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Subject: SNAP Timeliness Standards

Policy 24.03 Date of Last Review: 11/30/2023 Effective Date: 02/01/2022 Date of Next Review: 11/30/2026 RDA: SW22 Page 3 of 10 3. Assign normal certification period to households that have been interviewed and have provided all necessary verification required in Policy 24.17 SNAP Mandatory Verifications and the supporting document Verification and Documentation for SNAP, prior to certification. 4. For applications filed after the fifteenth (15th) of the month, the case management system will assign at least a two (2)-month certification period. E. Action When SNAP Determination Precedes Families First Determination 1. As a result of differences in SNAP and Families First (FF) application processing procedures, the Eligibility Counselor may have to determine the SNAP eligibility prior to determining eligibility for FF payments. 2. Action on the SNAP portion of the application shall not be delayed, or the application denied on grounds that the FF determination has not been made. 3. If the Eligibility Counselor can anticipate the amount and the date of receipt of FF payment but the payment will not be received until a subsequent month, the Eligibility Counselor shall vary the household’s SNAP benefit level according to the FF payment and notify the household. 4. Portions of initial payments intended to retroactively cover a previous month shall be disregarded as a lump sum payment. 5. If the amount or the month of receipt of the initial FF payment cannot be reasonably anticipated at the time of the SNAP eligibility determination, the payment shall be handled as a change in circumstances. 6. When the SNAP benefits are authorized, an approval notice will automatically be sent to inform the household. 7. A household whose FF application is denied shall not be required to file a new SNAP application but shall have their SNAP eligibility determined or continued on the basis of the original application filed jointly for FF and SNAP purposes and any other documented information obtained subsequent to the application which may have been used in the FF determination and which is relevant to SNAP eligibility or level of benefits. F. Notices of Eligibility for Initial Applications 1. Time Limit for Providing Notice of Eligibility The Eligibility Counselor will provide applicants with an approval or denial notice through the case management system as soon as possible once a determination is made. 2. Contents of Notice a. Approval notices are created and mailed the day following authorization. b. The notice will inform the household of the amount of the benefits and of the variation in the benefit level based on changes anticipated at the time of approval. c. If the initial allotment contains benefits for both the month of application and the current month's benefits, the notice shall explain that the initial benefits include more than one month’s benefits. d. It also will indicate the monthly allotment amount for the remainder of the eligibility period assigned. e. The notice will inform the household of the beginning and ending date of the SNAP certification period.