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Subject: SNAP Application Processing

Policy 24.02 Date of Last Review: 11/30/2023 Effective Date: 12/01/2022 Date of Next Review: 11/30/2026 RDA: SW22 Page 8 of 20 a. Refusal to provide verification or information needed to obtain required verification is sufficient ground for denial or termination. b. Failure to provide information needed to establish eligibility may result in denial or termination because we are unable to establish a necessary factor of eligibility. c. If the Eligibility Counselor is unsure whether the household has refused or merely failed to cooperate, the request for assistance will not be denied or terminated. Instead, the household will be given a reasonable opportunity to cooperate. (E.g., the household will be given at least ten (10) days to cooperate and if the household takes the required action within the application processing period cooperation has occurred.) 3. Once denied or terminated for refusal to cooperate, the household may reapply but will not be determined eligible until it cooperates with the agency. This policy applies to applications and any subsequent redetermination of eligibility, including recertification, reviews triggered by reported changes, and reviews by Quality Control (QC) staff. 4. As a condition of eligibility for SNAP, a household must cooperate with a federal or state QC reviewer in conducting a review. If cooperation does not occur the QC reviewer will advise the Eligibility Counselor of the household’s refusal to cooperate and the specific information that the household refused to provide. a. The Eligibility Counselor will provide the household with a Notice of Adverse Action (or Notice of Denial for application/recertification), citing its refusal to cooperate as the reason for termination or denial of benefits and outlining the action the household must take if it wishes to reapply and cooperate. b. If the household reapplies and wants to cooperate with the QC reviewer, the Eligibility Counselor first will refer the household to the QC supervisor. i. The QC supervisor will determine whether the review must be reopened. If the household reapplies within one hundred and fifteen (115) days from the end of the annual review period for a state review, or seven months for a federal review, it must cooperate with QC and complete the review before it may be determined eligible to receive benefits. QC will notify the county office once the household has cooperated in the completion of the review. ii. If the household reapplies after the one hundred and fifteenth (115) day timeframe for a state review or the seven-month timeframe for a federal review, it may be determined eligible without cooperating with QC. However, it must provide verification of all eligibility factors prior to approval. QC will notify the county office once it has been established that the appropriate timeframe (115 days) has passed. iii. Upon notification from QC of the household’s compliance, the Eligibility Counselor will process the application. If the application processing period extends beyond thirty (30) days because of the time necessary for the QC review, the Eligibility Counselor will follow procedures outlined in SNAP Policy 24.03 Timeliness Standards for delays caused by the county.