401.2 Expedited Service Criteria

If otherwise eligible, the following households must receive expedited benefits within 7 calendar days of the date of application:

Households with less than $150 gross monthly income and who have $100 or less in liquid resources.

Households whose combined gross income and liquid resources are less than the household’s monthly rent or mortgage and utilities, including entitlement to the SUA or LUA, as appropriate.

Migrant or seasonal farmworker households who are destitute (see Section 122, Migrants), and have liquid resources that do not exceed $100.

401.3 Identifying Households Requiring Service

Every local office must set up a procedure for all SNAP applicants to identify those households eligible for expedited service. This includes the SNAP only and combined SNAP and Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or Temporary Disability Assistance Program (TDAP) applications filed in person, by mail or fax, or electronically.

The procedure must also establish a method to identify entitlement to expedited service on the same day that a household seeks assistance.

401.4 Screening for Expedited Service

Households that meet expedited service eligibility criteria as defined in Section 401.2 must be given expedited SNAP benefits. Screening is the process of determining which households are potentially eligible for expedited services.

The local department must:

Screen all SNAP applications for expedite benefits;

Households must be screened on the date of application no later than the next business day to determine if the household meets the expedite criteria;

Assist the household with completing the application if assistance is needed or requested;

Assist the household in obtaining the correct information about income, shelter, and dependent care expenses within the expedited time frame (7 days from the date the application is filed); and

Accept the household’s best estimate and document clearly the household’s estimates if the information on income and deduction and expenses that are generally required to be verified cannot be obtained within the expedited time frame. Do not delay expedited service to households who are otherwise eligible if they cannot verify residency or income within the expedited service time frame.

Note: Any LDSS Expedite Eligibility Tool used to screen for Expedited should

be completed and uploaded to E&E. In addition, expedited screening must be

narrated in E&E.

When screening is completed, clearly document the following information:

The household’s circumstances;

The eligibility decision (expedited service or normal processing); and

The reason for the decision.

Verification.

All households found eligible for expedited service must have verification of identity. This does not have to be a photo ID. The case manager must verify the identity of the applicant through a collateral contact or other readily available documentary evidence if the applicant has no proof of identity.

Example: For a customer who states that he stayed the previous night in a particular homeless shelter or hospital but does not have any proof of identity, the case manager must make every effort to contact the shelter or hospital in an attempt to verify his identity.

Note: If the customer is known to E&E, you can ask a question about

personal data that only the person is likely to know.

The case manager uses the applicant’s statement about the amount of income, assets, and deductions in determining the benefit amount if verification is not available. The case manager:

Must make reasonable efforts to verify the household’s residency, income, shelter, and dependent care expenses, liquid resources, and other factors of eligibility within the expedited processing time frame.

Cannot delay certification beyond the expedited processing timeframe if eligibility criteria other than identity cannot be verified.

401.5 Expedited Service Standard

The local department must give eligible households the opportunity to participate on or preferably before the seventh day for expedited cases. “Opportunity to participate” means the household has access to benefits (households must have their EBT card, have been trained in its use and benefits must be available on EBT).

According to federal guidance, the household is considered to have the opportunity to participate 24 hours after the case manager notifies the customer by phone, or in person, or 3 days after the customer is notified by mail. It is important to narrate when a case manager notifies a customer of his or her eligibility at the interview or by phone.

If there are intervening weekends or holidays, the procedure is as follows:

When the seventh calendar day is Saturday or Sunday, finalize the case on or before the previous Thursday to ensure that benefits are available by Friday.

When the seventh calendar day is a holiday that falls on Monday, finalize the case on or before the previous Thursday to ensure that benefits are available by Friday.

When the seventh calendar day is a holiday that falls on Friday, finalize the case on or before the previous Wednesday to ensure that benefits are available by Thursday.

Households that apply for SNAP benefits after the 15th of the month and are eligible for expedited benefits are entitled to SNAP for the initial month and the second month without additional verification requirements. SNAP benefits for the 3rd month may not be issued until all postponed verification is received.

Households that apply for SNAP benefits after the 15th of the month are eligible for shelter/dependent care expense deduction only in the initial month. Form 1052 should be issued to customers, the customer has 10 days to return the verification, if verification is not received within 10 days, recertify without the deduction.

Reminder: If the customer is applying for SNAP benefits and has an ongoing

associated case the case manager may have to enter program specific

verification codes to prevent the closure of the ongoing case when SNAP benefit verification is pending.

