section-14 RULES FOR REPORTING CHANGES

A. Types of Change Reporting There are five major types of reporting rules for SNAP: 1. Simplified Reporting Rules Simplified Reporting rules affect the majority of SNAP cases. All SNAP households are Simplified Reporters except: • “Change” 10-Day Reporting households, • Transitional Benefit Alternative (TBA) Reporting households, • New York State Combined Application Project (NYSCAP) Reporting households, and • Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) households. a. Changes to Be Reported Households must report the information or changes below at initial application, when completing the Periodic Report, and at Recertification: (1) Changes in the household’s total earned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the household’s SNAP budget was calculated (2) Household composition, e.g., the addition or loss of a household member (3) New address (4) New rent or mortgage costs, if household moves (5) Changes in any source of income (6) Changes in the amount of child support a client is court-ordered to pay outside their home (7) Changes in the household’s total unearned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the SNAP budget was calculated, if received from a public source (SS benefits, UIB, etc.) (8) Changes in the household’s total unearned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the SNAP budget was calculated, if received from a private source (child support, private disability, etc.) (9) Increase in resources above the resource limit for those households not categorically eligible. (10) If the household has an additional or change in licensed vehicle for those households not categorically eligible. (11) ABAWDs must report to the local district when their work hours fall below 80 per month. This must be reported within 10 days after the end of the month when work hours fall below 80 hours per month. ABAWDs must also document hours of participation in unpaid work activities during the month within 10 days after the end of the calendar month. (12) If any household member receives substantial lottery/gambling winnings of $4,500 or more won as a cash prize in a single game before taxes or withholding. Change reporting is always included in the CNS notice at opening, change, recertification, and reopening transactions. Districts are required to determine what reporting system applies to the household, explain the reporting requirements to the recipient household and additionally, if a household falls within the simplified reporting category, the recipient household should be informed of the appropriate gross monthly income threshold at which they become required to report. The requirements of the Simplified Reporting System can be explained and monitored by using the decision matrix on the “Change Report Form” (LDSS-3151) at certification and recertification interviews. Note: The LDSS-4908 Upstate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Change Reporting Desk-Aid is also an available resource for LDSS staff. b. When to Report Changes Simplified Reporters must report changes: (1) At recertification and upon receipt of the Periodic Report (LDSS-4310) form. NTA/SNAP households with certification periods of seven full months or longer are required to complete and return a WMS-generated periodic report by the tenth day of the sixth month of their certification period, in addition to reporting whenever their total gross income exceeds 130 percent of poverty. (2) TA/SNAP households that are certified for less than seven full months are not required to complete periodic reports. In districts that have authorized TA certification periods for longer than six months, the TA mail-in recertification form is substituted for one of the mandatory TA semi-annual face-to-face recertifications. TA/FS households that are certified for seven full months or longer, subject to SNAP six-month reporting rules must return the TA mail-in recertification form as their SNAP six-month contact. The Periodic Report will no longer be sent to TA/FS households in the fifth month of their certification periods. (3) During the certification period when: (a) A household’s gross monthly income goes above USDA’s 130% of the poverty guidelines for their household size, or (b) Hours of paid work fall below 80 hours per month for an ABAWD household (4) A household's applicable poverty level is based on its household size at last required contact: initial application, periodic report, recertification, unless the local district has already processed a change in household size on the ABEL budget, as described in Section 5. (5) If the household’s gross monthly income exceeds the 130% of the poverty level, it must be reported to the social services district by phone, in writing, or in person within 10 days following the month of change. (6) Please note that a household subject to simplified reporting must report when its gross monthly income exceeds 130% of poverty even if it is subject to a higher SNAP gross income limit due to broad-based categorical eligibility or the presence of an aged or disabled household