Intake Interview Business Process

Telephonic Signature (TS) Intake Interview Process

Who Action
Clerical
Intake EW

Scheduling the Interview:

  • Receives Intake Task.
  •  Attempts to make telephone contact to schedule an intake interview.

    • Important: The applicant has the option to have an in-person appointment if the applicant requests one.

If... Then...
The applicant answers the call, 
  • Offer an on-demand interview appointment or schedule the interview at a mutually agreed-upon time within processing time frames for CW and/or CF.
  • Ensure the appointment is scheduled in CalSAWS. 
  • Document in the case Journal Detail page that the applicant was notified of the agreed-upon interview appointment by phone, or an on-demand appointment was conducted. 
    • Documentation must include the date and time of the scheduled appointment. 
The applicant does not answer the call, 
  • Schedule the interview appointment within processing time frames for CW and/or CF.
    • The county requires applicants to be provided 7 days' notice before a scheduled interview.  

    • Note: If the 7th day falls on a weekend or a holiday, schedule the interview appointment for the next business day.

  • Ensure the appointment is scheduled in CalSAWS. 
  • Document in the case Journal Detail page the date and time of the scheduled appointment and how the applicant was notified of the interview appointment:
    • Voicemail (Do not include PII),
    • Message Media (Do not include PII),
    • BenefitsCal, or 
    • Mailed appointment letter.

      • Note: The GEN 102 and the CF 29A appointment letters are interchangeable for CF-only cases. 

Important: If the applicant calls back, offer an on-demand interview or schedule the interview at a mutually agreed-upon time and complete a journal entry with the appointment outcome. 

 

Note: For policy specific to CalFresh (CF), refer to CF HB Chapter 4 Application; Scheduling Interviews for information related to AB 79.

 

Day of the Interactive Interview:

Important: If the county received the signed CalFresh application, we cannot capture another Telephonic Signature (TS) as that would be considered to require a duplicate signature. Refer to In-Person or Phone (Non-TS) Intake Interview Process. 

 

If the applicant...  Then...
Answers the call, and the TS Interview is conducted,

Day of the TS Interactive Interview continued:

Follow the Interview Script for CW & CF for detailed information on interactive interview verbiage. The Interview Script for CW & CF is located under Scripts in Reference Materials.

  • Click on the assigned Intake Task on the Worklist page.
  • Conduct the interactive intake interview with the applicant(s). Refer to the CalSAWS Job Aid: Change Reason for instruction for Establishing a Change Reason when updating information on the Non-Financial data collection pages.
  • Review for IN/ES eligibility, if applicable.
  • Inform the applicant of the required verifications on specific questions.
  • Record the attestation via eSign in CalSAWS, including any additional required forms. Refer to Chewable Byte CB 2023-43: Telephonic Signature-Non Contact Center for system entries. 
  • Explain the next steps to the client and answers any questions the client may have before concluding the interview.

Note: If, for technical reasons, a TS signature cannot be captured, EW can revert to Non-TS by sending the forms via DocuSign, explaining the R&R verbally, and adding a detailed case journal explaining that the TS interview was unable to be completed due to technical reasons.

After the TS Interactive Interview:

  • In CalSAWS, ensure the attestation is complete by listening to the audio recording and verifying under the Signature History-SAWS 2A SAR status is Received.
    • If the recording is not audible and/or the applicant's attestation is not recorded:
      • Contact the applicant to record their attestation again. The new recording only needs to indicate that R & R's were previously explained and ask the applicant(s) the TS questions again.
        • For situations when the TS was not recorded, follow procedures for mailing the SOF to the applicant for their signature.
  • After the intake interview has been conducted, the completed Statement of Facts (SOF) SAWS 2 Plus must be manually sent to the applicant by the next business day with a self-addressed return envelope.
    • Cover Letter, Notification of Completed Yearly Review (SCD 2403) must be included when mailing SOF. The applicant has 10 days after the interview to review the SOF for corrections or changes.
      • If the applicant has an email address, the SOF and SCD 2403 may be sent via DocuSign as view only, otherwise, the SOF must be printed and mailed to the client with a self-addressed stamped envelope. 

Important: If the applicant submitted a signed application, the interview must still be conducted, but a telephonic signature must not be obtained. Refer to In-Person or Phone (Non-TS) Intake Interview Process. 
Does not answer the call or is unavailable,
  • Make at least three additional attempts to contact the applicant during their scheduled TS Intake Interview time period.
    • If unable to contact the applicant, document in the case Journal Detail page.
  • Indicate in CalSAWS that the applicant was a No-Show for the interview. 
  • Ensure the appropriate NOAs or denial NOAs are sent. Refer to the No-Show Business Process.

