MFIP:
Caregivers with children must help pursue child and spousal support and child care support (if they receive child care assistance), unless they have good cause for not cooperating. See 0012.21.03 (Support From Non-Custodial Parents). Caregivers may request good cause at any time by completing the Cooperation With Child Support (DHS-2338) (PDF). Good cause is automatically approved upon completion of the (DHS-2338) if a caregiver is a current participant in the Safe at Home (SAH) program. See 0029.29 (Safe At Home Program).

Caregivers with children who do not cooperate with the child support office are subject to sanction. See 0012.24 (Child Support Sanctions). Caregivers who are subject to sanction and then request good cause are eligible while their good cause request is pending. Do not impose a sanction unless a request is denied. If the caregiver appeals a good cause request denial, the caregiver is eligible while the appeal is pending. Do not impose a sanction while awaiting an appeal decision.


INFORMING ABOUT GOOD CAUSE
Use the Cooperation With Child Support (DHS-2338) (PDF) to tell clients of their right to request good cause and the procedure for determining if good cause exists. This notice is required at the time of initial application and any time caregivers add children. Recipients of assistance can request good cause at any time during the receipt of assistance. Put a copy of the signed notice in the case file.

Good cause exists when:

●	The caregiver is a current participant in the Safe at Home Program. If a caregiver is in the Safe at Home program and requests a good cause exemption, the good cause exemption is automatically approved for any of the non-custodial parents the caregiver requests a good cause exemption for.
●	The mother conceived the child as a result of rape or incest.
●	Legal proceedings for the adoption of the child are pending.
●	The parent is trying to decide whether to keep or give the child up for adoption. The parent must be working with a public or licensed private social service agency and the decision process cannot exceed 3 months.
●	Cooperation will cause physical or emotional harm to the child.
●	Cooperation will cause physical or emotional harm to the child’s caregiver, which will reduce the caregiver’s ability to adequately care for the child.

Physical and emotional harm must be of a serious nature in order to justify a finding of good cause exemption. A finding of good cause exemption based on emotional harm may only be based upon a demonstration of emotional impairment that substantially affects the person’s ability to function. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

A good cause redetermination is required when an MFIP caregiver has been sanctioned for 6 months. See 0012.24 (Child Support Sanctions).
When a client files a good cause request, send a copy of the Cooperation With Child Support (DHS-2338) (PDF) to the child support agency.


GOOD CAUSE COMMITTEE
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) requires county agencies to form a county good cause committee with representatives from public assistance and at least 1 representative from the child support services agency. DCYF encourages county agencies to add representatives from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Child Care Assistance program (CCAP), and the Health Care programs, to ensure that each area is represented.

●	Tribal Nation agencies may have good cause committees, but their procedures can differ. When a participant also receives Tribal TANF, the Tribal and county agencies make a joint decision. If there is disagreement, the Tribal agency’s decision prevails.

The only change that counties are allowed to make to the DHS forms mentioned in this section is the letterhead and salutation. In some counties, the assistance program case worker may send these documents instead of the good cause committee.

The good cause committee should make decisions within 45 days. Caregivers are given various time frames to respond based on the information requested. If the caregiver requests additional time to submit documentation, the good cause committee should grant the extra time if it appears that the caregiver is cooperating and is trying to obtain the information. Good cause committees must assist caregivers in gathering documentation and pay necessary costs, if requested.


WHEN GOOD CAUSE IS REQUESTED
If an applicant requests good cause, the good cause committee will contact the caregiver by sending the Important Information about Your Request for a Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3627) (PDF) and the Notice of Privacy Practices (DHS-3979) (PDF). The Important Information about Your Request for a Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3627) (PDF) tells the caregiver about the good cause request process, what kind of documentation is acceptable to prove the request, and what will happen next. The good cause committee must mail this letter within 5 working days of the good cause committee’s receipt of the request. The good cause committee will send one letter per good cause request, or per non-custodial parent (NCP).

