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Page | 265 14200 INTERIM CHANGES

Changes reported outside of the application, renewal, or six month report are considered interim change reports. Interim changes are acted on based on  Who reported the change  If the reported change was not questionable  If the reported change was verified  If the reported change results in an increase or decrease in SNAP benefits. All changes must be acted on, but the action taken depends on the circumstances or results of the reported change. The basic rules for reported changes are as follows: 1. Results in decreased benefits are budgeted only when the change is reported by a primary source (changes reported by a primary source are considered verified). 2. Results in increased benefits are budgeted only if the change is verified.

If a change is reported verbally, the Benefits Specialist must review ACCESS to determine if more follow-up is needed. If so, the request for information is sent at that time. If the household either cannot or does not provide the information at the time of the report, follow-up with a formal request for information (DSS-EA-308 or Spec C NOTC) giving them 10 days to verify the information. If the change is reported indirectly by mail, voice message, other source, etc., a request for information, DSS-EA-308, or a Spec C NOTC must be sent.

Changes reported after the last day of the month cannot be acted on until the following month. If the last day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, the change can still be acted on as long as it is reported the first working day following the weekend or holiday.

14210 RELIABLE SOURCE

Primary sources are reliable sources. Generally, household members reporting a change are reliable sources. If there is conflicting information, such as two households reporting the same member, then the change would be considered questionable.

Reliable sources that are not considered primary sources must be knowledgeable about the change and provide enough information to allow the EABS to determine the reported information is reasonable, reliable, complete, and not contradictory. A reliable source could be Quality Control staff, ORFI Investigator, SD Housing Authority staff, employers, etc.

Example: ORFI investigator reports that verification was obtained of John’s employment. The employment information is entered on a JINC panel with OTH as the source. Also, a thorough narrative will be completed regarding the report from ORFI. Example: Kate reports on Monday May 2nd that her sister dropped her nephew, Jake, off at her house on Saturday April 30th. Since she was not able to report the addition of Jake to the office over the weekend, we will allow Jake to be added to the household for May. If Kate did not report the addition of Jake to the household until May 3rd, he would not be added until June benefits.