Providing Information and Writing NOAs

Providing Information on the NOA

Message Content

Since the Notice of Action (NOA) is intended to communicate to the person receiving it, the message must be clear, understandable, and focused on the person and family. The NOA provides important information related to the family's aid and must address the client's own unique situation and circumstances.

Meet the Client’s Needs

The NOA must answer the question, “What does the recipient need to know and be able to do as a result of the communication?”

• The client needs to know and understand what is happening to the family's aid.
• The client needs enough information to be able to judge whether or not the action is correct—including the detail of computations affecting the amount of aid.
• The client must be informed of what facts were used and how they were used so that they can make an informed decision on whether or not to request corrective action or to appeal the action.

Complete & Adequate Information

Notices must be complete if they are to be adequate. Keep in mind that even though the action may have been explained in person to the client, the notice itself must still state all of the required information. The verbal explanation is not a substitute for adequate written notice.

 

Important: When CalSAWS-generated NOAs with manual variables are sent to the Distributed Documents Search page, the Eligibility Worker (EW) must enter the manual variables for the notice to be considered complete. If the EW manually alters a CalSAWS-generated notice (e.g., adds information or strikes out information), a copy of the altered NOA must be Imaged.

Writing the NOA

Clear and Simple Statements

The focus in writing a NOA is not only on what information the client needs but how the information is provided. The primary emphasis must be on providing the information in a way that can be understood. Every effort must be made to express the information on the notice clearly and simply. The following guidelines may be helpful:

• Use relatively short, direct sentences.
• Use simple English.
• Avoid Program jargon.
• Avoid abbreviations.
• Provide sufficient explanation of complicated issues.
• Be clear.
• Use computations where appropriate.

Addressing Multiple Issues

Multiple issues may be described on the NOA in certain instances.

• The actions must be related and of the same nature. For example, a grant decrease and grant discontinuance would not be provided on the same NOA. Nor would a discontinuance for non-receipt of a SAR 7 be included with a property discontinuance. However, two property issues could be written on the same notice.
• All actions on the same notice must have the same effective date.
• The wording must be clear and not squeezed on the page.

 

Important: Whenever the EW knows there is more than one reason for denial or discontinuance, all appropriate NOAs must be sent.

Required Items

State and Federal regulations require that certain items be present in each NOA written.

• The recipient must be informed of what action is intended and when it is to be effective (e.g., “Your cash grant will be changed from $400 to $330, effective July 1st" or “Your application dated July 26th, has been denied.”)
• The reason for the action must be given. When the reason for the action is complicated or difficult to explain, the following approach must be used.
  • The Rule:
    • Tell the recipient the rule that you are applying. In other words, clearly state the essence of the regulation that applies.
  • The Circumstances:
    • Apply the circumstances of the recipient to the rule.

Example 1Example 1

Example 2Example 2

Change Notice

Another type of “reason for the action” occurs when a change in the aid payment results from a change in a computation—as when the amount of income changes. In this case, rather than using the above guidelines for explaining the reason, the emphasis is placed on stating clearly what has changed (e.g., source of income) and then showing in detail how the new aid amount was computed.

Computation

The computation, shown clearly and completely, provides an adequate explanation. On computer-printed NOA's, general headings (e.g., Unearned Income) are used in the budget to minimize the number of printed lines. When this occurs, the type of income included must be explained.

Manual Section Cited

The State Manual sections that apply to the action must be cited. The general section number may be given. However, whenever possible, the specific regulation must be cited.

Example 3Example 3

Re-establish Eligibility

The NOA must explain what information or action, if any, is needed to re-establish eligibility or determine the correct amount of aid.

Back of the Notice

The back of the NOA form explains:

• The client's right to request a state hearing on the action.
• Aid paid pending (if applicable) and other related information.

Checklist

The following checklist can be used to test the adequacy of a hand-issued NOA. Though individual elements of the notice can be tested with the questions below, the ultimate test is whether the notice as a whole clearly provides the client with the information required as described above.

• Effective date shown?
• Description of the action complete?
• Amount of the aid payment shown?
• Rule/reason for the action given?
• Basis in State regulations described? Cited?
• The family's circumstances that caused action shown?
• All pertinent computations provided in adequate detail and specifically identified with the persons to whom they pertain?
• Statement of what information is needed to reestablish eligibility or determine the correct amount of aid (when pertinent)?
• Denials and discontinuances: Standard child support, family planning statements, etc., provided?
• Entire notice complete with adequate detail?
• Language clear, understandable, and free from jargon?

Related Topics

Notices of Action (NOAs) Overview