Certification Periods
GENERAL RULE - Establish a definite period of time which the household shall be eligible to receive Food Supplement benefits. At the expiration of each certification period entitlement to benefits ends. At initial application, the first month of the certification period shall be the month of application. Certification periods shall conform to calendar months and shall not be more than twelve (12) months.
NOTE: Food Supplement Program (FSP) applicants and recipients receiving TANF/PaS and MaineCare shall be assigned a common re-determination period based upon FSP criteria. Categorically eligible TANF/PaS households shall have their FSP benefits terminated for failure to complete a re-determination even though they continue to receive TANF/PaS or SSI benefits. When TANF/PaS benefits are terminated within the certification period, and the agency does not have sufficient information to determine the effect upon FSP eligibility and benefit level, the following actions shall be taken:
Wait until it is certain that the TANF/PaS benefits will be closed for at least one month.
Unless the certification period expires by the end of the following month, send a notice of expiration which informs the household that its certification period will expire at the end of the month following the month the notice of expiration is being sent, and that its certification period is expiring because of changes in its circumstances which may affect its FSP eligibility and benefit level.
All households shall be assigned a twelve (12) month certification period.
SHORTENING A CERTIFICATION PERIOD
There are only three basic instances when the State can shorten a certification period:
1. When the State received information which indicates the household is ineligible,
2. When a household is found eligible for Transitional Food Assistance (TFA) and the recertification month is pushed back to match the last month of TFA, or
3. When the household does not cooperate in clarifying its circumstances.
For #1 & #3 only, a contact letter must be sent giving ten (10) days to respond. If the household does not respond, or responds and refuses to provide information, a notice of adverse action is sent for termination.