FNS Documents & Resources

FNS is issuing this policy memo to clarify state options and requirements relating to the determination of fleeing felon status under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program regulations at 7 CFR 273.11(n).  

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program  regulations at 7 CFR 273.11(n) require state agencies to choose between two tests to establish fleeing felon status: the four-part test and the alternative test, often called the Martinez test. This policy memo clarifies changes in the Martinez test necessitated by the Walter Barry, et al. v. Nick Lyon decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The attached questions and answers address the SNAP: Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 final rule. 

This memorandum outlines the use of offer versus serve in the adult day care and at-risk afterschool settings in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the use of family style meals in the CACFP.

Offer versus Serve is a provision in the NSLP and School Breakfast Program that allows students to decline some of the food offered. The goals of OVS are to reduce food waste in the school meals programs while permitting students to decline foods they do not intend to eat. 

This memorandum restates the FNS policy on the treatment of same-sex marriages with regard to Section 3(m)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended.

This memorandum provides guidance on the household status of same-sex married couples in light of the United States Supreme Court's June 26, 2013, decision in United States v. Windsor (Windsor) for purposes of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility.

This instruction is intended to clarify allowable variations to child nutrition program food components in order to meet religious needs among Jewish schools, institutions and sponsors. 

On March 19, 2012, FNS issued the memo titled Family Day Care Home Administrative Reimbursements: Options and Carryover Reporting Requirements, which described procedures for reporting fiscal year 2011 family day care home administrative payments and carryover. The present memo focuses on reporting family day care home carryover for FY 2012 and beyond.

Section 9(b)(12)(A)(i) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility for free school meals based on SNAP participation to children who are members of a household receiving assistance under SNAP. Therefore, a child who is a member of a household that is receiving “zero benefits” from SNAP is not categorically eligible for free meals, unless the child is categorically eligible for another reason.