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Subject: SNAP Residency Requirements

Policy 24.10 Date of Last Review: 11/30/2023 Effective Date: 07/01/2019 Date of Next Review: 11/30/2026 RDA: SW22 Page 2 of 5 B. Definition of a Resident 1. A resident is an individual who lives in the state of Tennessee and in the county where they receive benefits. 2. A permanent dwelling or fixed mailing address is not required. 3. Residence does not mean intent to reside permanently in the county and a durational requirement cannot be imposed on the HH. 4. Persons in the county solely for short term vacations are not considered residents of that county. C. Termination of Residence 1. When the county becomes aware that a SNAP recipient leaves the state or the country the case must be closed. a. If the HH is a simplified reporting (SR) HH they are not required to report a change in residency except at the time of SR and at recertification. b. If the HH is not SR the HH is required to report the change within ten (10) days. 2. SNAP recipients may transfer from county to county within the state and remain eligible for benefits without interruption. They can report this change on HS-2302 Change Report. Refer to Chapter 41 Continued Responsibilities of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Policy Manual, effective 07/13/2017. Refer to desk guide County-to-County Transfers on how to transfer cases. D. Documenting Addresses Staff shall refer to Documenting Addresses in ACCENT and Returned Mail for the procedure on how to document when a client reports an address. E. Verification 1. The eligibility counselor will verify residence prior to certification, except in unusual cases where verification of residency cannot reasonably be accomplished. Unusual cases are migrant farm worker HHs, homeless HHs or HHs newly arrived in a county who may not be able to verify their residency prior to certification or individuals participating in the Safe at Home (SAH) Address Confidentiality Program. a. In these cases, the HH’s statement that it resides in the county may be the only verification available. b. Benefits should not be denied to these individuals if they are unable to provide verification of residence. c. Refer to Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program for procedures on verifying information from participants in the SAH program. 2. Verification of residency should be accomplished, to the extent possible, in conjunction with the verification of other information.