Clients submit Fee Assistance Applications to the appropriate facility manager, who assesses its completeness.
Fee Assistance Applications can be submitted to the facility directly via email.
If a client turns in an application while the facility manager is absent:
1. Staff puts the application in a sealed envelope and sets the envelope on the facility manager’s desk for review.
And
2. The bottom of the “Fee Assistance Program Information” sheet serves as a receipt for the applicant to show when and where they submitted their paperwork. A staff member signs the receipt with their name, the date, and the facility’s information, then returns it to the client for their personal records.
- The application has not been approved or even formally received, and they may receive a call or email requesting additional documents. Expect the process to take at least three weeks.
- Incomplete applications will not be reviewed, and there will be a processing delay if it is incomplete.
- The application must be verified as complete by the facility manager before any partial-payment registrations can be done.
- All information submitted will be kept in the strictest confidence.
You must update PARKS DIRECT to include a notation on the Household that a Fee Assistance application is pending. Update the tickler code of the household, accessed from several places.
1. Sign in to PARKS DIRECT, open Global Sales, and locate the client's household. Once you have it, highlight their household on the datagrid and select the Change Household button on the bottom left. PARKS DIRECT will open the Household Update prompt.
2. Select the Misc Info tab.
3. Update the Tickler Code box by typing in "FEE." PARKS DIRECT will suggest the code when you start typing.
4. Select the Financial Info tab. Ensure the checkbox next to Require Full Payment is left unchecked so the client may partially pay their balances.
5. Select Save on the Household Update prompt's bottom left to save your changes.
Before giving the application a full review, the facility manager's first step is to determine if it contains all required elements.
Going through all four sections, confirm that each criterion is met:
Section 1:
- All required application fields are populated.
- All family members listed exist as family members on the main contact’s account and have proper age verification documented.
- Applicant has attached a photocopy of their current residency verification document.
- Applicant has provided one of the following options:
- An IRS Return Transcript for the allowable tax years (see Appendix D) that includes all family members, or:
- Two IRS Return Transcripts (if applicant and spouse did not file together) representing all family members, or:
- A Verification of Non-Filing for self and both a Verification of Non-Filing and a proof of relationship for all other family members not represented on a tax return transcript.
Section 2: If “No” is checked, Supplement Form #2 is attached along with a supplemental document.
Section 3: If “No” is checked, Supplement Form #3 is attached along with a supplemental document.
Section 4: Certification is signed.
You may accept IRS Tax Return Transcripts from two tax years prior until June 30th of the current year. Starting July 1st of the current year, only transcripts from the previous tax year are accepted.
The facility manager will do a more thorough review of the application later. However, if all of these conditions are met, the manager can notify the client via email or phone that the application is now pending and the tickler code has been updated for the household (see Update PARKS DIRECT for a pending application above).