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Expected to Work/Barriers to Full Employment Policy & Procedures

Published Date: July 27, 2012
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15 Administrative Procedures

File Closures

INTENT

To ensure information about a client’s circumstances leading to file closure is recorded. To ensure that each month files, in which no benefits were issued for that month, are closed.

POLICY

The closure date is always the last date of the month in which the client received Income Support (IS) benefits (e.g., if the client’s last benefit was issued for September, the effective closure date is September 30).

If a cheque is cancelled and no further benefits are issued, the file remains active on the system until the end of the month for which the cancelled payment was issued. The file is then system closed.

The Supervisor mediates and resolves any closure concerns that may occur between the worker and career and employment consultant. The Supervisor should approve file closures based on non-compliance or non-financial reasons.

PROCEDURES

Closure Due to Non-Compliance
The worker determines whether a client’s file will be closed because of the client’s non-compliance. After the decision is made, the worker:

  1. Notifies the client of the closure and advises the client of their right to appeal, and informs them about the appeal process and time limits for appeal.

     

  2. Enters the circumstances leading to file closure in Mobius Notes.

     

  3. Ensures the Release Cheque flag is N on CRC Processing function 5.

     

  4. Places Alert Code 23 Non-Compliance on CCD.

     

  5. Informs any other worker involved with the file.

Closure Due to Non-Financial Reasons
When the worker has reason to terminate IS benefits for non-financial reasons other than non-compliance (e.g., lack of documents), the worker:

  1. Normally gives the client 30 days written notice and advises the client of their right to appeal, and informs them about the appeal process and time limits for appeal.

     

  2. Enters the circumstances leading to file closure in Mobius Notes.

     

  3. Ensures the Release Cheque flag is N on CRC Processing function 5.

     

  4. Informs any other workers involved with the file.

Closure Reason Codes

16 System Closure: entered by system for all system closures.

17 Duplicate File on CCD: a duplicate file was registered on CCD and opened on LISA; do not use unless instructed by Headquarters staff.

18 Manual Closure by Worker: the worker has closed the file manually because a System Closure could not occur.

System Closures
LISA automatically closes the following files on or about the tenth of every month when:

  • No benefits for the previous month have been issued,
  • There are no unapproved handwritten payments,
  • There are no PIM (Permanent Interface Module) fatals,
  • The application or reopen date is before the last day of the previous calendar month,
  • The client file status is not Waiting, and
  • There was no “activity” on the client file during the 24 hours prior to system closure. Activity is defined as:

    • changing information on the Client File and then pressing Enter or
    • entering a date in CRC Processing and then pressing Enter.

The worker must not create any unnecessary activity on the file to prevent a system closure.

Entering comments on the CRC screen does not prevent a system closure.

Active Cases Report
After system closures are completed the worker receives a monthly SSR 04 Active Cases Where No Payment Made report. This report lists all active files where no benefits have been issued.

The worker reviews the report and determines the reason for no system closure. If the client File Status is Waiting the worker completes the necessary actions and either issues benefits or manually closes the file.

Manual Closures
The worker must manually close files which missed system closures and for which benefits are not being issued. The worker:

  1. Ensures the manual completion of the recovery letter EMP 2562 Outstanding Debt to Government of Alberta if the client has an outstanding balance.

     

  2. Uses Close File function 13 to close the appropriate clients. When the system defaults the closure date and Closure Reason Code, 18 Manual Closure, saves the information by pressing Enter.

Note
Closure reason 17 Duplicate File on CCD is only used if advised by HQ.

After File Closures
All files closed by LISA and the worker are listed on the SSR 01 Closures Report. The IT Site Contact prints the report monthly and distributes it by caseload to the worker.

The worker reviews the SSR 01 Closures Report and completes any outstanding work on files which are listed on the report.

Unit Administrative Support
The Unit AS staff:

  1. Pulls all files listed on the SSR 01 Closures Report.

     

  2. Prints a copy of the EMP 2562 Outstanding Debt to Government of Alberta for files which have an outstanding recovery and mails it to the client.

     

  3. Files the EMP 2427 LISA Update on Section 1 of the client’s file.

     

  4. Forwards closed files to the Records Room.

Records Room
The AS staff responsible for the Records Room:

  1. Receives the closed files from the unit(s).
  2. Pulls other volumes, if applicable.
  3. Attaches colour coded labels by year.
  4. Files closed files alphabetically, separate from active files where space permits.