In some instances when a caregiver has more than one child in common with the NCP, the caregiver may want to request a good cause exemption for only one child. Complete a separate panel for the child named on the good cause request. The child support office will open a separate case for the child with the good cause request.

The caregiver is asked to provide proof of good cause within 20 days of receipt of the Important Information about Your Request for a Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3627) (PDF). See 0010 (Verification), 0010.18.33 (Verifying Family Violence). Inform the good cause committee if information has already been provided to substantiate a request of family violence. If the caregiver is a current participant in the Safe at Home (SAH) program no further proof is required. If program enrollment is unclear, workers can contact SAH with the lot number to confirm it is still active before removing any SAH addresses or denying an exemption for this reason. See 0029.29 (Safe At Home Program).

One type of documentation listed on the Important Information about Your Request for a Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3627) (PDF) that the caregiver can submit is a sworn statement from someone other than the person requesting good cause who can attest to the caregiver’s request.

To be considered a sworn statement, the statement must either:

●	Include, “I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct” and then their signature including the date and the county and state where the document was signed.
	OR
●	Be notarized

If a caregiver includes a statement in their good cause request in addition to other supporting documentation, the caregiver’s request does not have to be a sworn statement. If the caregiver’s statement is the only form of documentation submitted, it is required to be a sworn statement.

The good cause committee may receive statements from individuals other than the caregiver that are not considered sworn statements. Because state statute does not limit the documentation which can be considered, the good cause committee should use its discretion to determine how to use the statement in combination with other documentation.

GOOD CAUSE REQUEST ON AN OPEN PROGRAM STOPS ALL ACTION ON NCP CASE
The child support agency will not begin activity to pursue support or establish paternity while a good cause request is pending or when there is an approved good cause request in place under any open program. When a child support case is already open and active, the child support agency will stop all child support services actions on the case, including income withholding. A good cause approval or pending request affects the entire child support case for that NCP (child support, child care support, and medical support portions of the order), regardless of what assistance is received by the caregiver.


WHEN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO PROVE GOOD CAUSE REQUESTS
The good cause committee may need more documentation to make a decision on a good cause request. The good cause committee will send the Request for Additional Information to Prove Your Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3632) (PDF) to the caregiver, which gives examples of the kinds of additional documentation the caregiver needs to provide. The Notice of Privacy Practices (DHS-3979) (PDF) must be sent with the Request for Additional Information to Prove Your Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3632) (PDF). The good cause committee will allow the caregiver an additional 20 days to send in the information. If there is a specific piece or type of documentation the good cause committee wants the caregiver to provide, it is entered on the “Other” line under the heading of “What You Must Provide”.

The good cause committee evaluates the request based on the documentation provided.

Some caregivers may not have additional documentation. For example, if the caregiver has not had contact with the NCP because of a restraining order, there may not be any contact to report. In these situations a written statement from the caregiver or a sworn statement from someone else is acceptable documentation to help prove that a good cause exemption is appropriate.


GOOD CAUSE REQUEST IS APPROVED
The good cause committee will send the caregiver the Notice of Child Support Good Cause Approval (DHS-3629) (PDF) when they determine the caregiver is exempt from the requirement to cooperate with the child support agency. The Notice of Child Support Good Cause Approval (DHS-3629) (PDF) tells the caregiver that the good cause committee has approved the request for good cause exemption, what will happen to the child support case for the child, and that the approval is approved for 1 year.

If good cause is approved, the child support agency must review the child support case for closure during the approval period.


