1000 Month of Application for All Households

A. Determination of Eligibility and Benefit Levels A household’s eligibility shall be determined for the month of application by considering the household’s circumstances for the entire calendar month of application. 1. Households who are not in certification the month of application shall be the month in which the household filed its application. 2. Households who are in certification and apply for recertification in the last month of their certification have their eligibility determined for the first month following the end of the certification period. Applicant household consisting of residents of a public institution who apply jointly for SSI and food assistance prior to their release from the public institution will have their eligibility determined for the month in which the applicant household is released from the institution. Proration of Benefits Benefits for an initial month of certification shall be prorated based on the day of the month the household applies through the end of the month. An initial month means the first month for which a household is certified for participation following at least one day’s break in certification. Households who reapply in the month following the end of their certification period shall be entitled to a prorated allotment except for migrant and seasonal farm worker households. Migrant and seasonal farm workers shall receive the full allotment for the month of application when the household has participated in the food stamp program within 30 days prior to the date of application. If the benefit amount for the prior month was $0 due to recoupment or other reasons, but the household was certified and eligible for the program, the household is considered to have participated. Once a household moves from a project area in which it is currently certified, eligibility for the food stamp program terminates and must be reestablished by application in the new project area. A household currently certified in another state, who applies in Alabama and is entitled to expedited service, and for whom nonparticipation in the other state cannot be established within the expedited time frame, shall be allowed to sign a statement avowing that it did not and will not participate in the other state in the month of application. The proration of benefits is automated. If proration results in an allotment of less than $10, no issuance shall be made for an initial or beginning month to any household, including one and two person households and categorically eligible households. B. Application for Recertification See Chapter 14 for processing applications for recertification. Eligibility for recertification for all households shall be determined based on circumstances anticipated for the certification period starting the month following the expiration of the current certification period. The level of benefits for recertification shall be based on the same anticipated circumstances. If an application for recertification is submitted in the month after the household’s certification period has expired, benefits for that month shall be prorated. If a household submits an application for recertification prior to the end of its certification period but is found ineligible for the first month following the end of the certification period then the first month of any subsequent participation shall be considered an initial month. The same application shall be used in this situation (see C. below) and proration would not be applicable if the household were approved within the appropriate processing standard. If a household submits an application for recertification prior to the end of its certification period and is found eligible for the first month following the end of the certification period, then that month shall not be an initial month. Timely Application for One or Two Month Certifications Any household which receives the notice of expiration at the time of certification as discussed in Section 1401 shall not be subject to proration for the first month of their new certification period if the deadline for filing an application for recertification falls after the end of their current certification period. However, such households found ineligible for the first month following the end of the certification shall have the first month of any subsequent participation considered an initial month. Verification Provided After the Certification Period For all households for which the timeframe for providing verification falls after the end of the household’s current certification period, the household shall not be subject to proration for the first month following the end of its current certification period if it has provided the missing verification and is otherwise eligible. C. Anticipated Changes Because of anticipated changes, a household may be eligible for the month of application, but ineligible in the subsequent month. The household shall be entitled to benefits for the month of application even if the processing of its application results in the benefits being issued in the subsequent month. Also, a household may be ineligible for the month of application (see Section 1000A), but eligible in the subsequent month due to anticipated changes in circumstances. Even though denied for the month of application, the household does not have to reapply in the subsequent month. The same application shall be used for the denial for the month of application and the determination of eligibility for subsequent months within the timeliness standards. D. Changes in Allotment Levels As a result of anticipating changes, the household’s allotment for the month of application may differ from its allotment in subsequent months. The county department shall give all food assistance households a twelve-month certification period. However, the household’s allotment shall vary from month to month within the certification period to reflect changes anticipated at the time of certification, unless the household elects the averaging techniques in Section 1002C.