The Allow Open Ended Cases setting dictates if an expected end date must be defined for cases that are based on this product. If this setting is specified, an expected end date is not mandatory for the case and a user can manually enter or modify the expected end date as required. If no expected end date is specified, the latest eligibility decision within a determination created for the case will be open ended with no effective end date.
Open-ended case decisions allow for situations where a client may be receiving a benefit for an unknown period of time. For example, an administrator can specify that a product governing a pension benefit case allows for the case to be open ended. This means that financials issued in respect of the case can pay indefinitely until such time as circumstances change on the case, or the expected end date is explicitly set on the case. Alternatively, an administrator can specify that a different product such as one governing a dependent child benefit case is not open-ended because child benefit is only to be paid up to a certain age of the child. In this situation, an end date must be explicitly specified. When the child reaches that age, financials issued in respect of the child benefit are automatically ceased.
If this setting is not specified, the system automatically sets the expected end date to be the case start date upon initial creation of the case and the expected end date is automatically updated as certification information is entered on the case.