Calhoun County DHS was the first location to pilot the program, which expanded to Barry, Eaton and Ingham counties for final pilot testing. The first wave rolled out in Western Areas in March. Genesee and Kent counties will convert in Wave 2 on April 21. The Northern Area will convert in Wave 3 on May 19. The Eastern Area, including Oakland County, will convert in June and Macomb and Wayne counties will be the final stage of the conversion in August.

Clients using Bridges will notice several changes, including the following:

• Your recipient ID number will remain the same but your case number will change.
• Initial applications interviews may take longer; however, determining eligibility and benefits will be shorter.
• The date you receive your benefits may change. The new date will be based on the last digit of your recipient ID number. A new schedule will be mailed to you.
• Notices mailed to you will look different. Most of them will be a half-fold and mailed in a 6x9 envelope. Most forms will have your specialist's name, phone and fax numbers, and email address.
• Program redeterminations will be different. You will receive a redetermination packet in the middle of the month before it is due. A two-page form, DHS-1010, will tell you what verifications to include.
• You will receive a single notice of all case actions instead of separate notices for each program.

If you have any questions about this transition and how you may be affected, please contact your DHS specialist in the county office where you submitted your application.