member. (7) Any other changes to the household including household composition, rent costs, and gross monthly income changes under 130% of the poverty level do not need to be reported until the next point of contact, either at recertification or on the periodic report received halfway into the certification period. However, a household may voluntarily report changes regardless of their requirement to report. (8) SNAP households that are subject to Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) requirements, have earnings, and are certified for at least six months need to report when their work hours fall below 80 hours per month. The ABAWD household must report the reduction in work hours within 10 days after the end of the month in which they fell below 80 hours. (a) If the ABAWD receives SNAP benefits for more than 3 months in a 36- month period without participating in ABAWD work requirements, the local districts must issue a timely notice of adverse action to delete the ineligible individual or, for a one-person household, to close the case. (9) SNAP households that are subject to ABAWD requirements that do not have earnings need to document hours of participation in unpaid work activities within 10 days after the end of the calendar month. c. For simplified reporters, only the following changes can be reflected in the SNAP benefit calculations during the certification period: (1) Total household monthly gross monthly income exceeds 130% of the poverty level. (This report must be documented in writing. If reported by phone, worker must send a written request to client to confirm information). (2) Information is considered verified upon receipt. (3) Information is reported on the Periodic Report form (except “Simplified Deductions” i.e., non-move shelter, medical, or childcare expenses). (4) Household requests to have case closed. (5) Changes resulting from a TA budget change (6) Household voluntarily reports and verifies information (7) Household receives SNAP benefits for 3 months in the 36-month period and is not meeting ABAWD requirements. d. Acting on Reported Changes (1) TA/SNAP households will report changes pursuant to the TA ten-day reporting requirement (2) For a TA/SNAP case and a NTA/SNAP case subject to the SNAP simplified reporting rule, the worker must act on information that affects SNAP eligibility and benefit amounts only in the following circumstances: (a) The information resulted in a change in the TA grant amount, including when total household gross monthly income exceeds 130 percent of poverty. When a SNAP household reports in person or in writing that their income exceeds 130 percent of poverty, the local district must act on the reported change. When a SNAP household informs the local district by telephone of income over 130 percent of poverty, the local district must immediately send the household a written request to confirm the reported information, either with documentary evidence or by a written and signed statement. The district must allow ten days for the household to provide verification, and act on the additional information when received. (b) If a household fails to comply with the request for verification, the local district must provide timely and adequate notice to discontinue SNAP benefits; (c) The information is considered verified upon receipt (Please see section “Changes Considered Verified Upon Receipt” below for a definition of "verified upon receipt"); (d) The information is reported at recertification; (e) The information is reported on the SNAP simplified periodic report (LDSS- 4310) by a household with a certification period longer than six months; or (f) The household voluntarily reports and verifies information that will increase the SNAP benefit; (g) The household voluntarily requests to have its SNAP case closed. Local districts are reminded that, when a household requests in writing to have its SNAP benefits terminated, they may close the case without further notice. Local districts must send an adequate notice confirming a household's oral request to close its SNAP case. (h) The household includes an ABAWD who has received SNAP benefits for 3 months in the 36-month period and is not meeting ABAWD requirements. (3) Local districts must provide a “timely and adequate” notice prior to closing a case for failure to return a periodic report. Local districts may provide “adequate only” notice sent no later than the date of the proposed action for changes resulting from information furnished in a periodic report. (4) In addition, local districts must continue to process non-financial changes that households may voluntarily report during their certification periods, such as address changes and corrections of demographic information. (5) For TA/SNAP and NTA/SNAP simplified reporting households, workers must not act on, or compute SNAP overpayment amounts for, change reports other than those listed above. When a simplified reporting household notifies the local district of, but does not verify, a change that decreases the SNAP benefit, the local district cannot require the household to verify the