10:87-9.1 Recertification

(a) No household may participate beyond the expiration of the certification period assigned in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:87-6.20 without a determination of eligibility for a new period. Households shall apply for recertification and shall comply with interview and verification requirements. (b) The CSSA shall provide households certified for one month or certified in the second month of a two-month certification period a notice of expiration (NOE) at the time of certification. The CSSA shall provide other households the NOE before the first day of the last month of the certification period, but not before the first day of the next-to-the-last month. Jointly-processed WFNJ households need not receive a separate NJ SNAP notice if they are recertified for NJ SNAP benefits at the same time as their WFNJ redetermination. (c) The Notice of Expiration (NOE) shall contain the following: 1. The date the certification period expires; 2. The date by which a household must submit an application for recertification in order to receive uninterrupted benefits; 3. The consequences of failure to apply for recertification in a timely manner; 4. Notice of the right to receive an application form upon request and to have it accepted as long as it contains a signature and a legible name and address; 5. Information on alternative submission methods available to households which cannot come into the certification office or do not have an authorized representative and how to exercise these options; 6. The address of the office where the application must be filed; 7. The household's right to request a fair hearing if the recertification is denied or if the household objects to the benefit issuance; 8. Notice that any household consisting only of SSI applicants or recipients is entitled to apply for NJ SNAP recertification at an office of the Social Security Administration (SSA); 9. Notice that failure to attend an interview may result in delay or denial of benefits; and 10. Notice that the household is responsible for rescheduling a missed interview and for providing required verification information. (d) To expedite the recertification process, CSSAs are encouraged to send a recertification application, an interview appointment letter and a notice of verification (NJ SNAP-33) required at N.J.A.C. 10:87-2.22(d)3 with the NOE. The CSSA may request that the household bring the application form to the interview or return the form by a specified date (not less than 15 days after receipt of the form). (e) As part of the recertification process, the CSSA shall conduct a face-to-face interview with a member of each household. The face-to-face interview may be waived in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:87-2.18(e). The CSSA may waive the face-to-face interview for any household in which at least one member has earned or unearned income. The CSSA has the option of conducting a telephone interview or a home visit for those households for whom the office interview is waived. However, a household that requests a face-to-face interview must be granted one. (f) If a household receives WFNJ and will be certified for NJ SNAP benefits more than once in a 12-month period, the CSSA may choose to conduct a face-to-face interview with that household only once during that period. The face-to-face interview shall be conducted at the same time that the household receives a face-to-face interview for WFNJ purposes. At any other recertification during that yearly period, the CSSA may interview the household by telephone, conduct a home visit or recertify the household by mail. (g) The CSSA may schedule the interview prior to the application filing date, provided that the household's application is not denied at the time for failure to appear for the interview. The CSSA shall schedule the interview on or after the date the application was filed if the interview has not been previously scheduled, or the household has failed to appear for any interviews scheduled prior to this time and has requested another interview. CSSAs shall schedule interviews so that the household has at least 10 days after the interview in which to provide verification before the certification period expires. (h) Information provided by the household shall be verified in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:87-2.19 and 2.20. The CSSA shall provide the household a notice of required verification as provided at N.J.A.C. 10:87-2.22(d)3, and notify the household of the date by which the verification requirements must be satisfied. The household must be allowed a minimum of 10 calendar days to provide required verification information. Any household whose eligibility is not determined by the end of its current certification period due to the time period allowed for submitting any missing verification shall receive an opportunity to participate, if eligible, within five working days after the household submits the missing verification. (i) Households reporting required changes in circumstances that are either certified for one month, or are certified in the second month of a two-month certification period, shall have 15 days from the date the NOE is received to file a timely application for recertification. (j) Other households reporting required changes in circumstances that submit applications by the 15th day of the last month of the certification period shall be considered to have made a timely application for recertification. (k) For households consisting only of SSI applications or recipients who apply for NJ SNAP recertification at SSA offices in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:87-2.33, an application shall be considered filed for normal processing purposes when the signed application is received by the SSA. History HISTORY: As amended, R.1981 d.64, effective February 26, 1981. See: 13 N.J.R. 226(b). "A Federally mandated . . . procedures" added. Amended by R.1989 d.121, effective February 21, 1989. See: 20 N.J.R. 2689(a), 21 N.J.R. 511(b). Repealed old text and substituted new. Repeal and New Rule, R.1998 d.498, effective October 5, 1998. See: 30 N.J.R. 1928(a), 30 N.J.R. 3669(b). Section was "Recertification". Amended by R.2004 d.181, effective May 17, 2004. See: 36 N.J.R. 28(a), 36 N.J.R. 2425(a). Amended N.J.A.C. references throughout; in (d), substituted "notice of" for "FSP-33 statement of needed" preceding "verification" and inserted "(FSP-33)" following "verification". Amended by R.2009 d.94, effective March 16, 2009. See: 40 N.J.R. 5932(a), 41 N.J.R. 1245(b). In (e), deleted "also" preceding "waive" and inserted "in which at least one member has earned income and also for a household". Amended by R.2012 d.031, effective February 6, 2012 (operative March 7, 2012). See: 43 N.J.R. 2114(a), 44 N.J.R. 241(a). In (b), (c)8 and (k), substituted "NJ SNAP" for "food stamp"; in (b) and (f), substituted "NJ SNAP benefits" for "food stamps"; in (d), deleted a comma following "letter" and substituted "NJ SNAP" for "FSP"; in (e), substituted "any" for "a" following the first occurrence of "for", inserted "or unearned" and deleted "and also for a household that has no earned income if all of its members are elderly or disabled" following the first occurrence of "income"; and in (f), deleted a comma following "visit".