How to Stay in 'Opt-In' Status and Keep Earning Time Credits (USP Thomson)

Your loved one has to be in

Opt-in begins after completing the needs assessment surveys in TRULINCS. These surveys matter - they help the Bureau identify needs and match programming, and they're directly tied to whether someone can start earning FTCs.

Triggers Opt Out

• ✓ Refusing to complete any of the initial needs assessments in TRULINCS
• ✓ Refusing to participate in needs assessments conducted by BOP employees
• ✓ Declining recommended programming that corresponds to an identified need
• ✓ Refusing to participate in the Financial Responsibility Program (FRP)

All these triggers have the same bottom line: once someone is in opt-out status, earning FSA Time Credits pauses. That pause lasts as long as they remain opted out. The sooner they address the specific trigger - missed assessments, declined programming, or FRP refusal - the sooner they can get back on track.

Opt-out isn't just a label change in the system. It changes what your loved one can earn. FSA Time Credits stop accruing, and they're disqualified from future FSA benefits until they opt back in.

You might notice opt-out through day-to-day changes. People in opt-in status can earn additional monthly phone minutes as an FSA incentive. If your calls suddenly get shorter because those extra minutes aren't showing up, ask whether they're still opted in.

1. Finish any missing TRULINCS needs assessments - If they refused or didn’t complete the initial TRULINCS needs assessments, completing them is part of getting back to opt-in.
2. Complete any BOP-run needs assessments - If the opt-out happened because they refused assessments conducted by BOP employees, they’ll need to participate so that piece is no longer blocking opt-in.
3. Fix “declined programming” issues - If they declined recommended programming tied to an identified need, getting back to opt-in may require addressing that decline so the program-decline code can be removed or changed.
4. Get back into FRP if that was the trigger - If refusal to participate in the Financial Responsibility Program (FRP) caused the opt-out, returning to opt-in requires participating in FRP (or, where applicable, having the program decline code removed/changed).

Families Checklist

• ✓ Ask whether they’ve completed the TRULINCS needs assessment surveys (those surveys can be the starting point for opt-in).
• ✓ If they declined a recommended class or activity tied to an identified need, encourage them to talk with their unit team about what it takes to move forward and, if needed, get any program-decline code removed or changed.
• ✓ Ask directly whether FRP participation is affecting their status; if FRP refusal triggered opt-out, participating in FRP is part of returning to opt-in.

Timing matters. While someone is opted out, FSA Time Credit earning pauses - so the sooner they address the reason, the sooner credits can start accruing again.

For general questions about the First Step Act or the FSA guide, contact the BOP Reentry Services Division at FSA@BOP.GOV.

For Thomson-specific answers - like how status changes are handled day-to-day or what your loved one should do next - the most direct route is having them ask their unit team. If they're not getting clarity, they can request guidance through the facility's chain of command, including the warden.