Certification Periods

Certification Periods. A. Households must certify each eligible household for a set period of time for the longest possible period of time based on the predicted household circumstances. B. Households with all adult members elderly or disabled will be certified for up to 24 months. (contact must be made with each household every 12 months). C. Households residing on a reservation will be certified for up to 24 months. D. Certification Period Length: Households should be assigned a certification period of at least 6 months unless the household contains an Able-Bodied Adult without Dependents (ABAWD) or whose circumstances are unstable. Households with zero net income or with an ABAWD member will have a certification period no less than 3 months. Households will be assigned a 1 or 2 month certification period when it appears that the household will become ineligible in the near future. E. Shortening Certification Periods: MDHS may not end a certification period earlier than expected unless MDHS receives information that the household has become ineligible, has failed to comply with the required change reporting or due to receiving substantial lottery or gambling winnings. Loss of public assistance or a change in employment status is not sufficient in and of itself to shorten a certification period. F. Lengthening Certification Periods: Once established, certification periods may be lengthened so long as the total months of certification do not exceed 24 months for all elderly or disabled households or 12 months for other households. Households must be advised in writing if MDHS extends a household’s certification period.