FNS Documents & Resources

FNS is adjusting the State of Hawaii's maximum and minimum SNAP allotments for fiscal year 2013, due to recent updates in the state's Thrifty Food Plan.

The purpose of this memorandum is to implement a provision affecting mandatory direct certification for children in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households.

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.

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.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created the "Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund" for certain veterans and the spouses of veterans who served in the military of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. SNAP will exclude these payments from income and resources when determining eligibility and allotments, and for all other purposes.

Policy Memoranda FD-063, Household Eligibility Determinations for Disaster or Emergency Evacuees Residing with a Host Family (dated Dec. 4, 2006), and FD-072, FDPIR Households Displaced During a Disaster (dated Feb. 19, 2008), are cancelled.

It has come to Food and Nutrition Service's attention that although states have incorporated the 13.6 percent increase to SNAP maximum allotments into their systems as a mass change effective April 1, 2009 there are some states where not every household will automatically receive the increase as part of their April allotment due to the limitations of certain state systems.

Attached is the stimulus allocation chart showing the allocation amount; this chart may be shared with your states.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes a 13.6 percent increase in maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which equates to a $24 increase for a one–person household.