SSI Households Submitting SNAP Applications to the Social Security Administration

(SSA) A. Whenever a member of a household consisting only of SSI clients transacts business at an SSA office, the member has a right to apply for SNAP at the SSA office or the local office. The SSA office is not required to accept applications for SSI clients who are not members in a household consisting entirely of SSI clients unless a county has out stationed an eligibility technician at the SSA office. The SSA office will refer non-SSI households to the correct local office. An SSI client shall be informed at the SSA office of the availability of SNAP benefits and the availability of the SNAP application at the SSA office. The SSA office shall also complete joint SSI and SNAP applications for residents of public institutions who apply for SSI prior to their release from the institutions. The clients shall be permitted to apply for SNAP while they apply for SSI. B. The SSA office will accept and complete SNAP applications from SSI households and forward them, within one working day after receipt of a signed application, to the appropriate local office. The SSA will use the SNAP application. The application will be transmitted to the local office with documentation of verification obtained. When an SSA office sends a SNAP application and supporting documentation to an incorrect local office, the application and documentation shall be sent to the correct office within one working day. C. The SSA office is required to prescreen all SNAP applications for entitlement to expedited service and shall mark “expedited processing” on the first page of all applications of households that appear to be entitled to such processing. The SSA will inform households which appear to meet the criteria for expedited service that benefits may be issued a few days sooner if the household applies directly at the local office. The household may take the application from the SSA office to a local office for screening, interviewing, and processing of the application. Each local office shall furnish the SSA office(s) serving its geographical area with a street map and/or map defining its boundaries together with the addresses of the local offices in the project area. D. The local office shall prescreen all applications received from the SSA office for entitlement to expedited service on the day the application is received at the correct local office. All households entitled to expedited service shall be certified in accordance with Sections 4.205.1 and 4.205.11, except that the expedited processing time standard shall begin on the date the application is received at a local office in the correct county. To prevent duplication, the local office shall develop and implement a method to determine if members of SSI households whose applications are forwarded by the SSA office are currently participating in SNAP.