It has come to our attention that some state agencies are not in compliance with the requirement to issue a household's initial month of benefits within 30 days of the date of application. A survey of a number of states indicates that many state agencies handle initial issuances differently for those households that are determined ineligible for benefits in the month of application (e.g., the household is over income) but eligible for benefits in the subsequent month.
To ensure program integrity, school districts must sample household applications certified for free or reduced-price meals, contact the households, and verify eligibility. This process (known as household verification) can be burdensome for both school officials and households. Direct verification uses information from certain other means-tested programs to verify eligibility without contacting applicants. Potential benefits include: less burden for households, less work for school officials, and fewer students with school meal benefits terminated because of nonresponse to verification requests.
This memo is in response to questions raised through Quality Control reviews related to student eligibility for SNAP benefits. Section 6(e) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and federal regulations at 7 CFR 273.5(a) prohibit students enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education from receiving SNAP benefits unless specific exemptions are met.
This policy memorandum consolidates requirements for the SDA when reporting the distribution of donated foods, and when requesting the replacement of such foods, in disasters, emergencies and situations of distress.
On Dec. 22, 2009, Puerto Rico passed Law 191 of 2009 that voids all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued prior to July 1, 2010. Current Puerto Rican birth certificates remain valid until the July I, 2010 effective date of the new law. As a result of this recent legislation, FNS has been asked to provide guidance to state agencies as to the treatment of voided Puerto Rican birth certificates for SNAP purposes.
On June 21, 2010, Food and Nutrition Service issued policy guidance on how to treat household members whose Puerto Rican birth certificates were voided under Puerto Rico Law 191 of 2009. The SNAP policy was to go into effect July 1, 2010 to coincide with the effective date of the new law.
This final rule implemented 11 provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), which established new eligibility and certification requirements for the receipt of food stamps.
This memorandum provides questions and answers relating to policy memorandum SP38 CACFP08 SFSP07-2009, Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household, dated Aug. 27, 2009.
When determining eligibility for FDPIR, the proposed rule would permanently exclude combat pay from being considered income and eliminate the maximum dollar limit of the dependent care deduction.
This policy applies to all TANF-funded subsidized employment paid to SNAP clients or applicants in the form of wages, regardless of the source of TANF funding, including but not limited to funds available to states and Indian tribes through the Emergency Contingency Fund for state TANF programs.