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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 8000 8500 Normal Processing Standards 8000 Initial Application Process

8500 Normal Processing Standards

SNAP Manual 05/01/2022 The normal processing standard for an initial application for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is thirty (30) days. Eligible households that complete the initial application process must be given an opportunity to participate in SNAP as soon as possible, but no later than thirty (30) calendar days following the date the application was filed. Day one (1) of the application-processing period is the day after the application was filed. A paper application is filed the day the county office receives an application containing at least the applicant’s name, address, and the signature of the applicant or a signature deemed acceptable by the agency, a responsible household member, or the household’s authorized representative. An online application is filed on the day the application is submitted through Access Arkansas or on the following workday if the application is submitted after the close of business, on a weekend, or holiday. An application that does not contain the applicant’s name, address, and signature deemed acceptable by the agency of the applicant of a responsible household member, or the household’s authorized representative, is not a valid application and will not be registered. See SNAP 8100 - 8141. At the time of the application interview, the household will be issued a Request for Information if the application is delayed while waiting for additional information. For households eligible to participate in the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP), the eligibility worker must issue a Request for Information and gather any necessary verification on the household’s behalf. Applications pending at the end of the processing period must be evaluated to determine if the household or the agency is responsible for the delay. If a household provides adequate information for the eligibility worker to determine that the household is ineligible, the application will be denied. Households found to be ineligible must be sent a notice of denial as soon as possible, but no later than thirty (30) days following the date the application was filed. Applications from households that miss scheduled interviews must be held for the full thirty (30) day period. See SNAP 8230. If the thirtieth day falls on a weekend or holiday, the notice of denial must be sent on the first workday after the thirtieth day.