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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 4000 7B4800 Vehicles

Verification that the household does not have either water or heating fuel piped into its home may be requested if the household’s statements are questionable. Households (including all electric homes) which have both fuel and water piped into the home must verify that the excluded vehicle is used to transport the household’s primary source of heating fuel or water. Verification may be obtained through utility companies, collateral contacts, or through documentary evidence such as receipts for the purchase of wood. If there are licensed or unlicensed vehicles remaining after these exclusions have been applied, one remaining vehicle will be excluded. Normally, this will be the most expensive vehicle unless it would be more advantageous to the household to exclude another vehicle. See SNAP 4850 below for additional instructions. 4850 Determining the Countable Resource Value of Licensed Vehicles SNAP Manual 01/01/07 Each SNAP household may exclude at least one vehicle as a resource. Other additional vehicles may be excluded if they meet one of the conditions in SNAP 4840. The resource value assigned to all non-excluded vehicles for purposes of determining SNAP eligibility will be either: • The fair market value less a $4,650 limit; or • The equity value (fair market value less encumbrances). See SNAP 4851 for instructions on determining fair market value. Fair market value less $4,650 will be assigned to: • One non-excluded licensed vehicle per adult (age 18 or older) household member. • Any additional licensed non-excluded vehicles driven by a household under age 18 to commute to work or school or to look for work. When a non-excluded vehicle has a fair market value of less than $4,650, no resource value is counted when SNAP eligibility is determined. When the fair market value exceeds $4,650, only the amount that exceeds the $4,650 benchmark is counted as a resource. For all other non-excluded vehicles both licensed and unlicensed, the GREATER OF the vehicle’s fair market value less $4,650 OR the vehicle’s equity value will be counted as a resource. 46B4850 Determining the Countable Resource Value of Licensed Vehicles