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FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES CERTIFICATION ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FNS 212 HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS

10 Section 212 Change #3-2026 September 1, 2026 A homeless shelter, however, cannot be the authorized representative for the homeless individual. Even though a shelter provides meals, it does not mean that the individual that stays in the shelter is there to partake of the meal provided. The individual is still homeless and may still wander during the day and stay at the shelter at night. The individuals in a homeless shelter can participate in the program and must be treated as separate households from the others with whom they reside, subject to mandatory household combination as required by law (i.e., homeless spouse in the same shelter cannot be a separate household). 212.04 HOUSEHOLDS WITH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES A. Temporary Absence There is no provision for temporary absence in the Food and Nutrition Services Program. At application and recertification exclude an individual who is residing away from the FNS unit on a temporary basis. Refer to Manual Sections 450 and 550 to determine appropriate reporting requirements. B. Absent Wage Earners An absent wage earner is an individual who is often away from his/her residence because of the distance to work. Include an absent wage earner in the FNS unit. To exclude the absent wage earner, the FNS unit is responsible for establishing that the wage earner is not an FNS unit member. If the absent wage earner maintains a separate residence from the FNS unit, consider whether the individual is separate from the FNS unit. Evaluate each case on its own merit using the best available information. Some examples of absent wage earners may include, but are not limited to, individuals who drive trucks, fish commercially, and those who are traveling salespeople.

C. Military Personnel Military personnel are often stationed away from their households with little advance warning. Individuals "left behind" for undetermined periods of time that are 30 days or more in length may apply for Food and Nutrition Services benefits. This applies to both temporary duty (TDY) and permanent change of station (PCS). Determine eligibility based on the situation of the remaining FNS unit members. Consider any gain or benefit that is not in the form of money as in-kind and exclude it as income. Count any contribution made by the member to the FNS unit as unearned income. If a military allotment is being sent to the FNS unit, count as unearned income to the FNS unit. If the FNS unit shares a joint bank account with the absent military personnel and their pay is directly deposited into this account, count the money as unearned