401.6 Interviews

An interview is required before expedited SNAP benefits can be issued.

If a household does not complete the interview by the 7th calendar day, the application can not be processed within the established expedited service time frames. The application must be processed within the normal 30 days of the date of application, in accordance with 7 CFR 273.2 (FNS- GD- 2006-011) of the rules.

Example: Ms. A applied for SNAP on October 5 through myMDTHINK. When applying for SNAP, Ms. A uploaded a copy of her license and lease. She meets expedited service criteria. The case manager called Ms. A several times but was unable to reach her on her interview day. For Ms. A, to receive expedited services, she must participate in an interview; if not her case will be processed as a 30-day application.

C. For households that apply on or before the 15th of the month, the case

manager will not postpone the interview the case manager must request

verification no later than the end of the month of application. Verification of

shelter and dependent care expense are due within the 7-day timeframe

of expedited services.

The case will close at the end of the expedited period if the household fails to participate in an interview or fails to provide the needed verification.

Shelter and dependent care expense deduction will be removed if not verified in the first month.

Note: It is important to schedule the interview to allow enough time for the customer to provide any required verification.

For households that apply after the 15th of the month, the case manager is required to schedule the interview and request verification of shelter/dependent care expense deduction along with income and residency within the 7-day timeframe. The case manager should issue form 1052 for shelter/ dependent care expense deduction, if the verification is not received within 10 days remove the deduction at the end of the first month.

The case is closed if the household fails to participate in an interview or fails to provide the needed verification.

Shelter and dependent care expenses will be removed if not verified.

Note: There should be very few cases where identity cannot be verified with

available sources.

The interview:

As part of the interview, the interviewer must explore and resolve with the household any unclear or questionable information. The interviewer must conduct the interview as an official and confidential discussion of household circumstances and protect the applicant’s privacy.

Households must have a face-to-face or telephone interview with a case manager at initial certification (or shortly thereafter in the case of waived interviews for expedited cases) and at least every 12 months after that.

Note: The case manager must complete Option O (Interview) during or shortly after the interview to prevent E&E from sending an inappropriate notice of missed interview.

The calendar day after the filing date is the first day of the count. The application, for filing date purposes only, may be page one of the signed

DHS/FIA 9701 or the 9711 (Assistance Request Form) or the date the local department receives the myMDTHINK application and e-signature or signature page.

401.7 Telephone Interview

Do not count the mailing days toward the seven-day count if a telephone interview is conducted and the application is mailed to the household for signature. The application must be mailed the same day the telephone interview is conducted.

For expedited processing only, mailing days means any days the application is in the mail to and from the household. Mailing days include any days the application is in the household’s possession before being returned to the local department.

401.8 Special Procedures for Expediting

Use the following procedures to provide expedited service to potentially eligible households:

Verify the applicant’s identity through collateral contact or readily available documentary evidence if the household is unable to provide verification.

Make reasonable efforts to verify (within the 7-day expedited service time frame) the household’s residency, income, shelter, and dependent care expenses. Do not delay expedited service to households who are otherwise eligible if they cannot verify residency, income, shelter, or dependent care expenses within the expedited service time frame.

Note: The local department should also verify residency, income, shelter, utilities, and dependent care expenses provided that the verification process is within the expedited service time frame.

Complete the work registration for the applicant (unless the individual is exempt or the household has designated an authorized representative to apply on its behalf).

Note: Attempt to register for work all other non-exempt household members. The local department may attempt to verify questionable work registration exemption claims by the household. However, postpone such verification if the expedited service time frame cannot be met.

The household is responsible for providing the necessary verifications for expedited service. However, the local department must assist the household in obtaining the necessary verification if requested.

Assign a normal certification period to households that are certified on an expedited basis and have provided all required verifications as described in Section 408 (Verification) of this manual.

Note: The local department may assign a one-month certification period to households that are certified on an expedited basis and do not provide all required verification. Provide a notice of eligibility and a notice of expiration to the household at the same time. The shelter and dependent care expenses will be allowed in the first month, once form 1052 is issued by the case manager, the customer has 10 days to respond or the deduction will be removed in the second month.

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:

Has completed the verification requirements that were postponed at the last expedited certification; or

Was certified under normal processing standards since the last expedited certification.

Process the application of a household requesting, but not eligible for expedited service, according to normal processing standards (see Section 406, Normal Processing Standards).

Screen all signed applications filed electronically for expedited eligibility. If the verification of identity is provided, issue SNAP benefits within the seven- day processing standard.