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ESA SNAP Policy Manual 198 circumstances and the consequences if the household fails to respond. The household must be given at least 10 days to respond to this request. See Section 16.5, Request for Contact.  If the household does not respond to the RFC or does respond but refuses to provide sufficient information to clarify its circumstances, ESA must send the household a Notice of Adverse Action, which closes the SNAP case. See Section 16.6, Notice of Adverse Action. − Note: The Notice of Adverse Action cannot be used to advise the household of the verification needed or actions it must take to clarify its circumstances. This is the purpose of the RFC. The Notice of Adverse Action should be used to notify the household of the case closure that results from the failure to provide verification or take needed action.  If the household responds to the RFC and provides sufficient information, ESA must adjust the household’s benefit amount by acting on the new circumstances according to simplified reporting rules in Sections 15.5.1, Increase in Benefits, or 15.5.2, Decrease in Benefits. 15.6.1 Prisoner and Deceased Person Matches Information from the following data matches is handled differently than all other unclear information:  Prisoner Verification System (PVS) Data Match − Matches received from an SSA interface of individuals reported as being confined in a jail, prison or other correctional facilities  Deceased Matching System (DMS) Data Match − Matches received from the SSA’s Death Master File through the State Verification and Exchange System (SVES). Matches received from the PVS and DMS during the certification periods must be processed as follows:  ESA must issue a Notice of Data Match Results, as described in Section 16.4, Notice of Data Match Results, which clearly explains what information is needed from the household and the consequences for failing to respond. The household must be provided with at least 10 days to respond.  If the household fails to respond to the Notice of Data Match Results or does respond but refuses to provide sufficient information to clarify its circumstances, ESA must issue a Notice of Adverse Action, as described in Section 16.6, Notice of Adverse Action, if the action of removing the individual matched and subsequent adjustment to eligibility and benefit levels results in an adverse action (i.e. benefit reduction or termination).  ESA must remove the subject individual and the individual’s income from the household and adjust benefits accordingly. ESA must follow procedures in Section 15.8, Data Matches, for all other data matches that result in unclear information during the certification period. Legal Authority Unclear information (federal): SNAP: 7 CFR § 273.12(c)(3) Return