1006 Certification Notices to Households

Applicant households must be provided one of the following written notices as soon as a determination of eligibility is made, but no later than 30 days after the date of initial application. A. Notice of Eligibility If an application is approved an automated Notice of Action will be sent to the household. The notice will provide the amount of the allotment, beginning and ending dates of the certification period, retroactive benefits and regular monthly allotment. The household must also be advised of variations in the benefit level based on changes anticipated at the time of certification. Both the automated and manual Notices of Action are required to advise the household of its right to a fair hearing, the telephone number of the food stamp office, and if possible, the name of the person to contact for additional information. If there is an individual or organization available that provides free legal representation, the notice shall also advise the household of the availability of the service. Expedited Service Cases In cases where a household’s application is approved on an expedited basis without verification, a manual Notice of Action must be sent explaining that the household must provide the verification which was waived. If a certification period longer than one month (or longer than two months if the household receives a combined allotment) has been assigned, the notice shall also explain the special conditions as stated in Section 208 and the consequences of failure to provide the postponed verification. Other Households For households provided a Notice of Expiration at the time of certification, as required in Section 1401, the Notice of Eligibility may be combined with the Notice of Expiration or separate notices may be sent. B. Notice of Denial If the application is denied, the household will be provided with an automated notice explaining the basis of the denial, the household’s right to request a fair hearing, the telephone number of the food assistance office, and if possible, the name of the person to contact for additional information. If there is an individual or organization available that provides free legal representation, the notice shall also advise the household of the availability of the service. A household which is potentially categorically eligible but whose food assistance is denied shall be asked to inform the State agency if it is approved to receive PA and/or SSI benefits. When a delay in processing on the 30th day was caused by the household’s failure to take action to complete the application process, as provided in Section 207, a manual Notice of Denial shall also explain the following: 1. The action that the household must take to reactivate the application. 2. That the case will be reopened without a new application if action is taken within 30 days of the date the Notice of Denial was mailed. 3. That the household must submit a new application if, at the end of the next 30-day period, the household has not taken the needed action and wishes to participate in the program. C. Notice of Pending Status If the application is held pending on the 30th day because of a delay in processing caused by the county department (or State agency) as noted in Section 207, the household shall be sent a Notice of Denial/Pending Status on the 30th day explaining the cause for the delay. As the issuance of the Notice of Denial/Pending Status on the 30th day is notification to the household on the 30th day the status of their application, the application shall be considered a delinquent application. D. Application for Recertification See Chapter 14 for timeliness standards for issuance of approval or denial notices. E. Identification (ID) Cards The county department will issue each certified household an identification card as proof of food assistance program eligibility. Under certain conditions, counties have the option of using the EBT card as the household’s identification card. These conditions are: 1. The county must continue to maintain a supply of the identification cards (PSD-BFS- 832). The security relating to these cards must continue to be observed. 2. Homeless households who receive their mail at the food assistance office must continue to be given an ID card. 3. Households whose benefits are converted to stamps must be issued an ID card. 4. The county must be consistent in either giving or not giving households (other than those specified) an ID card. All ID cards shall be issued in the name of a household member who is authorized to receive the household’s issuance.