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Both an authorized representative authorized to purchase food for the household and the head of the household will be issued an EBT card. The name of the authorized representative and the head of the household will appear on both EBT cards. The following persons cannot serve as authorized representatives. Department employees who are involved in the certification and/or issuance processes and retailers authorized to accept FS benefits unless they have the specific written approval of the FS Certification Office after it has been determined that no one else is available to serve, entities that provide meals for homeless recipients, or individuals disqualified for intentional program violations (IPV) during the period of disqualification unless the SSR has determined that no one else is available to obtain benefits and/or purchase food regularly with the benefits.

Filing an Application/Accessing Benefits on Behalf of Another Individual or Group 1.6.2

MA An application may be filed by an authorized representative on behalf of a deceased individual within three months of his/her death. Eligibility covers the month of application and three months prior. If death occurred during the month of application and before the date of application or if death occurs during the period of pending disposition, eligibility is determined for the prospective period. Eligibility begins on the first day of the month of application and ends in the month of death. Eligibility is processed for a retroactive period if a need has been indicated on the application form. If an individual dies before completing the application process, the application may be denied as an abandoned application if no authorized representative completes the application. The deceased individual's authorized representative may complete the application process or withdraw the application. TANF If the head of the household dies before completing the application process and there is no other parent in the household, deny the application and inform the family members when possible that another family member may file a new application for the surviving household member(s). If a surviving spouse is in the home and that spouse agrees to continue with the application, continue to process the application. Similarly, if a group member other than the head dies while the application is pending, continue processing the application. To determine eligibility and benefits for the month of application, include the deceased person in the unit if s/he was in the unit at least one day from the date of application to the end of the application month. For the month following the month of application, consider the person in the unit if s/he was in the unit at least one day of the month following the month of application. GC If the adult caretaker of a child applying for GC dies and there is another adult in the household who intends to continue to care for the child, continue processing the application (see Section 5.6: Caretaker in Part IV). If another adult caretaker is not willing to continue the application, or the child is not going to remain in the home, deny the application.