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The DSS-EA-231, Child Support Enforcement Referral, must be completed for each child with a parent not in the home who is requesting SNAP benefits. The applicant must also sign a DSS- EA-232, Notice of Requirement to Cooperate with the Division of Child Support.
EABS must explain the child support requirement and that the questions on the forms must all be answered completely. Each question must be completed with the answer or “unknown”, nothing should be left blank. Forms must be received with a pen/ink signature, pictures of these forms are not acceptable as they are not admissible in a court of law. Incomplete forms received by DCS may result in non-cooperation for SNAP.
A new DSS-EA-231 and DSS-EA-232 must be completed when: a. New application is received (If this is a reapplication within 12 months, the previous EA- 231 may be used if it is the most current version, completed thoroughly, and was signed and dated within 12 months.) b. Substantial changes are reported that were not reported on the most current DSS-EA- 231. If minor changes are reported, staff may make the changes to the current EA231 and initial where the document was updated. c. New children are reported in the home.
If the parent not in the home is deceased, parental rights have been terminated, or there is a single parent adoption, the 231/232 forms are not required to be completed. However, there must be verification that the parent not in the home is deceased, parental rights have been terminated, or the adoption was a single parent adoption. The ABSP panel will be added on ACCESS, and the cooperation code will be coded either 5—Absent Parent Deceased, 6—Parental Rights Terminated, or 7—Single Parent Adoption.
If the parent with whom the children live has an ongoing child support case with the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Child Support Office or the Standing Rock Tribal Child Support Office, completion of the DSS-EA-231 & DSS-EA-232 is still required. The EABS must verify the case status with the tribal child support agency. In these cases, the ABSP panel is coded with a “T” and a referral is not made to the state office of child support. 3810 GOOD CAUSE FOR NOT COOPERATING WITH DCS
The head of household may establish good cause for not cooperating with DCS. The customer must complete the DSS-EA-233 form entitled, Good Cause for Refusal to Cooperate with Child Support Enforcement. Evidence of the good cause reason must be submitted within 20 days after the request for good cause is made to the Benefits Specialist. Good cause evidence may include: a) Birth certificates or law enforcement, child protection or medical records indicated the child was conceived as a result of incest or forcible rape. b) Court documents or other records indicating legal proceedings for adoption are pending in court. c) Records indicating emotional or physical harm may come to the child or parent with whom the child lives by the parent not in the home. These can be:
3) Two sisters live and eat together on one SNAP case in the same household with their own biological children. Only the sister who is the head of the SNAP household is required to cooperate with child support for her own children. 4) Mom, Dad and 3 children apply for SNAP. Mom is the head of household. The oldest child (age 10) is mom’s biological child and dad’s stepchild. The other two children are both mom and dad’s biological children. Since the mom is the head of household and the child has not been adopted by her husband, she must cooperate with DCS for her oldest child.