1. (a)

   1. (1)

      1. (A) If a check has not been returned to the Office of Finance within ten (10) days of the check issue date, and the payee states he or she has not received the check, the county office will complete section A of Form DHS-80, Claim of Lost, Stolen, and/or Forged Assistance Warrant/Check, and issue to the payee at the time the report is received.
      2. (B) The county office will fully explain the purpose and ensure completion of all sections of the form.
      3. (C) The payee will be responsible for completion of sections B and C.
      4. (D) Section B will be completed by a member of an appropriate local law enforcement agency.
      5. (E) Section C will be completed by the payee in the presence of a notary public.
   2. (2) Form DCO-1461, Surety Bond for Reissuing Checks, will also be issued to the payee to be returned to the county office with the Form DHS-80.

   3. (3) Note.

      1. (A)

2. (i) If there is a notary public in the county office, all sections of the forms relative to notary public may be completed while the payee is in the office.

   1. (ii) The payee will still be required to have section B of Form DHS-80 completed as stated on the form.

      1. (B) For completion of Form DCO-1461, the payee must have the individual who will act as surety present during the visit.

3. (b) Forms DHS-80 and DCO-1461 along with a cover memo will be forwarded to the Office of Finance, Accounts Payable Unit, Slot W-406, no later than the next working day following submission from the payee.

   1. (c)
   2. (1) If the payee cannot secure a surety, no replacement will be made.

   3. (2) Representatives of the Department of Human Services will not act as a surety for a payee.

      1. (d)
   4. (1) Upon receipt of the Form DHS-80 and Form DCO-1461, the Office of Finance will determine if all necessary information has been submitted.
   5. (2) If the forms are not completed correctly or are incomplete, the Office of Finance will return the forms to the county office for necessary action.

4. (e)

   1. (1) Upon receipt of the original completed Lost, Stolen, and/or Forged Check forms from the county office (by mail only), the Office of Finance will verify the status of the check.
   2. (2) If the check has not been returned or cashed, Accounts Payable will initiate a stop payment if the check is fifteen dollars ($15.00) or over.
   3. (3) A stop payment action will not be made for checks that are less than fifteen dollars ($15.00), but such checks will be canceled on the system by the Office of Finance.
   4. (4) Canceled checks issued through AASIS of less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) will be reissued by the county office once the Check Register screen shows that the status code has been changed to “X” indicating the check has been canceled on the system by the Office of Finance.
   5. (5) The county office will inform the payee to return the original check if it is received.

   6. (6) Note.

      1. (A) The Office of Finance will reissue checks of fifteen dollars ($15.00) or more.
      2. (B) See subsection (g) of this section.

5. (f)

   1. (1) If the Office of Finance verifies the check has already been cashed and cleared the bank, a copy of the canceled check will be sent to the county office with a cover memo requesting the worker to contact the payee to determine the status of the check.
   2. (2) If the payee reports not receiving the check or states that the signature does not belong to him or her, the county office will notify the Office of Finance to continue processing the replacement check.
6. (g) The Office of Finance will reissue a replacement check to the payee within seven (7) working days from the date the completed forms are received.

7. (h)

   1. (1) If the original check is later found or returned to the payee, he or she is required to return the check immediately to the county office.

   2. (2) The county office will:

      1. (A) Accept the check from the payee;
      2. (B) Write “void” across the check; and
      3. (C) Forward it to Office of Finance, Accounts Payable Unit, Slot W-406, along with a cover memo explaining the circumstances.
   3. (3) All identifying information, e.g., payee, casehead if different, check number, etc., will be included in the memo.
   4. (4) A copy of both the memo and the voided check will be retained in the county office.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: “10/15/97”