1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; permitting county agencies to obtain information by 
1.3 	phone or written communication to complete MFIP household report forms;
1.4 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256J.30, subdivision 8.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256J.30, subdivision 8, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subd. 8.Late MFIP household report forms. (a) Paragraphs (b) to (e) apply to the 
1.8 	reporting requirements in subdivision 7.
1.9 	(b) When the county agency receives an incomplete MFIP household report form, the 
1.10 	county agency must immediately return the incomplete form and clearly state what the 
1.11 	caregiver must do for the form to be complete contact the caregiver by phone or in writing 
1.12 	to acquire the necessary information to complete the form.
1.13 	(c) The automated eligibility system must send a notice of proposed termination of 
1.14 	assistance to the assistance unit if a complete MFIP household report form is not received 
1.15 	by a county agency. The automated notice must be mailed to the caregiver by approximately 
1.16 	the 16th of the month. When a caregiver submits an incomplete form on or after the date a 
1.17 	notice of proposed termination has been sent, the termination is valid unless the caregiver 
1.18 	submits a complete form before the end of the month.
1.19 	(d) An assistance unit required to submit an MFIP household report form is considered 
1.20 	to have continued its application for assistance if a complete MFIP household report form 
1.21 	is received within a calendar month after the month in which the form was due and assistance 
1.22 	shall be paid for the period beginning with the first day of that calendar month.
2.1 	(e) A county agency must allow good cause exemptions from the reporting requirements 
2.2 	under subdivision 5 when any of the following factors cause a caregiver to fail to provide 
2.3 	the county agency with a completed MFIP household report form before the end of the 
2.4 	month in which the form is due:
2.5 	(1) an employer delays completion of employment verification;
2.6 	(2) a county agency does not help a caregiver complete the MFIP household report form 
2.7 	when the caregiver asks for help;
2.8 	(3) a caregiver does not receive an MFIP household report form due to mistake on the 
2.9 	part of the department or the county agency or due to a reported change in address;
2.10 	(4) a caregiver is ill, or physically or mentally incapacitated; or
2.11 	(5) some other circumstance occurs that a caregiver could not avoid with reasonable 
2.12 	care which prevents the caregiver from providing a completed MFIP household report form 
2.13 	before the end of the month in which the form is due.