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MS 2730 [2]

(2) If the household leaves on or after the 16th of the application month but before the first of the second month, and the benefits for the second month were issued and not used, the household receives the full allotment for the second month.

d. If a participant dies, the GLA must return the EBT card to the address on the back of the card.

e. If a group of residents is certified as one household and has returned the benefits to the facility to use, the departing residents are given a pro-rata share of one-half of the household's monthly benefit allotment if leaving prior to the 16th of the month.

f. Once the residents leave, the GLA can no longer act as their AR.

g. If possible, the GLA provides the household with a change report form to return to DCBS with the individual's new address and other circumstances after leaving the GLA and advises the household to return the form to DCBS within 10 days.

C. As an AR, the GLA must be knowledgeable about the household's circumstances and carefully review those circumstances with them prior to applying on their behalf. If the facility acts as the resident's AR, the GLA is strictly liable for all losses or misuse of SNAP benefits held on behalf of the resident households, and for all over-issuances which occur while the households are residents of the GLA, whether the over-issuance is due to an act on the part of the resident or on the part of the treatment center.

D. The GLA may be penalized or disqualified if it is determined administratively or judicially that benefits were misappropriated or used for purchases that did not contribute to the certified household's meals. The DCBS office promptly notifies the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) by memorandum through the appropriate chain of command when it has reason to believe the GLA is misusing SNAP benefits in its possession. Upon receipt of the memorandum, OIG will immediately investigate and notify the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). OIG takes no action against the GLA prior to FNA action.

If the GLA loses its certification from FNA, residents applying on their behalf are still eligible to participate.

E. Monthly Reports. Each GLA provides the local DCBS office with a list of currently participating residents on a monthly basis. This list includes a statement signed by a responsible GLA official attesting to the validity of the list. The GLA should be advised to compare this list to the EBT cards they have on file to ensure they have either given the EBT card to the departing individual(s) or have returned the EBT card to the local DCBS office. If the GLA fails to provide the list of currently participating residents, contact the Nutrition Assistance Branch through your chain of command. File cases of residents in GLAs separately and check currently active cases against the list to ensure no over-issuance occurs.]