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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 12/2019

APPLICATION INTERVIEWS

0005.12.12

SNAP: The agency must screen for expedited SNAP on the date of application. For applications screened as expedited, offer a same day interview. See 0004.06 (Emergencies – 1st Month Processing). For non-expedited applications, an interview may still be completed on the date of application.

If a client is not interviewed at the time the application is submitted, an interview must be scheduled. Document and track the date of the scheduled interview. Counties and tribes may use SPEC/MEMO to notify the applicant of the scheduled interview. See TEMP Manual TE02.05.15 (Notice of Interview/Missed Interview (NOMI)) for suggested text. The county or tribe must schedule all interviews as promptly as possible to ensure eligible units receive an opportunity to have 10 days to provide any needed verifications and to participate within 30 days after the application is filed. This means that the interview must be scheduled within 20 days from the application date in order to give the applicant 10 days to return any mandatory verifications.

If the application is:

● Delivered in person, give the applicant written confirmation of the interview date, time and location.

● Sent in the mail, by fax or placed in a drop box, and an interview is not completed with the applicant within 2 business days, send written confirmation of the interview date, time and location.

● Submitted through ApplyMN and an interview is not completed with the applicant within 2 business days, send written confirmation of the interview date, time and location.

The interview may be with any responsible member(s) of the unit or their authorized representative. Clients must be informed of the interview options available: phone, face-to-face, or at a convenient location. Based on the interview option chosen, counties and tribes MUST accommodate the client’s choice. There is NO requirement that the interview must be held in the office. If an in- office interview is not done, the county or tribe must arrange for a phone interview or a face-to-face interview at a location mutually agreed upon by the county or tribe and the client.

A face-to-face home interview must be provided when a client requests and meets 1 of the following hardship conditions listed below:

● Illness.

● Transportation difficulties.

● Care of a unit member.

● Hardships due to living in a rural area.

● Prolonged severe weather.

● Work or training hours that prevent the client from participating in an in-office interview.

● Other conditions that prevent the client from participating in an in-office interview.

If a client misses the initial interview, either an in-office interview, home visit or a phone interview, you must send a Notice of Missed Interview to the client informing them of the missed interview and the responsibility to reschedule another interview. The Notice of Missed Interview is available in SPEC/LETR. For more information see TEMP Manual TE02.05.15 (Notice of Interview/Missed Interview (NOMI)). A Notice of Missed Interview must be sent even if circumstances prevent a client from completing an interview late in the 30 day processing period. For example, a denial notice can be sent 1 day after the Notice of Missed Interview has been issued to the client if the missed interview was on the 30th day of the processing period.

Do not require units to report for a face-to-face interview during the certification period. See 0009.06.06 (Recertification