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MS 2510 [1]

Volume 2 – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) MS 2510 – R. 6/1/26 – OMTL – 596 Duplicate Participation of Residents of Shelters for Victims of Abuse

[Domestic violence shelter residents may leave households containing the person who abused them where the former household’s certification was based on a household size that includes the individuals who just left.

A. If the shelter resident is certified as a member of the household containing the person who abused them, the shelter resident can apply for and receive duplicate SNAP benefits as a separate household if all other eligibility criteria are met. These individuals can only receive duplicate benefits once a month.

Benefits are prorated from the date of application. Do not deny or discontinue benefits to the resident because the individual and their children have not been removed from the former household timely.

If the former household receives benefits for the shelter residents for more than one month, initiate claims action against the former household for any duplicate benefits it received because the residents were not removed timely.

B. Shelter residents who apply as separate households must be certified solely based on their income and resources and on the expenses for which they are responsible. Do not consider the income, resources, and expenses of the former household. Jointly held resources are considered inaccessible if the conditions in MS 5060 B are met. Room payments made to the shelter are considered a shelter expense.

Take prompt action to ensure that the former household's case reflects the change in the household composition. Provide expedited services to shelter residents if eligible.

1. If the head-of-household moves into a domestic violence shelter, remove all the other members from the SNAP case, except any children who reside with the head-of-household in the shelter. When the case change is processed, the next issuance is added to the household’s existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account and is accessible through the household’s current EBT card. If the head-of-household has the EBT card, the household has access to the benefits. If the head-of-household does not have the EBT card, they should report this, and the worker processing the change of address can issue a new card after the change is entered.

2. If a member other than the head-of-household moves into a domestic violence shelter, remove that member and any individual who moved with the member from the SNAP case. Take a new SNAP application for the members residing in the shelter. When the case is approved, a new EBT card is mailed to the individual in the shelter.]