~Extending Eligibility Determination
Introduction
As stated in Section 102(6) of the Rehabilitation Act:
The designated State unit shall determine whether an individual is eligible for vocational rehabilitation services under this title within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 60 days, after the individual has submitted an application for the services unless
(A) exceptional and unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the designated State unit preclude making an eligibility determination within 60 days and the designated State unit and the individual agree to a specific extension of time;
The following details the steps to take when extending the time frame for determining eligibility.
Step 1
Obtain the Agreement for Extending Time Frame for Making an Eligibility Determination form.
Step 2
Complete the form.
Step 3
Have applicant or the applicant’s representative sign and date the form.
Step 4
Complete a case note indicating the reason for the extension. Also, indicate the Extension date.
Step 5
Give completed form and case note information to support staff.
Entering Eligibility Extension Information into eFORCE
Support staff will enter eligibility extension information into eFORCE and file the signed statement in the applicant’s case file. The following details the steps to enter this information into eFORCE.
Step 1
Open the applicant’s record in eFORCE.
Step 2
Choose the Case Number link under the Case History heading.
Step 3
Choose the Eligibility link in the Navigation bar.
Step 4
Enter the extension date in the Extension Date field at the top of the page. Then, choose the Submit button.
Step 5
Choose the Case Notes link in the Navigation bar.
Step 6
Choose the New Case Note button.
Step 7
On the Case Eligibility page, choose the New Case Note link.
A blank case note page will open in a new window.
Step 8
In the Date field, enter the date entered into the Extension Date field on the Case Eligibility screen.
Step 9
In the Author field, enter the counselor’s first name and initial of last name.
Step 10
Enter “Eligibility Extended” in the Subject field.
Step 11
Enter the eligibility extension note into the Narrative field.
Step 12
Check the Client Contacted check box.
Step 13
Choose the Spell Check button.
The text from the case note fields will be copied into Microsoft Word.
If spelling errors are found, the Spelling dialog box will prompt you to choose a correction or ignore the word.
If no errors are found, a dialog box will indicate that “Spellchecking has been completed.” Choose the OK button to return to the case note window.
Step 14
Choose the Submit button.
The case note window will close. The case notes page will open. The eligibility extended case note will appear in the case note list.
Step 15
File the signed Agreement for Extending Time Frame for Making an Eligibility Determination form in the applicant’s paper case file.
