section-18 SNAP RECORD RETENTION AND DOCUMENTATION

This Record Retention and Disposition Schedule was developed to meet both State and Federal retention requirements for SNAP documentation. A. Purpose The purpose of this Retention Schedule is to: 1. Ensure that County government records are retained as long as needed for the County's administrative, legal, fiscal, and other use. 2. Ensure that records are retained as long as required by County, State, and Federal 3. agencies for fiscal, oversight, and other purposes; 4. Provide that archival records, those with enduring value for historical and other research purposes, are retained permanently; and 5. Encourage and facilitate the systematic disposal of records no longer needed for any use. B. Documentation of Records 1. Types of Documentation Districts must retain in an orderly fashion for audit and review purposes all general program records for 6 years from creation and certification records for no less than 6 years from the end of certification, or if under investigation, until the end of the investigation, whichever is longer. The records retained must be able to justify all actions taken on a case or application. This information must include but is not limited to: a. Applications for certification or recertification; b. Worksheets used in the computation of income for eligibility; c. Documentation of eligibility. Such documentation shall include the method of verification used in determining eligibility; d. Copies of forms sent to the issuance unit to authorize or change participation and/or which serve as e. the basis of issuance; f. Copies of notices sent to the household and any responses to those notices; and g. Copies of documents reflecting actions related to the fair hearing process; In addition, for SNAP overpayment claims, maintain all documentation that supports decisions about the claim amount, type, period and repayment method. At a minimum, this includes but is not limited to: a. Application or recertification forms that apply to the time period of the overpayment. b. Verification of the discrepant information, such as pay stubs or employer letters. c. Copies of manual notices. d. Records relating to the amount of benefits that were received. e. The Calculation of Total Overpayment Amount worksheet (LDSS-4778) with the month by month overpayment summary showing the Date of Discovery, Date of Establishment, amount issued to the household, the amount to which the household was actually entitled, the overpayment amount for each month and the total amount of the overpayment. f. Budget calculations used to determine the benefit amount that the client should have received - this can be represented as copies of scratchpad budgets representing the entire period of overpayment. Documentation may be paper originals, copies of originals, electronically imaged documents or an electronic record such as information retained in WMS and CAMS. It may be kept in a separate claims file or in the general case record. If kept in the general case record, the information must be clearly identified that it supports a claim and what claim it supports. Information must be readily retrievable for local district, Federal, State, client, or Fair Hearing Review. Failure to adequately document claims establishment information can result in the claim being overturned in a Fair Hearing, TOP review or other challenge. 2. Record Retention Requirements Program records shall be retained in an orderly fashion for audit and review purposes for no less than 6 years from the month of origin of each record. In addition: a. Fiscal records and accountable documents shall be retained for 6 years from the date of fiscal or administrative closure. Fiscal closure means that obligations for or against the Federal Government have been liquidated. Administrative closure means that the agency has determined and documented that no further action to liquidate the obligation is appropriate. Fiscal records and accountable documents include, but are not limited to, claims and documentation of lost benefits. b. Case records relating to Intentional Program Violation (IPV) disqualifications and related notices to the household shall be retained indefinitely until the agency obtains reliable information that the record subject has died or until FNS advises via the disqualified recipient database system edit report that all records associated with a particular individual, including the disqualified recipient database record, may be permanently removed from the database because of the individual's 80th birthday. c. Disqualification records submitted to the disqualified recipient database must be purged by the agency that submitted them when the supporting documents are no longer accurate, relevant, or complete. The agency shall follow a prescribed records management program to meet this requirement. Information about this program shall be available for FNS review. d. Keep closed-case documentation according to the USDA time limits outlined below: 1. IPV Disqualification Records: Indefinite. These records must be retained for the life of the individual or until USDA notifies the State that the record is no longer needed. 2. Work Requirement Violation Records: Indefinite. Permanent work rule disqualifications 3. must be retained for the life of the individual or until he/she reaches age 60, whichever occurs first. 4. Claims Records: 3 years after the claim is either satisfied or closed administratively. 5. Issuance Records: 6 years from the date the federal debt is paid for cases with claims. 6. DSS-3214 “Status of Claims Against Households”: 6 years. 7. CAMS Reports: 6 years. e. In addition, follow these State requirements: 1. General Program Records: 6 years from the date of closing 2. Certification Records: 6 years from the end of the date of certification or, if under investigation, until the investigation is resolved or the penalty imposed. 3. DSS-3214 “Status of Claims Against Households”: 6 years 4. CAMS Reports: 6 years References: 387.2(k) 387.2(l) 272.1(f) 98 INF-3 04 ADM 01