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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 5 of 10 b. must explain the applicant’s right to provide verification by the thirtieth (30th) day with benefits provided from the application date, if eligible; c. the household’s right to request a fair hearing; d. the telephone number of the TDHS office; e. the name of the person to contact for additional information; f. the availability and telephone number of the organization in their area that provides free legal representation; and g. the right to reapply anytime. 2. Applicant/Recipient (A/R) fails to keep an appointment a. if an applicant has failed to appear for the initial interview, a “Notice of Missed Interview” (NOMI) will be sent by the Eligibility Counselor to notify the household that it missed the first appointment. b. the notice also will inform the applicant that they must contact the county office and schedule a second appointment within the processing timeframe, or the application will be denied. c. the application will be held pending for thirty (30) days. d. if the applicant does not schedule a second interview appointment, or if the applicant fails to appear for this second appointment after requesting it, deny the SNAP application on the thirtieth (30th) day or the next business day if the thirtieth (30th) day falls on a non-business day. For additional information please see the SNAP Application Processing Guide. I. Time Limit for Providing Notice of Denial 1. Households that are found to be ineligible shall be sent a notice of denial as soon as possible. 2. The action to deny should be taken by the thirtieth (30th) day whenever policy allows. 3. Information obtained and verified during the intake interview in some instances is sufficient for the intake Eligibility Counselor to determine that the applicant is ineligible at intake and, therefore, the application can be denied at that point. 4. A denial action for not completing an initial interview cannot be taken until the thirtieth (30th) day or next working day if the thirtieth (30th) day is a non-business day. 5. A denial action for failure to provide verification cannot be taken until after the applicant has had ten (10) days following the mail date of the written request to provide verifications. If the tenth (10th) day is a non-business day, give the client until the next working day to provide verifications). J. Failure to Meet Timeliness Standard 1. If the Eligibility Counselor cannot make an eligibility determination within the thirty (30) days and cannot deny the household, the cause of the delay is determined, and certain actions are taken to determine whether the delay was caused by the fault of the household or the county office. 2. The delay shall be considered the fault of the household if the household has failed to complete the application process when the Eligibility Counselor has taken all the action he or she is required to take to assist the household.