GOOD CAUSE REQUEST IS DENIED
The good cause committee will send the Notice of Denial of Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3628) (PDF) to the caregiver when they deny the good cause request. A good cause request can be denied at the time of the original request for it or at the time of annual redetermination. The denial notice tells the caregiver that the request is denied and why. It also lists the caregiver’s options now that the request is denied. The options are to:

●	Request a conference with the good cause committee to resolve the issues that led to the denial of the good cause request. The caregiver must make a request for a conference within 30 days of receiving the notice of denial of child support good cause exemption. The good cause committee schedules this conference and can hold it in person or by phone. The conference may lead the good cause committee to review the materials again and to make a different decision on the request.
●	Appeal the good cause decision. The Appeal to State Agency (DHS-0033) (PDF) provides instructions on how to file an appeal of the decision and provides information on how to continue receiving benefits during the appeal period.
●	Cooperate with pursuing child support services.
●	Incur a sanction for non-cooperation. See 0012.24 (Child Support Sanctions).
●	Close their case.

REDETERMINATION OF APPROVED GOOD CAUSE REQUESTS
The good cause committee must redetermine good cause approvals annually to determine whether the reasons for originally granting good cause exemptions still exist. The good cause committee will send the Notice of Child Support Good Cause Redetermination (DHS-3630) (PDF) and the Notice of Privacy Practices (DHS-3979) (PDF) to the caregiver at least 30 days before the 1 year redetermination date. The Notice of Child Support Good Cause Redetermination (DHS-3630) (PDF) tells the caregiver that it is time to redetermine the good cause exemption, if additional or new documentation is needed, and what to do if the caregiver does not have additional or new documentation. The good cause committee should include the Request to End Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3631) (PDF) with the Notice of Child Support Good Cause Redetermination (DHS-3630) (PDF).

If a caregiver with a good cause exemption moves to another county within the year, the redetermination date for the good cause exemption remains 1 year from the date the exemption was approved. The documentation and documentation supporting a good cause request submitted to a good cause committee may be shared with another good cause committee for the purpose of determining or redetermining good cause.

The good cause committee may redetermine an approval before the 1 year good cause exemption is up if there is reason to believe that the facts that led to the exemption have changed.

The good cause redetermination date might not be the same as the MFIP recertification date.

The good cause committee will send the Notice of Approval of Redetermination of Your Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3633) (PDF) when it has approved the good cause exemption for another year. This notice gives the caregiver the date the good cause committee will redetermine the exemption again and tells the caregiver what needs to be done if the caregiver no longer wants to request a good cause exemption.

When the factors that led to the original exemption continue to exist, a good cause exemption must be approved without additional documentation under succeeding applications and redeterminations during the approval period.


PERMANENT GOOD CAUSE AND REDETERMINATIONS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE NEW DOCUMENTATION
In some situations granting a permanent good cause exemption is appropriate. Some situations are designated as a permanent good cause exemption due to circumstances that usually will not change and for which additional documentation is not necessary or possible. For example, a good cause exemption initially granted because the child was conceived as a result of rape or incest,.

The good cause committee still must schedule the case for annual redetermination, but it will not send the Notice of Child Support Good Cause Redetermination (DHS-3630) (PDF). Instead, the good cause committee will send the Notice of Approval of Redetermination of Your Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3633) (PDF). This notice reminds the caregiver that good cause is approved for 1 year, and gives information on how to end the good cause exemption if the caregiver now wants child support services.


CAREGIVER REQUESTS TO END GOOD CAUSE EXEMPTION
A caregiver may withdraw a request for good cause at any time during the process or at any time during the approval period, including at the time of the good cause redetermination. Caregivers must request a withdrawal in writing by completing the Request to End Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3631) (PDF) and returning it to the good cause committee or their MFIP worker. When the good cause committee receives the Request to End Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3631) (PDF) they should forward it to the MFIP worker and the child support office. When the MFIP worker receives the form they must:

●	Notify the child support office through the MAXIS interface by changing the good cause code in the system. They may also forward a copy of the notice to the county child support office.
	AND
●	Notify the good cause committee that approved the good cause request.

After receiving the Request to End Child Support Good Cause Exemption (DHS-3631) (PDF), the child support office must enforce an existing support obligation or establish a support obligation as if a good cause exemption never existed.


SNAP, MSA, GA, HSP:
No provisions.