SNAP

The TANF benefit amount (after recoupment ) counts as unearned income .

Retroactive or restored TANF or refugee cash assistance payments are exempt as income. These payments should be considered lump-sum payments and counted as a resource.

Note: TANF benefits may be deposited into an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cash debit account and made accessible to recipients via an EBT card.

Exception: The recommended grant amount continues to be counted when the TANF grant is lowered for one or more of the following reasons:

a Personal Responsibility Agreement (PRA) penalty;

a recoupment for a TANF intentional program violation (IPV);

a disqualification for IPV or noncooperation with a TANF requirement (unless the individual is disqualified in SNAP for the same offense); or

an active TANF EDG is denied because of: the noncooperation disqualification of an individual; failure to sign Form H1073, Personal Responsibility Agreement ; PRA noncooperation; or noncooperation with an audit or investigation.

SNAP benefits must not be increased in an existing certification period when TANF benefits are forfeited because of a noncooperation penalty. In situations where the TANF is denied:

the full TANF benefit is counted until the next SNAP certification period begins; and

the benefit continues to count when a SNAP certification period is extended.

In situations where there is a break in SNAP benefits of less than a month, the TANF continues to count through the next certification period when the:

individual received or will receive SNAP in the month of the PRA noncooperation, and either the first or second noncooperation month is also the first month of a new SNAP certification period; or

file date of the SNAP application and the TANF PRA noncooperation date are the same month, and SNAP benefits do not prorate to less than $10 in the month of application.

Note: This policy does not apply to other types of TANF disqualifications or denials or to denied TANF applications.

Examples:

During the SNAP certification period January – June, the date of noncooperation is February 1. The first noncooperation month is February, and the second noncooperation month is March. The TANF grant is denied in April. The TANF grant continues to count in the SNAP budget through June.

At a SNAP redetermination when there is a certified TANF EDG, the household fails to comply with TANF PRA requirements and is denied effective with March benefits. The date of noncooperation is January 1. The first noncooperation month is January, and the second noncooperation month is February. The SNAP application file month is January. When the SNAP redetermination is untimely in January:

because the last benefit month was December, the TANF counts in the ongoing SNAP budget since there is not at least a one-month break in SNAP benefits.

and the last benefit month was November, the TANF does not count in the forfeit and ongoing months because there is a break in SNAP benefits of one month or more. The TANF grant received in January, the month of redetermination, must be counted.

because the last benefit month was December, and the SNAP benefit prorates to zero for the application month, the application month is considered a break in benefits of at least one month. The TANF grant does not count in the forfeit or ongoing months.

When the SNAP redetermination is a new application or the individual was receiving SNAP in a different household, the TANF does not count in the forfeit or ongoing months. However, the TANF grant received in January, the month of application, must be counted.