340:50-15-7 Collection effort suspension or termination

(a) Collection effort suspension. The Adult and Family Services (AFS) Benefit Integrity and Recovery (BIR) Unit: (1) suspends collection action on cases no longer receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits when the: (A) primary responsible household member is deceased and there are no remaining adult household members responsible for the overpayment; (B) household cannot be located; or (C) cost of further collection action is likely to exceed the amount that can be recovered. (2) AFS BIR Unit may: (A) reopen debts held in suspension based on changes in household circumstances; or (B) initiate food benefit reduction if the client reapplies and becomes eligible in the future. (b) Termination of overpayment claims. Per Section 273.18(e)(8) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 C.F.R. § 273.18(e)(8): (1) a terminated overpayment claim is a claim in which all collection action has ceased; (2) a written-off claim is a claim no longer considered a receivable subject to continued federal and state collection and reporting requirements; (3) when an overpayment claim is paid in full, the household is notified the debt was satisfied. (4) AFS BIR Unit staff may terminate and write off SNAP overpayment claim(s) when: (A) all adult household members die; (B) the claim balance is $25 or less and the claim has been delinquent for 90-calendar days or more unless other claims exist against this household resulting in an aggregate claim total of greater than $25; (C) the claim is delinquent for three years or more unless AFS BIR Unit is pursuing the claim through the Treasury Offset Program, per 7 C.F.R. § 273.18(n) and Oklahoma Administrative Code 340:50-15-6(h); (D) the household cannot be located for three or more years; (E) the claim is determined invalid unless it is appropriate to pursue a different claim type; or (F) it is not cost effective to pursue the claim any further, per FNS approved cost-effectiveness criteria. (5) AFS BIR may reinstate a terminated and written-off claim when a new collection method or specific event, such as lottery winnings, substantially increases the likelihood of further collections.