9041.6 Special Procedures for Expedited Service

1) Verification - To expedite the certification process, use the following procedures: In all cases, the applicant's identity (i.e., the identity of the person making the application) will be verified through a collateral contact or readily available documentary evidence as specified in DSSM 9032. Once an acceptable collateral contact has been designated, promptly contact the collateral contact in accordance with DSSM 9034.2. Although the household has the primary responsibility for providing other types of verification, assist the household in promptly obtaining the necessary verification. All reasonable efforts will be made to verify within the expedited processing standards the household's residency, in accordance with DSSM 9032.6, income statement (including a statement that the household has no income), liquid resources and all other factors required by DSSM 9032, through collateral contacts or readily available documentary evidence. However, benefits will not be delayed beyond the delivery standards prescribed in DSSM 9041.1 solely because these eligibility factors have not been verified. Households that have recently moved from another state or territory where they were food stamp recipients and claim that they did not receive benefits for the current month should be handled as follows: If eligible for expedited benefits: Contact the former agency to determine if benefits were mailed and not returned, or if the benefit was received. If the former agency cannot confirm, have the client write and sign a statement that the household did not receive their benefits at the former location. Issue the expedited benefits. Follow up with the former agency to determine if the household did receive the benefits there and, if so, process a claim for duplicate issuance. 2) Social Security Numbers - Those household members unable to provide the required SSN's or who do not have one prior to the second full month of participation will be allowed to continue to participate only if they satisfy the good cause requirements with respect to SSN's specified in DSSM 9012, except that households with a newborn may have up to six months following the month the baby was born to provide an SSN or proof of application for the newborn. 3) Work registration - require the applicant to register (unless exempt or unless the household has designated an authorized representative to apply on its behalf in accordance with DSSM 9016). Attempt to register other household members but postpone the registration of other household members if it cannot be accomplished within the expedited service time frame. Attempt to verify questionable work registration exemptions, but such verification will be postponed if the expedited service time frame cannot be met. 4) Certification period - Households certified on an expedited basis who have provided all necessary verification prior to certification will be assigned a normal certification period. If verification was postponed, certify these households for the month of application (the month of application and the subsequent month for those households applying after the 15th of the month) or, assign a normal certification period to those households whose circumstances would otherwise warrant a longer certification period. For households applying on or before the 15th of the month, assign a one-month or normal certification period. Verification requirements may be postponed until the second month of participation. If a one-month certification period is assigned, a notice must be given to the household that explains what postponed verifications must be returned. For subsequent months, the household must reapply and provide all verification requirements that were postponed or be certified under normal processing standards. If the household does not provide the postponed verifications and does not appear for an interview, no further action is taken. For households applying after the 15th of the month, assign a two-month certification or normal certification period of no more than 12 months. Verification may be postponed until the third month of participation to meet the expedited timeframe. If a two-month certification period is assigned, a notice must be given to the household that explains what postponed verifications must be returned. For subsequent months, the household must reapply and provide all verification requirements that were postponed or be certified under normal processing standards. If the household does not provide the postponed verifications and does not appear for an interview, no further action is taken. When a certification period of longer than two months is assigned and verification is postponed, households must be sent a notice advising that no benefits for the third month will be issued until the postponed verifications are provided. The notice must also advise the household that if the verification process results in changes in the household's eligibility or level of benefits, DSS will act on those changes without advance notice of adverse action. Households which apply for initial benefits after the 15th of the month, are entitled to expedited service, and have been determined eligible to receive benefits for the initial month and the next subsequent month, shall receive a combined allotment. The combined allotments, which are the prorated benefits for the initial month and the first full month's benefit, are both issued within the expedited service timeframe. Verification shall be postponed to meet the expedited timeframe. Expedited benefits shall not be issued to households which have been determined ineligible to receive benefits for the month of application or the following month, or to households which have not satisfied the postponed verifications requirements. There is no limit to the number of times a household can be certified under expedited procedures, as long as prior to each expedited certification, the household either completes the verification requirements that were postponed at the last expedited certification or was certified under normal processing standards since the last expedited certification. Households requesting, but not entitled to, expedited service will have their applications processed according to the normal processing standards.