on the information request form that the applicant shall provide written verification of the request for the third party information.  If the applicant does not provide the information or the verification that the information was requested by the date on the information request form, the application shall be denied on the following work day.

1)         Third party information is defined as information that must be provided by someone other than the applicant.  An authorized representative or person applying on another's behalf is not a third party, but is treated as if he were the applicant.

2)         The Department shall advise clients of the need to provide written verification of third party information requests and the consequences of failing to provide that verification.

3)         If the applicant requests an extension, either verbally or in writing, in order to obtain third party information and provides written verification of the request for the third party information such as a copy of the request that was sent to the third party, an extension of 90 days from the date of application shall be granted.  The first day of the 90-day period is the calendar day following the date of application.  The 90th day must be a work day.

4)         If an applicant's attempt to obtain third party information is unsuccessful, upon the applicant's request the Department will assist in securing evidence to support the client's eligibility for assistance.

(Source:  Amended at 38 Ill. Reg. 4441, effective January 29, 2014)