Page 64

SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTIONS 1000 1600 Determining Household Composition 1621.3.1 Participating after Five (5) Years as Qualified Alien

5. Any qualified alien who is under eighteen (18) years of age may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if otherwise eligible until he or she turns eighteen (18). * After the child turns eighteen (18), the child may continue to be eligible for SNAP benefits only if he or she meets another alien eligibility status such as having LPR status for five (5) years. If the child turns eighteen (18) during the household’s upcoming certification period, the eligibility worker must take action to review the SNAP case prior to the month in which the child turns eighteen (18). If the eligibility worker cannot determine from the information in the case that the child meets another alien eligibility status, a Request For Contact (SNAP 12400) will be issued to the household. If the household does not respond to the Request For Contact or does not provide the information needed to determine the child’s alien eligibility status, the case will not be closed. Instead, the child will be classified as an ineligible alien. (See SNAP 1621.6 for instructions on handling the income and resources of an ineligible alien. These instructions will also apply to the parent’s income if the child is eligible but one (1) or both parents are not eligible.) 6. Any qualified alien who is currently receiving one (1) of the payments for blindness or disability listed in the glossary definition of “Age 60 or Older/Individuals with Disabilities,” may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for an unlimited time if he or she is otherwise eligible. * 1621.3.1 Participation after Five (5) Years as Qualified Alien SNAP Manual 07/01/2026 Any alien who has lived in the United States as a qualified alien for a period of five (5) years or longer may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if he or she is otherwise eligible. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has the sole responsibility for determining the status of an immigrant as a qualified alien. The five (5) year waiting period begins on the date the immigrant obtains status as a qualified alien through the INS. A legal permanent resident may have been admitted to the United States under another alien status that confers qualified alien status that was not exempt from additional conditions. In that case, the five-year waiting period began on the date the alien became a qualified alien. When qualified alien status is granted retroactively, the retroactive time will count towards the five-year requirement. If the documentation presented by the alien provides the date on which the alien was granted qualified alien status, this documentation may be used to verify that the alien has met the five-year waiting period. (See SNAP 1621.5 for instructions on using the SAVE system to authenticate the documentation.) 1621.3.2 Aliens Who Have Forty (40) Qualifying Quarters SNAP Manual 07/01/2026  NOTE: Any alien legally admitted for permanent residence who has resided in the United States as a qualified alien for at least five (5) years may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program without establishing that he or she has forty (40) qualifying quarters of work. See SNAP 1621.3.1.