122:5-2-03 Program and fiscal requirements.

 

 

 

122:5-2-03                   Program and fiscal requirements.

 

 

 

(A)  Each designated community action agency shall:

 

(1)   Annually apply for C.S.B.G. funds through submission of a program plan and budget which, upon approval by the office of community assistanceservices, shall become part of a grant agreement between the Ohio development services agencydepartment of development, office of community assistanceservices, and the designated community action agency. The program shall include activities which provide a range of services and opportunities having a measurable and potentially major impact on the causes of poverty in the community or those areas of the community where poverty is a particularly acute problem, including, but not limited to:

 

(a)     Providing  activities  designed  to  assist  low-income  persons,  including elderly and handicapped low-income persons, to:

 

(i)       Secure  and  maintain  meaningful  employment,  training,  work experience, and unsubsidized employment;

 

(ii)   Attain an adequate education;

 

(iii)   Make better use of available income;

 

(iv)      Obtain  and  maintain  adequate  housing  and  a  suitable  living environment;

 

(v)      Obtain emergency assistance through loans or grants to meet immediate and urgent individual and family needs, including the need for health services, nutritious food, housing, and employment-related assistance;

 

(vi)     Remove obstacles and solve personal and family problems that block the achievement of self-sufficiency;

 

(vii)   Achieve greater participation in the affairs of the community;

 

(viii)    Undertake family planning, consistent with personal and family goals and religious and moral convictions; and

 

(ix)        Obtain   energy    assistance,    conservation,    and              weatherization services.

 

 

 

(b)     Providing, on an emergency basis, supplies and services, nutritious foodstuffs, and related services necessary to counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition among low-income persons;

(c)   Coordinating and establishing links between government and other social services programs to assure the effective delivery of services to low-income individuals;

(d)   Providing child care services, nutrition and health services, transportation services, alcoholism and narcotic addiction prevention and rehabilitation services, youth development services, and community services to elderly and handicapped persons; and

(e)     Encouraging entities in the private sector to participate in efforts to ameliorate poverty in the community.

(2)     Prepare and submit periodic program and fiscal reports, as required, to the office of community servicesassistance at the following address: "Office of Community AssistanceServices, Ohio Development Services AgencyDepartment of Development, P.O. Box 1001, Columbus, Ohio, 43216-1001." The required reports shall be submitted according to the instructions and schedule provided by the office of community assistanceservices. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements may result in either the withholding of funds by the office of community assistanceservices or the suspension or termination of operations. The office of community assistanceservices shall provide all required report forms with instructions and forward them to all designated community action agencies. Required program and fiscal reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a)   A monthly "Fiscal and Financial Reimbursement Request";

(b)   A quarterly "Progress Review Report"; and

(c)   An "Annual Performance Report."

(3)   Submit certification by a certified public accountant that the accounting system to be used is generally acceptable and in conformity with all federal and state guidelines.

(B)  Persons at or below one hundred twenty-five per cent of the official poverty line shall

be eligible for all services provided to program participants by designated community action agencies with C.S.B.G. program funds. For purposes of determining income eligibility for all activities funded in whole or part by C.S.B.G. program funds:

(1)   "Income" shall include:

(a)   Wages and salaries before deductions;

(b)      Self-employment  receipts  and  income  less  operating  expenses  and deductions;

(c)   Social security benefits;

(d)  Alimony and child support;

(e)   Dividends and interest;

(f)  Rents and royalties;

(g)   Income from estates and trusts;

(h)   Unemployment benefits;

(i)   Workers' compensation;

(j)   Strike benefits;

(k)   Veterans' benefits;

(l)   Training stipends;

(m)   Government and private pensions; and

(n)   Insurance benefits and annuities; but

(2)   The following are excluded from income:

(a)   Assets from bank withdrawals;

(b)   Sales of property and exchanges of resources;

(c)   Tax refunds and rebates;

(d)  Gifts;

(e)   One-time insurance payments;

(f)  Lump-sum compensation for injury;

(g)   Food stamps;

(h)    Assistance payments from state political subdivisions and Indian tribes (i.e., aid to dependent children, general relief, adult emergency assistance, family emergency assistance);

(i)   Resources from grants;

(j)   Scholarships, fellowships, and educational loans;

(k)   Work expenses of the blind;

(l)    Handicapped income required for an approved program of self support; and

(m)   Black lung disability payments.

(3)    The period to be used in determining annual income must not be more than twelve months nor less than the ninety-day period preceding the request for assistance by the individual applicant;

(4)   The income of all members of each family unit residing in the same residence must be included in determining the income eligibility; and

(5)     Proof of income eligibility or self-declaration is required of all applicants applying for assistance as follows:

(a)     When the applicant applies for any service provided by the C.S.B.G. provider, the applicant must sign a self-declaration statement indicating

its annual income and the income of any other members of the family unit;

(b)   The C.S.B.G. provider must make a reasonable number of spot checks of family units to verify income given in the self-declaration statements. In making the spot checks, the C.S.B.G. provider should contact appropriate sources, such as employers, local departments of human services, the social security administration, or other appropriate sources to obtain written documentation. This documentation should  be attached to the self-declaration statement; and

(c)   The self-declaration statement should contain a "Certification and Waiver of Privacy Rights" statement. The applicant shall be informed that the

C.S.B.G. provider will check to verify the information on the self-declaration statement, and that by signing the "Certification and Waiver of Privacy Rights" statement the applicant authorizes the release of confidential information for income verification purposes.

Effective:                                                             09/02/2016

Five Year Review (FYR) Dates:                         06/16/2016 and 09/02/2021

CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Certification

08/22/2016

Date

Promulgated Under:                           119.03

Statutory Authority:                           122.68(E)

Rule Amplifies:                                  122.68, 122.69, 122.70

Prior Effective Dates:                         3/21/85, 10/10/84