10:87-9.12 Miscellaneous administrative procedures

(a) The CSSA shall provide qualified employees as necessary to insure prompt and correct action on all applications. If necessary, staff shall be employed as required by DFD pursuant to FNS bilingual staffing requirements, as well as for serving those with limited English proficiency and/or disabilities. Only such qualified employees shall interview applicants and determine the household's eligibility or ineligibility and NJ SNAP benefit amount. Additionally, unless prior approval is obtained from DFD, certification offices with more than two eligibility workers shall schedule NJ SNAP certification services, so that there is no break in service during the lunch period. Furthermore, only authorized employees of the CSSA shall have access to Families First card stock or other issuance material and documents. (b) A volunteer, or any other person not employed by the CSSA shall not conduct application interviews. However, such persons may participate in the following activities: 1. Volunteers may locate potential recipients (through prescreening workshops, etc.), provide them with application forms, provide transportation to the NJ SNAP Office, teach Nutritional Education (if requested) and generally promote the NJ SNAP program. 2. If requested to do so by the applicant, a volunteer may assist the household in completing relevant forms and in securing needed verification. 3. If a household is unable to apply for benefits in person, a volunteer may serve as an authorized representative for that household provided the volunteer has been designated as such by the head of household, spouse, or any other responsible member of the household. (c) Customer service standards are as follows: 1. County agencies shall ensure that services are provided in a prompt and courteous manner to all customers, including those with limited English proficiency, as well as, those with disabilities; 2. County agencies shall provide interpreter services to those customers with limited English proficiency, as well as, to those with disabilities; 3. County agencies shall have a system in place to ensure that telephone calls are answered promptly and courteously, and routed to the proper person. i. Phone etiquette shall include: (1) Using appropriate salutation; (2) Worker shall identify self; (3) Callers shall be asked for their permission before being put on hold; (4) Holds shall be activated with courtesy word or phrase; (5) When ready, recall the caller to the conversation by speaking his or her name as a question; and (6) Thank the caller for waiting. ii. For agencies with a voicemail system, the agency shall ensure that: (1) All messages are retrieved and responded to within one working day; (2) Callers have an opportunity to speak to an agency employee instead of voicemail; and (3) Voicemail shall include information on what to do in an emergency; 4. County agencies shall include customer service training as part of its new employee orientation when identified in the customer service surveys and as addressed in the corrective action plan. Such training shall include cultural diversity, civil rights requirements and conflict resolution; 5. County agencies shall implement a process to monitor customer waiting time and have established standard acceptable lengths of waiting time; 6. County agencies shall conduct customer service surveys; 7. County agencies shall have a system in place to analyze data from available sources to assess customer service; 8. County agencies shall have a customer service improvement plan; 9. County agencies shall have a system in place to monitor the implementation of the customer service improvement plan and assess the effectiveness of the plan; 10. County agencies shall provide NJ SNAP information flyers to all persons who express an interest in the NJ SNAP program; 11. County agencies shall ensure waiting rooms are clean and provide sufficient seating; 12. County agencies shall ensure access for private conversation with receptionist or other screening staff; 13. County agencies shall display "And Justice for All" posters; 14. County agencies shall display all required postings; 15. County agencies shall have in place a means for customers to drop off documents without a wait; 16. Customers shall have ready access to clean, safe and secure restrooms; and 17. All customer interviews shall be conducted in area(s) that ensure privacy with minimal interruptions. (d) Persons or organizations who are parties to a strike or lock out, and their facilities may not be used in the certification process except as a source of verification for information supplied by the household. (e) Each CSSA is responsible for the timely and accurate issuance of benefits to certified households. The Division of Family Development shall establish a standardized issuance and accountability system applicable to all counties, which will ensure compliance with NJ SNAP program procedures as follows: 1. That only certified households receive benefits; 2. All certified households have access to their benefits; 3. The benefits are timely distributed in correct amounts; 4. Families First cards are accepted and stored with adequate security after delivery to receiving points within the county; and 5. NJ SNAP benefit and reconciliation activities are conducted timely and accurately. History HISTORY: Repealed, R.1984 d.17, effective February 6, 1984. See: 15 N.J.R. 1821(a), 16 N.J.R. 246(a). This section formerly contained the rules entitled "Rights of households in the new project area". As amended on an emergency basis, R.1981 d.398, effective September 30, 1981 (operative October 1, 1981), expires November 30, 1981. See: 13 N.J.R. 769(a). Recodified, R.1981 d.517, effective December 31, 1981. See: 13 N.J.R. 769(a), 14 N.J.R. 103(a). (b)1 "Information activities" was "outreach efforts". As amended, R.1981 d.64, effective February 26, 1981. See: 13 N.J.R. 226(b). (d) added. Amended by R.1989 d.121, effective February 21, 1989. See: 20 N.J.R. 2689(a), 21 N.J.R. 511(b). Substantially amended and recodified from 9.17. The original section 9.8 was "Reporting of illegal aliens". The following are amendments to that section: As amended, R.1980 d.117, effective March 19, 1980. See: 11 N.J.R. 517(a), 12 N.J.R. 194(b). (a)4: Added "California". As amended, R.1984 d.17, effective February 6, 1984. See: 15 N.J.R. 1821(a), 16 N.J.R. 246(a). This section formerly contained rules on the sixty day continuation of verification. Recodified from N.J.A.C. 10:87-9.8 and amended by R.2004 d.181, effective May 17, 2004. See: 36 N.J.R. 28(a), 36 N.J.R. 2425(a). Rewrote the section. Former 10:87-9.11 was reserved. Recodified from N.J.A.C. 10:87-9.11 and 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 (a) and (c)10, substituted "NJ SNAP" for "food stamp" throughout; in (a), inserted a comma following "requirements" and "services"; in (b)1, substituted "NJ SNAP" for "Food Stamp" and "NJ SNAP program" for "Food Stamp Program", and deleted a comma following "(if requested)"; in (c)1, (c)2, (c)3ii(3), (c)4 through (c)9 and (c)11 through (c)15, substituted a semicolon for a period at the end; in (c)10, substituted "NJ SNAP Program;" for "food stamp."; in (c)16, substituted "; and" for a period at the end; in the introductory paragraph of (e), substituted "NJ SNAP program" for "Food Stamp Program"; and in (e)5, substituted "NJ SNAP" for "Food stamp". Former N.J.A.C. 10:87-9.12, Case records, recodified to N.J.A.C. 10:87-9.13.