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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 10000 10900 Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) 10910 Processing Standards

10900 Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP)

SNAP MANUAL 01/01/2021 The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) is designed to simplify the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) application and verification process for persons aged sixty (60) or older or individuals living with a disability. ESAP eligibility is limited to households that have no earned income, that receive no child support deduction, and do not include minor dependent children. Households meeting these criteria will be certified for thirty-six (36) months. Households certified for thirty-six (36) months must reapply within thirty (30) days of the last month of the certification period to continue to receive SNAP benefits. These households will complete the required recertification application to recertify for SNAP. There is not an interview requirement for these households in order to apply for continued participation in SNAP, unless one (1) of the following exceptions exists: • The household requests an interview; • The recertification appears to be a denial; or • The county has outstanding issues or questions regarding the request for recertification. The application may not be denied for recertification without attempting to schedule an interview. All scheduling attempts must be documented in the eligibility system.

10910 Processing Standards SNAP MANUAL 01/01/2021 At recertification, Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) households must return the recertification application no later than the fifteenth day of the month the household receives the recertification form. If the fifteenth day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline for receipt will be extended to the first workday following the fifteenth. Failure to return the recertification application by the deadline will result in case closure if the recertification application is not received by the last day of the month. When a household returns a signed recertification application by the fifteenth day, the state agency must process the report before the end of the month. Any signed recertification application returned before the end of the thirty-sixth month of certification must be processed. When a recertification application is processed after the end of the month, the household’s benefits must be reinstated if the case has been closed.