The AMR helps the person and the person’s family move from dependence on a cash grant to family economic security. Many of the activities listed on the AMR are program requirements, which means the person may be penalized for not completing these activities.
The following activities are mandatory:
Completing and signing the AMR, unless there is good cause for not doing so.
Cooperating with requirements related to seeking child/spousal support or establishing good cause. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 131.
Complying with RESET requirements, unless the person is exempt or has good cause for not complying. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 135.
Complying with the terms of probation or parole or an approved payment plan for fines and costs.
Participating in an available drug and alcohol treatment program if it is determined that substance abuse is a barrier to employment, even if drug and alcohol abuse is a secondary diagnosis.
NOTE: This requirement is for TANF recipients who were not convicted of a felony drug offense after August 22, 1996, that was related to the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance.
Complying with a drug and alcohol assessment after approval for Cash Assistance benefits, if an assessment is required. The determination that a drug and alcohol assessment is required is made at the time of the AMR completion. The determination is based on the person’s statement, current participation in a treatment program, or other substantial evidence. A referral is not required for persons who are not in treatment, who state that they do not have a current drug problem, and for whom the CAO has no other evidence. The person must comply with drug and alcohol treatment if treatment is necessary, available, and appropriate, unless there is good cause for not doing so. The CAO does not decide whether treatment is necessary, available, and appropriate. The person must comply with the cash requirement unless he or she is exempt or has good cause.
62 P.S. 405.1 62 P.S. 405.3(a)(7)
NOTE: This requirement is for TANF persons convicted of a felony offense occurring after August 22, 1996, related to the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance.
The CAO must do the following:
Complete the Confidential Drug and Alcohol Referral/Treatment Information form (PA 1672).
Have the person sign the form and the Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Personal Information (HS 1815). Both forms are available on Docushare.
Send the signed PA 1672, with the appropriate CAO sections completed, to the treatment center. The treatment center completes designated sections on the form and must return it to the CAO within 30 days of the referral date.
If the CAO does not receive the completed PA 1672 within 30 days, it must do the following:
For Community Connections Initiative (CCI) counties: Make a referral to CCI. If CCI does not contact the CAO within 45 days about the referral results, the CAO may send an Advance Notice to close.
For non-CCI counties: Contact the person. After three tries to contact the person, the CAO may send an Advance Notice to close. The CAO must try to reach the person at different times on different days and narrate the details of these attempts.
If the PA 1672 says that treatment is necessary, available, and appropriate, the CAO must: do the following
Monitor the person’s progress.
Document continued participation.
Contact the treatment center quarterly using any of the following:
Send a PA 1672.
Collateral contact with treatment center via phone.
Collateral contact with treatment center via written statement.
Request a copy of the official attendance record from the director or professional case management staff of the program.
Other acceptable documentation to verify continued participation.
Enter notes on telephone contacts in the case comments.
Scan all forms into the imaging repository and attach to case record.
NOTE: The treatment center may advise the CAO if treatment is ended early, but it is not required to tell the CAO about the person’s status. It is the CAO’s responsibility to make sure the person’s progress continues to be monitored.
The person is ineligible for benefits if he or she does not participate in or comply with necessary, available, and appropriate treatment without good cause. The CAO does not decide whether treatment is necessary, available, and appropriate.
If child care is needed, use normal policy and procedures to authorize child care payments for the hours when the person is at assessment and treatment. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 138. Record the discussion and CAO action on the AMR. It is no longer necessary for a person to sign the Immunization Certification (PA 1695). Applicants or recipients signing the AMR for participation in Cash Assistance programs are confirming that they are responsible to keep up with their children’s immunizations. Signing the AMR satisfies child care requirements of 55 Pa. Code §§ 168.17 and 168.51.
Record in the appropriate block on the AMR all mandatory activities related to the following:
Child support requirements.
RESET requirements.
Participation in drug and alcohol treatment.
Compliance with probation or parole terms or an approved plan for payment of fines and costs.
NOTE: For instructions on completing the AMR, see Section 107.6.
Many of these mandatory activities and penalties for noncompliance are listed on page 4 of the AMR. Explain the penalties and good cause provision to the person when the AMR is completed. Both the caseworker and the applicant or recipient must initial and date this page, verifying that the person received and acknowledged information about penalties, mandatory activities, good cause, and the right to appeal.
The person and the caseworker may also identify activities that may support the person’s efforts to become economically secure. These activities may address overall family goals and needs or remove barriers to aid in this process. Examples of voluntary activities include the following:
Contacting the high school guidance department about a child’s poor performance.
Making and keeping appointments to have children immunized.
Contacting the local service agency for counseling.
A child under age 18 who has not earned a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) must attend an educational program or activity leading to a high school diploma or GED.
An applicant or recipient under age 18 is a mandatory RESET participant if he or she is not in an educational program or activity leading to a high school diploma or GED, such as attending a high school, a cyber charter school, or a GED program. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 135, Section 135.33.
An AMR must be completed with the child under age 18 and signed by the parent or caretaker when the child does not meet the criteria in Section 107.2 for signing the AMR.
The AMR must list the teen’s responsibility to fulfill the work or work-related activity requirement by participating in one or more of the following:
Education leading to a high school diploma or GED.
An approved work activity; or
30 hours per week of work.
A teen who, without good cause, willfully fails to comply with the requirement as listed on the AMR may be sanctioned for noncompliance. See Cash Assistance Handbook Chapter 135, Section 135.72.
Updated November 27, 2019, Replacing October 28, 2015