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Requirement packages

A requirement package is what a program asks a household for: the questions, the documents, and the rules that decide which of them apply. You build one per program for each kind of event.

KindUsed when
ApplicationSomeone applies to a program from the applicant app
Annual recertificationA household's yearly recertification is opened
Interim income changeA household reports a 10% change in income between annual recertifications

Questions​

TypeAnswer
Yes/noOne of two
NumberA whole or decimal number
CurrencyAn amount of money
TextFree text
DateA date
ChoiceOne option from a list you define
Member tableOne row per household member, with columns you define

Rules​

A rule watches one answer and does something when it matches. When an answer is X, a rule can:

  • ask follow-up questions, and/or
  • require a document from the head of household, from each adult, or from the member concerned.

Income rows require documents by income kind, and those requirements come with the package:

Income kindDocuments required
Wages4 recent pay stubs, dated within 60 days
Self-employmentThe tax return and 3 months of bank statements
Social Security or SSIThe current benefit letter

Documents​

Every document requirement has two properties:

PropertyOptionsMeaning
Freshness windowA number of daysHow recent the document must be to count. A pay stub older than its window has to be replaced
Verification levelSelf-certified, or third partyWhether the household's own statement is enough, or whether staff need to confirm it against a source outside the household

Items supplied by the program​

Some items come with the program and are locked: the HUD-9886-A consent and the community service certification, for example. You can reword a locked item so it reads the way your office says it, but you cannot remove it.

Publishing and versions​

Editing a package does not change what anyone sees. Publishing does, and every publish bumps the package's version.

A household keeps the version it started on. An application submitted against version 3 is reviewed against version 3, even if you publish version 4 the next day. New applications and newly opened recertifications get the current version.

Schedule​

Each package has a notice schedule, counted back from the household's effective date. The defaults:

NoticeWhen
First notice120 days before
Reminders60, 30 and 14 days before
Resident deadline30 days before
Rent-change notice30 days before

Which stage each notice moves a recertification to is on the recertification page.