The Trainer
HANDLING HOUSEHOLDS' UNANTICIPATED MEDICAL EXPENSES; PREVENTING UNAUTHORIZED MOVE-INS
In this month's feature, we discussed how to calculate the unanticipated medical expenses of households who request an increase in their medical expense allowance before their next recertification. If their medical expenses have exceeded the allowance you gave them, HUD requires you to verify these expenses with the health care providers and other health care facilities, before you increase their medical expense allowance.
In our article about preventing unauthorized move-ins, we explained how residents' long-term guests can cause problems for you. If HUD discovers you're letting people live at your site without certifying them and not taking their income into account when calculating household rent, you could end up paying the tab for their stays. HUD may require you to reimburse it for overpaid assistance if you fail to follow HUD rules, which say you must certify all members of the household.
TRAINER'S QUIZ
INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the questions below has only one correct answer. On a separate sheet of paper, write down the number of each question, followed by the answer you have chosen—for example, (1) b, (2) a, and so on. The correct answers (with explanations) follow the quiz. Good luck!
QUESTION #1
All households are permitted to claim a deduction for medical expenses that are in excess of 3 percent of their annual gross income. True or false?
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True.
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False.
QUESTION #2
When verifying a household member's estimated medical expenses, you should ask the health care provider to describe the precise nature of the household member's new injuries or illness. True or false?
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True.
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False.
QUESTION #3
You should ask the household member to estimate the date on which he or she first sought treatment for the accident or illness. True or false?
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True.
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False.
QUESTION #4
You should not ask the health care provider to estimate the expenses (and the amounts likely to be reimbursed) of prescription and non-prescription medicine. True or false?
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True.
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False.
QUESTION #5
To discourage households from allowing guests to stay long term—and risk becoming unauthorized occupants in HUD's eyes—your house rules should:
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Ban residents from having overnight guests.
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Charge residents a fee for having guests who stay more than two days.
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Require residents to register the name, address, and proposed length of stay of any guest who stays over a specified length of time.
QUESTION #6
If your house rules require residents' guests to show you proof of residence, which documents shouldn't you accept as proof?
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Utility bills.
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Driver's licenses.
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Leases or mortgage coupons.
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Bank statements.
QUESTION #7
Which of the following statements should not be in your house rules:
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Failure to comply with the guest rules is a lease violation and may result in termination of the lease.
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Any guest staying longer than the house rules permit will automatically be added to the lease as a member of the household.
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Guests who create any nuisance or otherwise disturb other residents at the site will be required to leave the site immediately.
ANSWERS and EXPLANATIONS
QUESTION #1
Correct answer: b
False. Only households in which the head, spouse, or co-head is at least 62 years old or is a person with disabilities may claim a medical expense allowance.
QUESTION #2
Correct answer: b
False. Ask the health care provider to give only the information you need to recalculate the household's medical expenses—that is, estimates of the expenses related to treating the household member's new condition and of the amounts likely to be reimbursed.
QUESTION #3
Correct answer: a
True. It's very important that the verification source understand that you're asking for only the medical expenses incurred because of the unanticipated event, and only to the extent that the household incurs them during a specific period of time before their next recertification.
QUESTION #4
Correct answer: b
False. You should ask for estimates of the costs (and likely reimbursement) of: services of physicians or other health care professionals; charges of health care facilities; medical products, equipment, or supplies; and prescription and non-prescription medicines.
QUESTION #5
Correct answer: c
Set a short but reasonable time limit for requiring registration. Knowing that guests are at the site helps you keep track of the length of their stays and helps you prevent them from becoming residents without your knowledge. And by registering them, you will also know their identities, in case they cause trouble while at the site.
QUESTION #6
Correct answer: b
Driver's licenses, passports, and tax returns are examples of documents that may contain out-of-date information.
QUESTION #7
Correct answer: b
Instead, make it clear that a guest who moves into a household's unit must be qualified to live at the site and, if qualified, will trigger a recertification and recalculation of the household's rent. For example, your house rules could state that to stay longer than the guest rules permit, the guest must apply and qualify for residence at the site. If that guest then meets the site's eligibility and selection criteria, the household must recertify with the guest as a new member of the household. The guest will then be considered a member of the household, and the rent will be adjusted accordingly.