Subject: RE: TSA FORMULA PROPOSED UPDATES FW: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures
From: Maddalena Honorati <[email-masked]>
To: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>
Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>, Roberto Claudio Sormani <[email-masked]>, Lela Ghongadze <[email-masked]>, Tea Gvaramadze <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 12:43:25 +0000

Dear Tamila,

Many thanks, we’ll prepare accordingly. Regards,

Maddalena

From: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>

Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 1:33 PM

To: Maddalena Honorati <[email-masked]>

Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>; Roberto Claudio Sormani <[email-masked]>; Lela Ghongadze <[email-masked]>; Tea Gvaramadze <[email-masked]>

Subject: RE: TSA FORMULA PROPOSED UPDATES FW: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

[External]

Dear Maddalena,

Tuesday May 5th 4:00 PM is acceptable for us.  Department of Social Protection and SSA team will attend the meeting and we would appreciate a translation.

Lela,  can you please contact Tea Gvaramadze (cc’ed) to get contact info of attendees from our side.

Thank you,

Tamila

From: Maddalena Honorati [mailto:[email-masked]]

Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2020 12:35 PM

To: Tamar Barkalaia

Cc: Tamar Gabunia; Roberto Claudio Sormani; Lela Ghongadze

Subject: TSA FORMULA PROPOSED UPDATES FW: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

Dear Tamila,

This is to follow up on the day/time for us to present the preliminary findings of the update of the TSA PMT scoring formula and proposed changes.

Friday May 1st  at 4PM Tbilisi time  or after

Tuesday May 5th at 4PM Tbilisi time  or after

Wednesday May 6th at 4PM Tbilisi time  or after

Or any day after

We’d like to extend the invitation to your technical teams, the department of social protection and SSA, following your guidance.

Lela will be helping setting up the webex coordinates and booking a translator as needed.

We look forward to hearing from you on the preferred day/time.

Maddalena

From: Maddalena Honorati

Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2020 8:35 AM

To: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>

Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>; Roberto Claudio Sormani <[email-masked]>; Alicia C. Marguerie <[email-masked]>;
Lela Ghongadze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked]

Subject: RE: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

Dear Tamila,

Many thanks for confirming.

On the presentation on the proposed revision to the PMT formula, we would propose end of next week either Thursday or Friday if ok with you, after the negotiations of the project.

Regards and thanks again

Maddalena

From: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>

Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 12:35 PM

To: Maddalena Honorati <[email-masked]>

Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>; Roberto Claudio Sormani <[email-masked]>; Alicia C. Marguerie <[email-masked]>;
Lela Ghongadze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked]

Subject: Re: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

[External]

Dear Maddalena,

Regarding answer to Point 2: yes, its done on monthly basis.

I will be joining the meeting at 6pm today and we can schedule a separate meeting for next Monday any time after 4pm.

Best regards,

Tamila

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2020, at 13:24, Maddalena Honorati <[email-masked]> wrote:

Dear Tamila,

Many thanks for your answers and clarifications, very much appreciated.

Regarding your answer to point 2  :

In the following months, based on the information received from various administrative bodies on a monthly basis during the administration process, deaths, intersections,
revenues, vehicles, and real estate is  verified. Based on this information, the Agency is authorized to make a decision to suspend, terminate, re-verify the subsistence allowance, etc.

How often does the  LEPL Social Services Agency receives monthly information about the income of individuals from the LEPL Revenue Service (as well as with other administrative databases)  to
cross verify any change in formal labor income? Is it on a monthly basis?

We understand from Nino Moroshkina you would be available to meet today at 6 PM Tbilisi time with the all project team. We will then send the webex coordinates. This will be again about the
emergency project details.

The meeting on the proposed changes to the PMT is a separate one, for which we would be available next week. Please advise on the best day/time for you and your team to attend.

Warm regards

Maddalena

From: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>

Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 4:54 PM

To: Maddalena Honorati <[email-masked]>

Cc: Tamar Gabunia <[email-masked]>; Roberto Claudio Sormani <[email-masked]>; Alicia C. Marguerie <[email-masked]>;
Lela Ghongadze <[email-masked]>

Subject: RE: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

[External]

Dear Maddalena,

Please find the answers to your questions bellow in
red.  I am available for the phone call tomorrow at 13:00 Tbilisi time or later at your convenience.  During phone call I would also like to clarify Section 2: Social protection component
objectives as described in preliminary SEP sent by you.

