Energy Assistance Program

1. Energy Assistance Program FFY20 Annual Training eHEAT Next Generation; Identity & Income Verification

2. eHEAT Next Generation Andy Smialek Minnesota IT Services

3. eHEAT Next Generation Topics • Introduction • Expected benefits • EAP Process • Timeline • Sneak Peek • Q&A

4. eHEAT Next Generation Expected Benefits • Improve customer service • Enable SP staff to strengthen relationships and work more effectively with high need households • Improve program compliance and integrity

5. eHEAT Next Generation Expected Benefits • Improve customer service by: • Reducing time from request for service to delivery of service • Reducing local SP costs for application processing • Reducing the burden on HH to submit documentation (e.g., income/identity verification) • Improving user friendliness & accessibility to program services • Improving communication between households and SPs

6. eHEAT Next Generation Expected Benefits • Enable SP staff to strengthen relationships and work more effectively with high need HHs by: • Identifying HHs in need • Improving methods of SP communication with HHs (e.g., online status, email) • Enabling SPs more time for effective case management • Improving application workflow for SPs

7. eHEAT Next Generation Expected Benefits • Improve program compliance and integrity by: • Improving auditability and traceability • Enabling more effective budget management • Improving data accuracy • Improving data and system security • Improving user access management • Improving person identification

8. eHEAT Next Generation EAP Process - Current EAP Process – eHEAT Next Generation Income Verification Identity Verification Online Application

9. eHEAT Next Generation EAP Process • Impacts to EAP HHs • Ease of access • 24/7 • Option for paper or online application

10. eHEAT Next Generation EAP Process • Impacts to EAP SPs • HHs submitting online applications 24/7 • HH vs SP staff complete data entry • Re-deploy resources to high need HHs • SP staff may provide support • HH App linked to correct SP by address • Data from Social Security Administration (SSA) for identity verification • Data from Dept. of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) for wage & unemployment insurance verification • Centralized ERR payments – similar to Primary Heat and Crisis

11. eHEAT Next Generation Timeline

12. eHEAT Next Generation Timeline • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) • 5 UAT phases throughout development • Commerce EAP staff complete UAT first • SP subject matter experts (SME) complete UAT next • UAT Phases 1 and 2 complete • UAT Phase 3 in Nov & Dec 2019 (existing eHEAT recreated)

13. eHEAT Next Generation Timeline • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) - SP SME • AEOA – Mary Heilman • CAP-HC – Feleshia Edwards • CAPRW – Kevin Adams • CAPRW – Mary Lor • Mahube-OTWA – Janice Renner • Fond du Lac – Joan Markon • Lutheran Social Services – Judy Steinke • Prairie Five – Nora Guerra • Three Rivers – Lynette Engelhardt Stott • West Central – Mandy Braaten

14. eHEAT Next Generation Timeline • Using a tiered release • First release: Commerce & SP component • Second Release: Data Feeds and new functionality • Third Release: online application for HHs • Implementing software when it’s best for EAP • Anticipated release dates in Spring 2020

15. eHEAT Next Generation Timeline • Providing comprehensive training & support • Training and support for all stakeholders is critical to eHEAT Next Gen’s success • Commerce is committed to providing high quality training for eHEAT Next Gen’s end-users • Continue providing eHEAT Next Gen updates at MinnCAP, at EACA, in The Energizer

16. eHEAT Next Generation Sneak Peek

17. eHEAT Next Generation

18. eHEAT Next Generation

19. eHEAT Next Generation

20. eHEAT Next Generation

21. eHEAT Next Generation

22. eHEAT Next Generation

23. eHEAT Next Generation

24. Identity & Income Verification Jon Brown Minnesota Energy Assistance Program

25. Identity & Income Verification Jon Brown

26. Identity & Income Verification Identity Verification • Federal statute requires EAP to verify personal identity • Starting in FFY20 SSNs are required for all HH members • Exceptions require alternative documentation • Examples • Eligible non-citizens • Children under one year old • SAH participants • Religious exemption

27. Identity & Income Verification Social Security Administration (SSA) • eHEAT Next Generation will get data from SSA to verify EAP HH members’ identity • eHEAT sends file to SSA nightly • File consists of First and Last Name, Date of Birth, and SSN • SSA returns file verifying the accuracy of each of those items • Typically a 24-48 hour process • SSA does not return verification on weekends or holidays • Does not necessarily return all requests in same batch

28. Identity & Income Verification Social Security Administration (SSA) • Verified info becomes SSA data • SSN is own classification of data privacy • Strict rules governing SSA data • SSA verified data cannot be shared with anyone including HH • Only ask the questions to determine whether or not the info originally entered is correct

29. Identity & Income Verification Social Security Administration (SSA) • If SSN rejected: • Check that info was entered correctly • Contact HH for follow up • Identify discrepancies and update info in system and resend • May need to refer applicant to SSA for further follow-up • Possible A16 activity

30. Identity & Income Verification Social Security Administration (SSA) • A lot of unknowns at this point • Policy changes and manual updates will be required • Will keep SPs informed • May need to make changes mid-year • SSA interface will not be available at start of FFY20 • SSNs will still be required on FFY20 app even though we won’t have access to SSA on 10/1 • We may have access near the end of FFY20 and will be verifying SSNs at that point

31. Identity & Income Verification Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) • eHEAT Next Generation will obtain wage and unemployment compensation data from DEED • Connection will be real-time • Requires SSA verified SSN to query DEED • Not all wage income will be covered • Out of state employment • Church and other religious organizations • Self-employed/Sole proprietor • US government – including military • Some railroad jobs

32. Identity & Income Verification DEED • HHs without SSN required to provide income info by traditional method • Example - SAH or non-citizens • Non-wage income needs to be provided by HH • Timeframe of DEED wage data • Employers submit wage data quarterly • Submitted by last day of the month following quarter end • Could result in wage data being 6 months old

33. Identity & Income Verification DEED

34. Identity & Income Verification DEED • Decrease of income • New question on app • Has household member(s) income decreased in the past 3 months?  Yes  No If yes, whose • HH members must indicate change prior to app approval • Valid reasons: • Seasonal work • Loss of employment with or without UI • Reduction in employment • Temporary increase in the relevant DEED database months – Must submit recent 3-month documentation for same employers

35. Identity & Income Verification DEED • Decrease of income cont’d • Verification • Employer statement: signed or over phone • Signed affidavit from applicant (have a form outlining info required and what they are attesting to) • More recent wage info from same employer as matched in DEED database • Do VIE when documented income below threshold • Increase of income • We will not make changes if HH income has recently increased

36. Identity & Income Verification DEED • Crisis situations • Pay stubs can be provided in lieu of DEED documentation in valid Crisis, regardless of change in situation status • Use SSN verification unless life-threatening emergency • Crisis response begins once eligibility is determined • Life-threatening is considered imminent loss of heat or no heat • Verification still happens • If HH is not verified and approved, follow overpayment recovery procedures