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Title 7: SNAP Page 19 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter B: Application Processing Processing Standards Revised January 30, 2026 Approving an Initial Application Comment: The length of the certification period depends on the households’ circumstances. Use the following chart to assign the longest certification period possible, based on the type of household and the predictability of the household’s circumstances. No household may be certified for less than four months. Once the certification period has been established, it may not be shortened.

Household type: Certification length is: All adult members are at least age 60 or disabled and have no earned income 12 months All others 6 months

4 month certification periods may be assigned for:

 Migrant farm worker households.

 Households that appear to be ineligible in the near future. A household can be certified for a shorter period if necessary to match the SNAP recertification with the FIP review. At initial application, the certification period begins with the first month the household is eligible. At recertification, the new certification period begins the month after the end of the previous certification. A household cannot get benefits after its certification period expires unless it reapplies. Effective Date of Benefits Legal reference: 7 CFR 273.10(a), 273.2(h) Prorate SNAP from the date of application, unless the household:  Is already certified at the time of application. (See 7-C, Duplicate Assistance.)  Caused a delay in processing. (See Delays in Processing.)  Is a seasonal farm worker or migrant household that got benefits in the month before the month of application. Some states issue benefits for a fiscal month instead of a calendar month. A fiscal month overlaps two calendar months. In these cases, consider the benefits to be received in the first calendar month that the fiscal month covers. If the household moves from one of these states and applies for benefits in Iowa, find out when the household last got benefits from that state. If the Iowa application is received in the second of the two months, the effective date is the date of application.