Looking forwards to your response.

Kind regards,

Tamila

From: Maddalena Honorati [mailto:[email-masked]]

Sent: Monday, April 20, 2020 1:26 PM

To: Tamar Barkalaia

Cc: Tamar Gabunia; Roberto Claudio Sormani; Alicia C. Marguerie; Lela Ghongadze

Subject: Few clarification questions on the TSA scoring formula and verification procedures

Dear Tamila,

I hope this email finds you well.

We would like to ask you and your technical team few additional clarification questions related to the update of the PMT score and, more broadly, the TSA system. Answers to the questions will inform both the emergency project under preparation
and our analytical work on the PMT update.

Regarding this last work on the proposed changes in the PMT formula, we would be ready to present our findings next week (this week we are finalizing the project package). We understand you are very busy, hence
please suggest a day and time for us to present our findings and to receive your feedback and we will accommodate accordingly.

In one of our phone calls, you informed me that there are plans to adapt TSA to the emergency needs of the Covid-19 crisis, most notably by (i) postponing the deadlines for PMT recertification, (ii) relaxation of registration requirements (number of documents
needed) with SSA and (iii) abolishment of home visits. Please kindly confirm whether (i) the above measures have been already adopted, (ii) if yes, through which legislation (amendments) and (iii) whether additional measures related to the TSA were adopted
to simplify implementation processes beyond the 3 listed above (payment for example?), and make them compliant with the stay-home and hygiene requirements imposed by the COVID crisis.

·
All aforementioned changes have been reflected in Government decree #184 of March 23, 2020, “On Establishing Different Rules for Implementation
of Public Services and Administrative Cases in the System of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia”.

We would like to have a better understanding of how PMT scores evolve over time for currently registered households. Our understanding is that some components of the PMT score are updated automatically every month (labor income, electricity expenditures for
example), some other are based on beneficiary declarations (death, birth) while others on the recertification (living conditions of the residence).  Please confirm if (i) our understanding is correct, (ii) which are the household characteristics that are cross-checked
automatically and (iii) how often automatic update happens.

·
When a social agent visits a family, when the declaration is filled out, the declaration reflects the actual situation at a given moment, except for a few components:
How much was the family’s total cash income from the sources listed below in the past 12 months? How much did they pay for utility bills over the past 12 months? The consolidation score is calculated by consolidating this information. In the following months,
based on the information received from various administrative bodies on a monthly basis during the administration process, deaths, intersections, revenues, vehicles, and real estate is  verified. Based on this information, the Agency is authorized to make
a decision to suspend, terminate, re-verify the subsistence allowance, etc. The family itself is obliged to notify SSA in case of addition / withdrawal a family member, crossing the border, buying real estate, etc. Otherwise, the benefit is automatically suspended.
Note:  As per the Government degree #184 of March 23, 2020, the benefits are not suspended regardless of received information by the SSA.

How does SSA cross validate applicants’ self-declaration of income and revenues? Is there usage of recorded transactions, for instance? What components of households’ declared revenues are verified? Are such controls performed periodically on each household;
are they automatic; are they performed on a random sample?

·
The LEPL Social Services Agency receives monthly information about the income of individuals from the LEPL Revenue Service.
The family only provides information on income from private activities and income received over the past 12 months and cross validation of such income is not done.

Concerning the current PMT formula, we note that social assistance transfers enter the revenue index (although with a cap). We are wondering what was the rational for this choice.

·
The subsistence allowance is included in the income, but according to the formula if the family is the recipient of the subsistence allowance that lowers the rating
score, assuming that recipient families are poor.

Still concerning the PMT formula, we notice that only cash revenues from the second last month are considered, and not revenues from the last month before the registration. Would you be able to share some opinions on the rationale for this choice?

·
LEPL Revenue Service has information about second to last month revenues.
Consequently, it cannot provide us with the information of the previous month.

Maddalena, on behalf of the team

Maddalena Honorati

Senior Economist

Social Protection & Labor

T

+1 202 458 1878

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[email-masked]