Important: The MC application must be processed without an interview. Refer to the No-Show Business Process.
Says they no longer wish to continue and declines to reschedule the TS Phone Interview,
  • Indicate in CalSAWS on the Negative Action Reason page that the client withdrew the application.

Note: Refer to Chewable Byte CB 2023-29: How to Withdraw/Cancel/Terminate an Application for system entries. 

  • Ensure the appropriate NOAs are sent.
  • Document in the case Journal Detail page.
  • Explain to the applicant that they may either apply online, by phone, by mail, or in person in the future.

Important: The MC application must be processed without an interview.
Chooses to do a Face-to-Face interview,
  • Schedule the Face-to-Face interview.
  •  Document in the case Journal Detail page that the applicant requested a Face-to-Face on the day of the scheduled interview.
Needs to stop the interview, but wishes to continue at a later date or time,

 

  • Dispositions case.

 

If Benefits... Then...
Cannot be authorized due to missing verifications,
  • Provide the applicant the Request for Verification (CW 2200) form, indicating the missing verifications and the due date (10 days from the mailing date). If the 10th day falls on a holiday or weekend, the due date is the next business day.
Are denied for failure to provide,
  • Create Failure to provide Task:
    • Category: Manual
    • Type: Failure to provide
    • Due Date: Dependent on program-specific regulation (e.g., 30 days for CW and 60 days from the application date for CF).
Are denied for reasons other than failure to provide (e.g., over income),
  • Ensure CalSAWS auto-generates and sends the correct denial NOA.
Are approved,
  • Ensure benefits have the correct issuance method and EBT card delivery method through the Issuance Method Detail page. Refer to the CalSAWS Job Aid: EBT Clarifications for instructions.
  • Issue benefits as appropriate. 
  • Issue appropriate Notices of Action (NOAs).

 

  • Change the Attendance of interview status to Completed in the Customer Appointment Detail page (If the case contains a CF component, this will prevent a NOMI from being issued erroneously).
  • Mark all outstanding tasks as Completed.
  • Creates a manual task to notify the supervisor that the intake application has been processed and is ready for review. Refer to Chewable Byte CB 2023-12: How to Create Manual Task in CalSAWS for system entries.
    • Program(s): If the application includes multiple programs, create a Transfer Ready Task for a single program using the current Program Hierarchy.
    • Status: Assigned (auto-populated).
    • Category: Manual.
    • Type: Transfer Ready.
    • Due Date: 10 business days or follow the internal workflow.
    • Assign to Program Worker: No.
    • Worker ID: EWS Worker ID.
    • Long Description: Include Program Composition (e.g., Approved MC, Denied MC, Approved CF/MC, Approved MC/Denied CF, etc.).
  •  Process IEVS and MEDS alerts.
  • Complete TOA review for CW cases.
  • Document Intake Interview summary in the CalSAWS Journal Detail page using the Case Narration Tool. The Short Description and body of text must contain the following: 
    • Short Description: [Enter Date of Intake Interview] Intake Interview Summary. 
    • Body of the text: Intake Interview Summary. 
  • Review MEDS and TRAC after two (2) days.
  • Submit TRAC screens to be Imaged into CalSAWS.
  • Update Intake task Status to Closed.
  • Create a manual “Intake Review/Reassignment” task and assigns it to their EW Supervisor.
Eligibility Work Supervisor (EWS)
MA
  • Create daily reports from the Task Bank. 
  • Distribute to clerical. 
Clerical
  •  Reassign the case to the appropriate continuing bank caseload.

 

For In-Person or Phone (Non-TS) Intake Interview Process

Who Action
Clerical
Intake EW

Scheduling the Interview:

  • Receives Intake Task.
  •  Attempts to make telephone contact to schedule an intake interview.

    • Important: The applicant has the option to have an in-person appointment if the applicant requests one.

If... Then...
The applicant answers the call, 
  • Offer an on-demand interview appointment or schedule the interview at a mutually agreed-upon time within processing time frames for CW and/or CF.
  • Ensure the appointment is scheduled in CalSAWS. 
  • Document in the Journal Detail page that the applicant was notified of the agreed-upon interview appointment by phone, or an on-demand appointment was conducted. 
    • Documentation must include the date and time of the scheduled appointment. 
The applicant does not answer the call, 
  • Schedule the interview appointment within processing time frames for CW and/or CF.
    • The county requires applicants to be provided 7 days notice before a scheduled interview.  

    • Note: If the 7th day falls on a weekend or a holiday, schedule the interview appointment for the next business day.