change for SNAP purposes but must act on the change. If the change would increase benefits, however, the local district must inform the household that SNAP benefits cannot be increased until the household verifies the change and encourage the household to provide verification. (6) During its certification period, a TA/SNAP household's failure to report a change does not result in a SNAP overpayment or loss of SNAP eligibility unless the household: (a) Has total gross monthly income over the 130 percent of poverty threshold; (b) Has a certification period of more than six months, and fails to report changes on the periodic reporting form (LDSS-4310), or fails to return a completed periodic reporting form in the sixth month; or (c) Is subject to, and fails to meet, Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) eligibility requirements for more than 3months in the fixed 36- month period. NOTE: At application or recertification, when changes occur between the Date of Interview and the date the Notice of Eligibility is issued, the household will have until 10 days following the end of the calendar month the Notice of Eligibility was issued to report any changes. Failure to report changes during this period can result in a SNAP overpayment (see 04-ADM-01). (7) Simplified Reporters and Multiple Changes Voluntarily Reported If during a certification period, a simplified reporting household voluntarily reports two or more changes at the same time, and one of the reported changes would result in a benefit increase and the other would result in a benefit reduction, decreases in benefits may be processed, based on the household’s information, with verification pended until the next recertification. No increases in benefits are processed unless the changes are verified. Also, multiple changes that are interrelated would not be made independently without verification. For example, a new household member would not be added to the budget without verifying and including his/her income and no action would be taken until the totality of changes were verified. e. Additional Information About Simplified Reporting (1) Closing simplified reporting household’s cases - Local districts must discontinue SNAP benefits of a simplified reporting household when the household: (a) Becomes ineligible based on a reported change in gross monthly income that exceeds the 130 percent threshold; (b) Requests to have its case closed; (c) Is certified for more than six months, and fails to return a completed periodic reporting form (LDSS-4310) in their sixth month; (d) No longer resides in New York State; (e) All household members have died; or (f) Is otherwise ineligible for reasons such as failure to meet ABAWD requirements, or because all household members are sanctioned or disqualified, or for a reason that is voluntarily reported by the household such as ineligible student status. (2) Leaving simplified reporting (a) A household that loses all of its income or otherwise becomes no longer eligible for simplified reporting will remain on simplified reporting until its next recertification. At that time the district is required to explain the reporting rules under which the household is required to report. (b) When an eligible member of a simplified reporting household leaves during the certification period, the individual is not removed from the case count unless: i. The certification period is longer than six months and the change was reported on a simplified periodic reporting form (LDSS-4310); ii. Removing the individual (and their income) will result in increased benefits and all of the information regarding the change is verified; or iii. The person leaving has joined another SNAP household, which requests that the individual be added to their case. 2. “Change” 10-Day Reporting Rules a. “Change” 10-Day Reporting rules apply to the following: (3) Households with no income (4) Households that are certified for less than 4 months (5) Migrant or seasonal farmers (6) Undomiciled/homeless households (7) Households in which all adult members are aged/disabled with no earned income (except NYSCAP and ESAP cases) (8) Group home residents in receipt of SSI or SSD b. Changes to Be Reported - Households must report the following changes within ten days following the month of change: (1) Changes in the household’s total earned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the household SNAP budget was calculated (2) Household composition, e.g., the addition or loss of a household member (3) New address (4) New rent or mortgage costs, if the household moves (5) Changes in any source of income (6) Changes in the amount of child support a client is legally obligated to pay outside their home, (7) Changes in the household’s total unearned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the SNAP budget was calculated, if received from a public source (SS benefits, UIB, etc.) (8) Changes in the household’s total unearned income when it increases or decreases by more than $125 since the last time the household’s SNAP budget was calculated if received from a private source (child support, private