RECERTIFICATION PROCESS REQUIREMENTS

A. In order to enable timely receipt of an application for recertification, the local office shall provide each household with a notice that its certification is about to expire. Benefits will not be continued beyond the end of the certification period unless the household is recertified. A notice of expiration, as prescribed by the State Department, shall be used by offices to advise households that their certification period is ending and that a new application must be filed. B. A household shall receive the notice of expiration not less than thirty (30) calendar days and not more than sixty (60) calendar days prior to expiration of its current certification period. If mailed, the notice shall be sent for the same timely receipt, allowing two (2) extra days for delivery delay. All households that file on or before the fifteenth (15th) of the last month of their certification period will have timely reapplied. Notices which are mailed must specify a date that allows at least two (2) days mail time and still gives the household fifteen (15) calendar days to respond. Households that submit an application for recertification by the date specified on their notice of expiration shall be considered to have timely reapplied to prevent an interruption in SNAP benefits. C. The local office shall conduct an interview with an adult member of the household or its authorized representative a minimum of once every twelve (12) months for households certified for six (6) months or less. The local office may choose not to interview the household at each recertification provided the household has completed an interview within the previous twelve (12) months. The local office shall schedule the interview so that the household has at least ten (10) calendar days to provide verification before the certification period ends. If an interview is required and the household fails to attend the scheduled interview, the local office must mail the household a notice of missed interview and a notice of denial at the same time. The local office may schedule an interview prior to the last month of the certification period or prior to the date the application is timely filed, but the household cannot be denied for failing or refusing to appear for such an interview. Rather, the local office shall send notice to the household in order to reschedule an appointment for an interview on or after the date the application is timely filed. D. The recertification process must elicit from the household sufficient information that, when combined with information in the case record, will ensure an accurate determination of eligibility. The local office shall provide the household with a notice of required verification and the date by which the verification must be provided.