Inactive and Dormant Accounts

Inactive Account

An inactive account is defined as an account that has 135 consecutive days of NO ACTIVITY, excluding deposits made by the county. When the client has not used his/her account for 135 days, the following occurs:

1. The FIS:
   1. Generates a “CA/EBT System - Inactive/Dormant/Expunged Report.” This information is transferred into CalSAWS.
   2. CalSAWS automatically generates a “Cash Aid EBT Dormant Account - 135 days” (M16-120A) and/or a “CalFresh Notice of Action - EBT Account” (TEMP NA 1232) to notify the client that his/her cash/CalFresh account has had no activity for over 135 days.
2. The EW:
   1. No further action is necessary at this point. If the client’s whereabouts are unknown, the EW may possibly receive some other indication and act on that information. After 180 days of no activity, FIS generates another report and places the account in a “Dormant” status. The procedures in the Dormant Account section below must be followed.

Dormant Account

A dormant account is defined as an account that has 180 consecutive days of NO ACTIVITY, excluding deposits made by the County. When the client has not used his/her account for 180 days, FIS will change the status of the account to “dormant.” This means the client will NOT be able to access benefits until he/she contacts an EW. The following procedures must be followed when a client’s account is placed in a dormant status:

1. The FIS:
   1. Places the client’s account in a dormant status.
   2. Generates a “CA/EBT System - Inactive/Dormant/Expunged Report.” This information is transferred to CalSAWS.
   3. CalSAWS automatically generates a “Cash Aid EBT Dormant Account - 180 days” (M16-120B) and/or a “CalFresh Notice of Action - EBT Account” (TEMP NA 1232) to notify the client that his/her cash/CalFresh account has had no activity for over 180 days and his/her access has been suspended.
2. The EW:

If the client...	Then the EW must...
Responds to the Notice of Action,	Act appropriately on the information the client provides. Reactivate the account by completing an “Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) On-Line Request” (SCD 2201) indicating that the account needs to be reactivated and submit it to the DOFC.
Does NOT respond to the Notice of Action,	Follow current procedures for cash and/or CalFresh to discontinue the case for whereabouts unknown, if the client cannot be contacted.

4. The DOFC:
   1. Receives SCD 2201 request to activate dormant account, if applicable.
   2. Processes the request to activate the dormant account via CalSAWS.
   3. Scans the completed SCD 2201 into Imaging.If the account status code for cash/food stamps is...

Dormant Status When No Longer Receiving Aid

The account will go dormant if the client goes off of aid and accesses all of his/her benefits, leaving no benefits in the account. When issuing Expedited Services and/or an Immediate Need, the EW must determine if the client has ever received benefits via EBT. If the client has received benefits via EBT in the past, the EW must review the Inquire on Case Data from EBT window in CalSAWS.

If the account status code for cash/food stamps is...	Then the EW...
“2- Closed/Inactive	Must complete an SCD 2201, indicating that the account needs to be reactivated.
“1” - Active	Does not have to reactivate the account.

ExampleExample

Reactivating a Dormant Account on a Closed Case

FIS is NOT able to reactivate dormant accounts. When a client calls to reactivate a dormant account on a case no longer active, the case is referred to the EWS of the unit where the case was closed. The following steps must be taken to reactivate the account:

• Obtain information from the client to identify him/herself.
• Review the Inquire on Case Data from EBT window to ensure the account is not active.
• Complete an “Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) On-Line Request” (SCD 2201) requesting reactivation of the dormant account, and submit the SCD 2201 to the DOFC.

The DOFC will then reactivate the account via CalSAWS and have the completed SCD 2201 scanned into Imaging.

Expunged Benefits

When an account has 365 consecutive days of inactivity, benefits are “expunged” (removed) from the account. This means that the benefits are credited back to the State. When expungement occurs, FIS generates a “CA/EBT System - Inactive/Dormant/Expunged Report.” This information is transferred to CalSAWS which produces 3 reports (MRC074R - “Expunged Account Report by Program”, MRC048 “Expunged Account Report by CalFresh and Case Number,” and MRC057 “Expunged Account Report by Cash Program and Case Number.”

These reports are available through CalSAWS and are used by Benefit Issuance staff for reconciliation and claiming purposes. CalSAWS will automatically generate and send an “Expunged Benefits - 365 days” Notice of Action (CSN03 for CalFresh/CSN04 for Cash) to the client. The Expunged status is available in the Benefit Issuance History.

Offsetting an Overissuance With Expunged Benefits

CalFresh

When CalFresh benefits are expunged and an overissuance has a remaining claim balance that has not been fully recouped, the amount expunged must be used to reduce the overissuance, and the claim balance readjusted. CalSAWS will use expunged CalFresh benefits to offset existing CalFresh claims. If there is no overissuance to offset, once CalFresh benefits are expunged, the client loses those benefits and they cannot be replaced.

Cash Benefits

When cash aid benefits are expunged, those benefits can be reissued. The client has a right to claim these cash benefits at any time in the future. When a client requests to be paid expunged cash benefits, the EW assigned the task can reissue the benefits via EBT, warrant or EFT, as appropriate.

To reissue expunged benefits the EW must:

• Rerun EDBC for the month(s) for which EBT benefits were expunged,
• Reevaluate eligibility for the expunged month(s),
• Choose the issuance method, and
• Authorize the benefits.

Note: When cash aid benefits are expunged, the amount expunged is NOT used to offset an existing overpayment unless the client signs a repayment agreement.

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