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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 8000 8200 The Application Interview 8000 Initial Application Process

8200 The Application Interview

SNAP Manual 05/01/2022 A certified Department of Human Services (DHS) eligibility worker must conduct an interview with each Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit applicant. All households will receive a telephone or virtual interview unless the household requests a face-to-face interview. The interviewee may be the applicant (SNAP 1500), his or her spouse, another responsible household member, or the household’s authorized representative. See SNAP 900. The applicant may bring anyone to the interview. If the applicant, or any accompanying person, becomes physically or verbally abusive to the worker during the interview process, the worker may terminate the interview and reschedule another time for completion of the interview. When applicants appear to be under the influence of intoxicants or are mentally impaired to the extent that an interview cannot be conducted, the worker may request the interview be held with another household member or an authorized representative. Any time the eligibility worker finds it necessary to terminate an interview or request that someone else complete the interview, all circumstances surrounding the incident will be fully documented and reported to agency management staff.

8210 Same Day Interviews SNAP Manual 01/01/2021 Same day interviews are those interviews conducted with the household the same day the application is filed. Same day interviews may be face-to-face, by telephone, or virtual. Same day interviews relieve the agency of routinely assigning an appointment time for the interviews. The eligibility worker must document the date of the interview in the electronic case record.

8220 Interviews Scheduled at a Later Date SNAP Manual 01/01/2021 When it is not possible for an eligibility worker to complete an interview with an applicant on the same day the application is submitted, the Department of Human Services (DHS) county office must schedule an interview for the applicant. Each county office must have a system in which appointments are assigned in a specified manner. The county must assign each household a specific date and time and each applicant must be advised of the date and time on which he or she must return for an interview. See SNAP 9420.