  • Ensure the appointment is scheduled in CalSAWS. 
  • Document in the case Journal Detail page the date and time of the scheduled appointment and how the applicant was notified of the interview appointment:
    • Voicemail (Do not include PII),
    • Message Media (Do not include PII),
    • BenefitsCal, or 
    • Mailed appointment letter.

      • Note: The GEN 102 and the CF 29A appointment letters are interchangeable for CF-only cases. 

Important: If the applicant calls back, offer an on-demand interview or schedule the interview at a mutually agreed-upon time and complete a journal entry with the appointment outcome. 

 

Note: For policy specific to CalFresh (CF), refer to CF HB Chapter 4 Application; Subtopic: Scheduling Interviews for information related to AB 79.

 

Day of the Interactive Interview:

  • Review the case information in CalSAWS through the Case Summary page (Refer to CB 2025-120 How to Generate SAWS 2 Plus With the Correct Case Data).
    • Receives notification that the applicant(s) are in the office and conducts face-to-face interactive interview, or
    • Calls the applicant(s) for an interactive phone interview (e.g., the county has received the applicant's signed application). If conducting a TS Interview, refer to the Telephonic Signature (TS) Intake Process.
  • Click on the assigned Intake Task on the Worklist page.
  • Conduct the interactive intake interview with the applicant(s). Refer to the CalSAWS Job Aid: Change Reason for instructions for Establishing a Change Reason when updating information on the Non-Financial data collection pages.
  • Review for IN/ES eligibility, if applicable.
  • Inform the applicant of the required verifications on specific questions.
  • Play Rights & Responsibilities recording for the applicant, confirms that the applicant understands their Rights & Responsibilities.
  • Ensure signature is captured on application and on any additional required forms.
  • Explain the next steps to the client and answer any questions the client may have before concluding the interview.
  • Disposition case.
If Benefits... Then...
Cannot be authorized due to missing verifications,
  • Provide the applicant the Request for Verification (CW 2200) form, indicating the missing verifications and the due date (10 days from the mailing date). If the 10th day falls on a holiday or weekend, the due date is the next business day.
Are denied for failure to provide,
  • Create Failure to provide Task:
    • Category: Manual
    • Type: Failure to provide
    • Due Date: Dependent on program-specific regulation (e.g., 30 days for CW and 60 days from the application date for CF).
Are denied for reasons other than failure to provide (e.g., over income),
  • Ensure CalSAWS auto-generates and sends the correct denial NOA.
Are approved,
  • Ensure benefits have the correct issuance method and EBT card delivery method through the Issuance Method Detail page. Refer to the CalSAWS Job Aid: EBT Clarifications for instructions.
  • Issue benefits as appropriate. 
  • Issue appropriate Notices of Action (NOAs).

 

  • Change the Attendance of interview status to Completed in the Customer Appointment Detail page (If the case contains a CF component, this will prevent a NOMI from being issued erroneously).
  • Document in the Journal Detail page after the interview, using the Case Narration Tool.
  • Mark all outstanding tasks as Completed.
  • Create a manual Task to notify the supervisor that the intake application has been processed and is ready for review. Refer to Chewable Byte CB 2023-12: How to Create a Manual Task in CalSAWS for systems entries.
    • Program(s): If the application includes multiple programs, create a Transfer Ready Task for a single program using the current Program Hierarchy.
    • Status: Assigned (auto-populated).
    • Category: Manual.
    • Type: Transfer Ready.
    • Due Date: 10 business days or follow the internal workflow.
    • Assign to Program Worker: No.
    • Worker ID: EWS Worker ID.
    • Long Description: Include Program Composition (i.e., Approved MC, Denied MC, Approved CF/MC, Approved MC/Denied CF, etc.)
  • Process IEVS and MEDS alerts.
  • Complete TOA review for CW cases.
  • Document Intake Interview summary in the CalSAWS Journal Detail page using the Case Narration Tool. The Short Description and body of the text must contain the following: 
    • Short Description: [Enter Date of Intake Interview] Intake Interview Summary. 
    • Body of the text: Intake Interview Summary. 
  • Review MEDS and TRAC after two (2) days.
  • Submit TRAC screens to be Imaged into CalSAWS.
  • Update Intake task Status to Closed.
  • Create a manual “Intake Review/Reassignment” task and assigns it to their EW Supervisor.
Eligibility Work Supervisor (EWS)
MA
  • Create daily reports from the Task Bank. 
  • Distribute to clerical. 
Clerical
  • Reassign the case to the appropriate continuing bank caseload.