disability, etc.) (9) Increase in resources above the resource limit for those households not categorically eligible. (10) If the household has an additional or change in licensed vehicle for those households not categorically eligible. (11) ABAWDs must report to the local district when their work hours fall below 80 per month. This must be reported within 10 days after the end of the month when work hours fall below 80 hours per month. ABAWDS must also document hours of participation in un-paid work activities during the month within 10 days after the end of the calendar month. (12) If any household member receives substantial lottery/gambling winnings of $4,500 or more won as a cash prize in a single game before taxes or withholding. NOTE: At application or recertification, when changes occur between the Date of Interview and the date the Notice of Eligibility is issued, the household will have until 10 days following the end of the calendar month the Notice of Eligibility was issued to report any changes. c. “Change” 10-day Reporters must report during the certification period: (1) Changes by the 10th day of the month following the month of change (2) Notify the district either by phone, in writing or using the SNAP Change Report Form of the reportable change and provide verification NOTE: Changes that result in reduction in benefits/case closing will affect the budget for the month following the end of the ten-day notice period. 3. TBA Reporting a. Changes to Be Reported: (1) There is no requirement to report changes during the 5-month TBA period. (2) If the household wants to report a change that would increase SNAP, they must recertify and TBA ends early. If the household fails to come in for this early recert appointment, continue SNAP benefits unchanged at the TBA amount until the end of the 5-month TBA period. Do not close the case during the TBA period for this reason. 4. NYSCAP a. Changes to Be Reported: (1) NYSCAP SNAP clients do not have any reporting requirements outside of the required interim contact (except at the interim contact). They could report any change that might cause an increase in their SNAP. If reported and verified, the worker needs to determine the effect on the NYSCAP benefit and adjust it accordingly. (2) A client may report and verify increases in medical expenses, rent or utility costs, or a move to a new address at anytime. (3) NYSCAP households receive an interim contact form (LDSS-4836) 18 months prior to the end of their certification period. The purpose of the form is to verify current shelter and/or utility expenses in order to determine if households are eligible for more SNAP benefits than are currently being received. (4) Each household: (a) Must sign, date, and return the form (b) Must document any changes prior to having their SNAP benefits increased (5) The district must process changes from unsolicited reports that meet the definition of “verified upon receipt", reports from primary sources that may affect either eligibility or benefit amount. These reports may also include automated reports of SDX information requiring the state or the local district to remove the participant from NYSCAP when the SDX indicates the participant is no longer in receipt of SSI income. Districts must also process information received as verified upon receipt from the household itself as a primary source which indicates the household would receive a different benefit amount. 5. ESAP a. Changes to be Reported: (1) ESAP households are considered Simplified Reports but MUST also report the following changes within 10 days after the end of the month in which the change happened: (a) Changes in who lives with them; (b) If anyone in the household begins receiving earned income; (c) If any household member receives substantial lottery/gambling winnings of $4,500 or more won as a cash prize in a single game before taxes or withholding. (2) At the midpoint in the certification period the household will receive an Interim Report, the LDSS-3151 – “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Change Report Form”, which the household may voluntarily return if they have changes to report at that time. Negative action cannot be taken against an ESAP household that does not return this non-mandatory Interim Report. Changes that are reported by the household that would increase its SNAP benefit should be acted upon, but must be verified, either using system resources and data matches or, if necessary, by documents which the household would provide. Negative action cannot be taken against a household for failure to verify such changes, but they should be further explored at the next recertification. Reference: 387.17 Certification/Authorization 273.12 Requirements for Change reporting Households 273.24 Time Limit for Able-Bodied Adults 273.30 Transitional benefit alternative change reporting requirements 13 ADM 04 SNAP Reactivation Waiver 01 ADM 09 Six Month Reporting Rules Food Stamp Households with Earned Income 02 ADM 07 Food Stamp Program Reauthorization Changes 02 INF 26 Revision to the Periodic Report 03 INF 10 Food Stamp