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Title 7: SNAP Page 31 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter I: Specific Households and Participants Households with Alien Members Revised February 13, 2026 Sponsored Aliens Battered aliens are not subject to sponsor deeming, no matter who the sponsor is, for 12 months from the date it is determined the alien or the alien’s children have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, if the individual(s) no longer lives with the batterer. You may accept the word of the sponsored alien or ask for proof that the battering has taken place. Following the end of the 12-month period, the exemption from deeming can continue only if the battering or cruelty is substantiated by a court, an administrative law judge, or by USCIS, and the battered alien continues to live apart from the batterer. Indigent Aliens Legal reference: 7 CFR 273.4(c) An indigent alien whose sponsor signed an Affidavit of Support, form I-864, may be eligible for SNAP benefits. Indigent aliens are not automatically eligible for SNAP. An indigent alien must meet one of the four criteria listed under Eligible Aliens and if the individual is an LPR, the individual is subject to the five-year bar unless exempt, See The Five-Year Bar and Exemptions. To determine if the alien is indigent, count the alien’s income plus any cash from the sponsor and money paid for food, housing, and shelter by the sponsor or any other person. Count only the actual amount of income and resources that the sponsor and others make available to the alien. If after considering these things, the alien is unable to obtain food and shelter, the person is considered indigent. The period of eligibility for indigent aliens is 12 months from the date it is determined that the alien is indigent and may be renewed for additional 12-month periods. HHS must notify the USCIS of the alien’s situation and provide the USCIS with the names of the alien and the sponsor. Contact Policy Support if you believe you have an indigent alien who needs to be reported.