MTW LSS Program
HACC is a Moving to Work agency and as such has implemented a mandatory Local Self-Sufficiency Program (LSS).
This program requires participation in self-sufficiency activities as a condition of eligibility and continued occupancy for all HACC Residents and Housing Choice Voucher Participants.
All able-bodied individuals age 18 through 54 must be employed 25 hours or more per week or be enrolled on a full-time basis (as defined by the institution) in an educational program that offers a degree or certificate. Elderly and disabled individuals are exempt from this requirement. Household members enrolled in an educational program must demonstrate successful progress towards the degree or certificate. Progress shall be defined as successfully completing 75% of all required course work on an annual basis.
The head of the household is required to develop a self-sufficiency plan that identifies goals and objectives for each household member required to participate in the Mandatory LSS Program and is held accountable for progress of all household members. You are required to report to your LSS Case Manager, any changes in your self-sufficiency plan.
Effective January 1, 2016, non-exempt households shall be limited to a maximum housing assistance term not to exceed eight years. Households may not designate an alternate head of household for the purpose of extending term limits. All adult household members shall be subject to the applicable term limit for the household.
Effective July 1, 2018, a financial incentive will be provided for households who remain fully compliant with the LSS Program during an applicable calendar year. These households will earn $2,000 if they remain fully compliant from January 1 through December 31 of each year.
A partial credit of $1,000 will be provided for the remainder of 2018 if fully compliance from July 1, 2018 through December 31, 12018. No subsequent partial credits will be provided; no credit will be earned if any member of the household was non-compliant for any time during the 12-month calendar period. The annual credits will accrue and will only be paid upon voluntary exit from the program(s) in good standing or upon expiration of the 8-year term limit.
All credits will be forfeited for any household that is terminated from the program for cause or ports to another jurisdiction for any reason. Individuals who lose employment more than once, for any reason other than a reduction in force, shall be required to enroll, attend and complete a job retention program as directed by their LSS Case Manager.
For more information on the LSS Program requirements, contact the LSS Department.
LSS Requirement – Work requirements shall be based on annual earned income. The minimum earned income for compliance with the work requirement shall be based on the years in which the household has received assistance. Each year, the earned income requirement will increase to prepare individuals for exit from assistance at the end of the 8-year term limit. The income tiers shall be based on percent of the area median income for Champaign County. The chart below reflects the earned income requirements for 2020.
Under the Moving to Work Program, recertification requirements are different based on your household.
If everyone in your household is elderly (age 55 or older) or disabled, you will be recertified every three years, even if the elderly or disabled persons are working.
If all adult members in your household are compliant with the MTW Self-Sufficiency requirements, you will be recertified every three years. This means that everyone over the age of 18 must be working at least 25 hours or more per week. If you have children age 18 and older, they can also be enrolled in an educational program that leads to a degree if you are working at least 25 hours per week.
If you fall into one of the above two categories, you are not required to report any changes in income.
No interim recertifications are required and your rent will not change regardless of whether income increases or decreases.
If you do not fall into the categories above, you will be recertified at least one time each year.
You will be notified when it is time for you to be recertified. The letter will instruct you to go to the website to get the paperwork needed for the recertification. Click here to go to the Forms Page.
If you have any questions, contact your Property Manager or the Housing Choice Voucher office for assistance.
Annual re-certification will be conducted for all households in which there is earned income or miscellaneous variable income. Earned income is income derived from employment, unemployment or self-employment; variable income includes township payments, child support, alimony, foster care payments, regular cash and non-cash contributions and welfare payments. Earned income and miscellaneous variable income may vary significantly from year to year.
Changes in Family Composition – Program participants are required to report all changes in household composition between regular re-certification. This includes additions due to birth, adoption or court-awarded custody. The family must obtain HACC approval prior to adding a household member for any reason other than a birth.
HACC will generally approve all changes in family composition that are the result of legal action: marriage, adoption, courts awarded custody, or other formal proceedings provided any adult member added to the household meets the criminal background screening for eligibility. The family must provide HACC with the legal documentation of the action that resulted in an additional member in the household.
HACC will consider approval of other additions to the household only if:
- The family can provide justification why the individual will reside in the assisted household;
- The addition of the new household member(s) does not require an increase in the voucher size of the family;
- Any adult individual meets eligibility criteria including the criminal background screening criteria and all MTW criteria; and,
- Any adult individual was not previously a member of the assisted household that was removed by the head of household and approved by HACC.
When HACC approves the addition of a household member, HACC will conduct a re-examination to determine any new income with the additional family member, and to make appropriate adjustments in the family share of the rent and the HAP payment said changes will become effective at the next re-certification. Requests to remove a member from the assisted household will only be approved when the member meets the criteria for permanently absent (absent for more than 90 consecutive days). The effective date of a re-certification for removal of household members will be the effective date of the next re-certification after HACC’s approval.
Zero Income Households – If a family reports zero income at the time of the regular re-certification and later obtains an income, an interim certification will be conducted.
3 Section 11 Re-Certifications (January 2015).
Changes in Income – If the household has an increase in income from any source which is more than $200.00 per month, it must be reported, and an interim re-certification will be conducted. If HACC considered fluctuations of income at the time of the annual re-certification based on the 12 months prior to the annual re-certification, an interim re-certification will not be completed. Only persons with a disability are eligible for earned income disallowance (EID).
Changes in rent for interim re-certification will become effective as follows:
Decrease in participant payment will be effective the first of the month following the month in which the change was reported, for example if a change was reported during the month of October the effective date would be November 1st. Retroactive adjustments will be processed if the rent processing procedure has already occurred prior to a report of change in income.
Increase in participant payment will become effective the first of the month after a full 30 day notice, for example if a change was reported during the month of October the effective date would be December 1st.
Regular re-certifications will be conducted every three years for households in which there is no earned income. Unearned income is income derived from benefits (Social Security, welfare, pensions or other fixed regular payments). Unearned income has minimal variation from year to year.