Program Questions and Answers 04 ADM 02 Change in Food Stamp Change Reporting Rules 04 INF 13 Revisions to the system generated Periodic Report 07 ADM 05 Food Stamp Reporting for Ten Day Reporters 13 INF 02 Revision to the LDSS 4310 Periodic Report 93 AMD 09 Quarterly Reporting System (QRS) 95 INF 19 Quarterly Reporting System Question and Answers 01 ADM 14 Temporary Assistance Procedures: District Waiver Option of Quarterly Reporting Requirements (QRS) 07 ADM 01 Temporary Assistance Procedures: Elimination of Quarterly Reporting System (QRS) Requirements and Welfare-To-Work Procedures: Documenting Hours of Paid Employment 21 TA/DC080 Preliminary Guidance Regarding the New York State Combined Application Project (NYSCAP) 21 TA/DC079 Preliminary Guidance Regarding the Elderly Simplified Application LDSS 4310 Periodic Report LDSS 4310A Follow Up to the Periodic Report LDSS 4908 Change Reporting Desk Aid LDSS 4836 NYSCAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits Interim Report LDSS-4836(NYC), NYSCAP SNAP Case Interim Report B. Interim Reporting 1. Periodic Reports NTA/SNAP households with certification periods of seven full months or longer are required to complete and return a WMS-generated periodic report LDSS- 4310 Periodic Report by the tenth day of the sixth month of their certification period, in addition to reporting whenever their total gross income exceeds 130 percent of poverty. For households that fail to submit the LDSS-4310 Periodic Report by the tenth day of the process month, the SSD shall send the household a timely and adequate notice of discontinuance using case level reason code E50 Failure to Return Periodic Report. This transaction will automatically generate an LDSS-4310A Follow-up to the Periodic Report which provides the SNAP household the required 10-days to submit form LDSS-4310A to the SSD. 2. TA/SNAP households Certified for less than seven full months are not required to complete periodic reports. In districts that allow authorized TA certification periods for longer than six months, the TA mail-in recertification form is substituted for one of the mandatory TA semi-annual face-to-face recertifications. TA/FS households that are certified for seven full months or longer, subject to FS six-month reporting rules must return the TA mail-in recertification form as their FS six-month contact. The Periodic Report will no longer be sent to TA/FS households in the fifth month of their certification periods. 3. Notices/Forms At application and each recertification, districts must explain reporting rules to SNAP households, and ensure households are aware of changes they are required to report. a. Federal regulations at 7 CFR 272.5(b)(1) requires State agencies to inform SNAP participant and applicant households of their program rights and responsibilities. Federal regulation 7 CFR 273.2(e)(1) requires, as part of the eligibility interview, that the interviewer must advise households of their rights and responsibilities, including the appropriate application processing standard and the household’s responsibility to report changes, at the following times: (1) When they are opened for SNAP. This also applies to NTA/SNAP cases opened as result of separate SNAP determination after TA case closings; (2) In the first month of NTA/SNAP after TBA; (3) When they report new income, employment, and no income was previously budgeted; and (4) At each recertification b. The Request for Contact (RFC) is used very sparingly for simplified reporting households. It should be used in the following situations: (1) A household has verbally reported a move within the district, and the move is left unverified. In a TA/SNAP case, the TA case would close (if the family fails to respond), but the SNAP portion must remain open. Additionally, the TA income would be removed, and the household would receive the Transitional Benefits Alternative (TBA). However, under such a situation if the TA/SNAP case were to be moving out of district, the RFC would be sent for SNAP and, if the household failed to respond, SNAP benefits would be discontinued with a timely and adequate notice. (2) To confirm/verify a phone report from a client who has called to indicate that the household income has exceeded the 130% poverty level. (3) To investigate or clarify some information from the last certification interview if information received from another source has called into question the accuracy/completeness of the household’s reporting at the last certification. (4) When the post office returns mail and lists a new address that is still within the local district for an NTA/SNAP case, the benefits would continue until the end of the certification period. C. Changes Considered Verified Upon Receipt 1. Computer Matches In order for a local district to be able to take SNAP action on a computer match without any further verification, the information must be “verified upon receipt”. Verified upon receipt means that the information: a. Is not questionable b. Is timely c. Is coming from a primary source The following computer matches are determined by OTDA to be verified upon receipt