Page 388

SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 8000 8900 Special Procedures at Initial Application 8000 Initial Application Process

received in the county office, the application will be held in an accessible location until the SSA notifies the county of the applicant’s date of release. After the county receives an SSA Transmittal giving the applicant’s date of release, the application will be screened as instructed in SNAP 9300 to determine if the household is entitled to expedited services or for Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) eligibility. The application will be registered as instructed in SNAP 8710. The date of application will be the date the applicant was released from the institution. The application will be processed under the normal processing standards specified in SNAP 8500, unless the household is entitled to expedited service. Expedited prerelease applications from eligible households must be processed and keyed no later than the first working day following the day the county received notice from the SSA of the applicant’s release from the institution. When determining a prerelease applicant’s eligibility to expedited service, the eligibility worker must check to see if the applicant is now receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The county will not conduct another interview with the prerelease applicant. However, the applicant will be expected to provide verification of any information not verified through SSA. See SNAP 9441. If verification of identity is needed for expedited prerelease applicants, SSA may be able to provide this verification by telephone or by fax. See the glossary definition of “Verification” for the verification standards for other applications. Prerelease applicants will not be work registered unless the applicant’s SSI claim has been denied because the applicant was not found to be disabled. However, any other household members will be work registered unless they meet one (1) of the exemptions in SNAP 3210- 3290. When a prerelease application is submitted for an applicant who will be moving into a household that is already participating in the SNAP, this household will be contacted. The eligibility worker will establish the applicant’s status as a separate household using SNAP 1630- 1632.1. If the applicant establishes a separate household, the application will be processed. Any applicant who does not establish a separate household will be added to the household under the provisions in SNAP 11430-11436. The change will be considered reported when the SSA Transmittal stating the applicant’s date of release is received by the county. The application will be denied if registration has occurred. Documentation of all circumstances surrounding this action must appear in the case file.