Initiating Application

Initiating Application. A. Subgrantees must receive the pre-application from Virtual ROMA and schedule the applicant an appointment. Appointments booked in IT Front Desk or other scheduling system must be entered in Virtual ROMA daily. (Please view the Virtual ROMA user manual on scheduling appointments) B. If an applicant does not complete a pre-application (regardless of reason), the subgrantee must complete the pre-application during the application process. A manual appointment must be made for the applicant by the subgrantee and the appointment should be documented in Virtual ROMA after the pre-application has been completed. C. Under no circumstance should an applicant be denied services because the applicant has not completed a pre-application. The subgrantee must assist the applicant with completing a pre-application. D. Paper Applications are prohibited, unless in case of a computer system failure or natural/manmade disasters. The subgrantee’s Executive Director or appointee must submit a request in writing to the Director of the Division of Community Services for approval to take paper applications. Once the emergency situation is over, the paper applications must be entered into Virtual ROMA within two (2) business days, unless additional time is requested and approved. The subgrantee’s Executive Director must submit a letter to confirm all paper applications have been entered. Otherwise, any paper applications taken may result in questioned or disallowed cost. E. The caseworker must complete the application in the Virtual ROMA system. If the applicant submits the requested information, the caseworker must give the applicant a Pending Notification of Services form (PNOS) which states the status of the application and amount of benefits the applicant may receive upon supervisory approval. This form must be generated through Virtual ROMA and signed and dated by both the applicant and caseworker. Subgrantees must provide the PNOS notice (written or email) to applicants regarding the status of their application within seventy-two (72) hours of the appointment date. In emergency cases, notification must occur within 18 hours (life threatening) or 48 hours (non-life threatening) once the application is in waiting on approval status. F. If the applicant does not have all the required documentation, the caseworker must complete as many screens as possible up to the allocation screen in Virtual ROMA. The caseworker will not allocate after this point. A Request for Additional Information (RFAI) form must be generated through Virtual ROMA and signed and dated by both the applicant and the case worker. A copy must be given to the applicant, and a follow-up appointment must be given to complete the application process if necessary. Applicants may submit information electronically; therefore, the subgrantee must provide an email address to the applicant. The caseworker must explain the documentation needed and the 10-calendar day timeframe to return the information. If the applicant does not return the information timely, the application must be denied, and Notification of Services (NOS) form should be sent by mail or email by the case worker and uploaded to Virtual ROMA.