for SNAP purposes and require no further verification at the local district level before they take SNAP action: Match Data Provided From Information Provided To Local District SDX State Data Exchange Applicants/Recipients in receipt of SSI BENDEX Social Security Beneficiary Data Exchange Applicants/Recipients in receipt of RSDI PARIS Public Assistance Reporting Information System Recipients in receipt of benefits in another state/duplicate assistance Prison NYS Department of Correctional Services and Division of Criminal Justice Services Recipients who are incarcerated in state, county or city jails UIB NYS Department of Labor *Recipients who are receiving Unemployment Insurance Benefits VED The Verified Employment Data is verified through either TALX/The Work Number or NDNH Manual Employment Verifications prior to posting; the information being verified originates from a match run against the National Directory of New Hires TANF Adult Recipients who have been identified as completing a W-4 “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate” and verified as receiving wages * UIB matches for Applicants are not considered verified upon receipt. Due to processing constraints, only Master Benefit Record information is received. This includes the Weekly Benefit Amount, Expiration week and year but does not include the actual weekly payments made to the client. Therefore, the UIB matches for Applicants do not meet the verified upon receipt criteria. Note: The NCIC and Fleeing Felon matches were discontinued in 2010 due to the Fowlkes and Clark litigations. For purposes of processing changes for SNAP households subject to simplified reporting, information is considered to be verified upon receipt if it is not questionable and the provider is the primary source for the information. A report of a change in income cannot be considered as verified upon receipt unless it includes the exact new income amount, the effective date of receipt of the income and any other information needed to recalculate the SNAP benefit amount. Examples of information that is verified upon receipt include the following: a. Computer match information about federal benefits received from the Social Security Administration, such as SDX and BENDEX, please see table above. SSDs are reminded that computer matches from secondary sources, such as quarterly wage matches or earned income information on the SDX, are not considered verified on receipt, and would be resolved at the households' next six- month contact; b. Information from the Department of Labor or local district employment contractor that a recipient failed to comply with a SNAP work requirement; c. A determination by a court, administrative hearing or disqualification consent agreement of an Intentional Program Violation (IPV); d. Actions taken by other programs under the authority of the local district that affect budgeted SNAP expenses; The district must process changes from unsolicited reports that meet the definition of “verified upon receipt" - reports from primary sources that may affect either eligibility or benefit amount. These reports may also include automated reports of SDX information requiring the state or the local district to remove the participant from NYSCAP when the SDX indicates the participant is no longer in receipt of SSI income. Districts must also process information received as verified upon receipt from the household itself as a primary source which indicates the household would receive a different benefit amount. The matches listed below DO require further verification by the local districts before any SNAP action may be taken. These matches are not verified upon receipt. They are: Match Unverified Data Provided From Information Provided To Local District WRS Wage Reporting System from NYS Tax and Finance Applicants/Recipients in receipt of past wages; local districts must still verify employment SDNH State Directory of New Hires from NYS Tax and Finance Applicants/Recipients who have completed a W-4 “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate”; local districts must still verify employment Reference: 387.1(w) Definitions 387.14(a) Determination of Food Stamp Eligibility 387.17 Certification/Authorization P.L.105-33 Section 1003 DENIAL OF FOOD STAMPS FOR PRISONERS 273.1(b) Definitions 273.2(k) Office operations and application processing 273.11(n) Action on households with special circumstances 01 ADM 08 - Changes in Food Stamp Application and Recertification Procedures 01 ADM-09 – Six Month Reporting Rules Food Stamp Households with Earned Income 02 ADM-07 – Food Stamp Program Reauthorization Changes 04 ADM 02 - Changes in Food Stamp Program Change Reporting Rules 07 ADM-05 – Food Stamp Reporting for Ten Day Reporters 03 INF-10 – Food Stamp Program Questions and Answers: Application processing, Six Month Reporting, Transitional Benefits and Standard Utility Allowance 06 INF-10 – Computer Matching Clarification for Food Stamps 14 INF 05 Resource File Integration (RFI) Policy and Procedures LDSS 4753 SNAP Request For Contact/missed interview LDSS 3151 Food Stamp Change Reporting Form