204 Interviews

All applicant households are entitled to an interview as specified in A. or B. below. A. Office Interview Applicant households, including those submitting applications by mail, shall have face-to-face interviews in a food assistance office or other certification site with a qualified eligibility worker prior to initial certification and all re-certifications, unless such interview is waived as discussed in Section B below. 1. The individual interviewed may be the head of household, spouse, any other responsible member of the household, or an authorized representative. The applicant may bring any person he or she chooses to the interview. 2. The interviewer shall not simply review the information that appears on the application, but shall explore and resolve with the household unclear and incomplete information. 3. Households shall be advised of their rights and responsibilities during the interview, including the appropriate application processing standard and the household’s responsibility to report changes. 4. The interview shall be conducted as an official and confidential discussion of household circumstances. The applicant’s right to privacy shall be protected during the interview. Facilities shall be adequate to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of the interview. B. Waiver of the Office Interview The office interview shall be waived if requested by any household which has no earned income, all members are elderly or disabled and the household is unable to appoint an authorized representative. The county department shall also waive the office interview on a case-by-case basis for any household which is: 1. Unable to appoint an authorized representative and which has no household members able to come to the food assistance office because of hardships, which the county department determines warrant a waiver of the office interview. These hardship conditions include, but are not limited to: a) Illness b) Transportation difficulties. c) Care of a household member. d) Hardships due to residency in a rural area. e) Prolonged severe weather. f) Work hours which preclude an in-office interview. g) Training or school hours which preclude an in-office interview. 2. The county department shall determine if the hardship reported by a household warrants a waiver of the office interview and shall document in the case file why a request for a waiver was granted or denied. The county department has the option of conducting a telephone interview or a home visit for those households for whom the office interview is waived. Home visits shall be used only if the time of the visit is scheduled in advance with the household. Waiver of the face-to-face interview does not exempt the household from the verification requirements, although special procedures may be used to permit the household to provide verification and thus obtain its benefits in a timely manner, such as substituting a collateral contact in cases where documentary verification would normally be provided. Waiver of the face-to-face interview shall not affect the length of the household’s certification period. C. Scheduling Interviews for Applications with 30-Day Processing Standards The county department shall schedule all interviews as promptly as possible to ensure eligible households receive an opportunity to participate within 30 days after the application is filed. See How do I look for an appointment? If a household fails to appear for the first interview, the county department must notify the household that it is responsible for requesting a second appointment. Form DHR-FSP-2100, Notice of Missed Appointment, shall be used. If the household does not appear for their first scheduled interview, their application cannot be denied until the 30th day even if the household does not contact the agency for a second appointment. 1. If the household contacts the county department on or before the 30th day from the date of application, the county department must schedule a second appointment. 2. If the second appointment cannot be scheduled to allow the household at least 10 days to provide all requested verifications, the application must not be denied on the 30th day. A DHR Form 660, Notice of Pending Status, must be sent to the household on the 30th day. 3. If the household keeps the second appointment and provides all required verifications on or before the 10th day from the date of the interview, benefits are prorated from the original date of application. 4. If the household misses the second scheduled appointment scheduled in the 2nd 30 days, the application must be denied and the household must reapply. 5. If the household does not provide all required verifications on or before the 10th day, the application must be denied for failure to provide verification. The household has until the 60th day from the original date of application to provide all required verifications without a new application. A DHR Form 660, Notice of Denial, must be sent notifying the household of the denial for failure to provide required verification. The household must also be informed that it has 60 days from the original date of application to return all requested required verifications. If the household requests a second appointment on or before the 30th day from the date of application, but the interview cannot be scheduled until after the 30th day (county office delay), the application must not be denied on the 30th day. A DHR Form 660, Notice of Pending Status, must be sent to the household. If the household attends the second interview and provides the requested verifications by the 10th day from the date of the interview, benefits must be awarded retroactive to the original date of application. If the household does not attend the second interview and makes no further contact with the county office, the application must be denied and the household must reapply.