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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

10/24 VOLUME V, PART VI, PAGE 11

institutions and Part II.I for requirements and allowances for authorized representatives for institutionalized households.

1. Drug Addiction and Alcohol Treatment Centers

Residents of treatment and rehabilitation programs for persons addicted to narcotic drugs or alcohol, including the children of these persons residing in the centers with the parents, may receive SNAP benefits as individual households. The treatment center must be a private, nonprofit organization or institution or a publicly operated community mental health center, under Part B of Title XIX of the Public Health Service Act.

Before certifying treatment center residents for SNAP benefits, the BPS must establish that the center meets Public Health Service Act criteria even if the center is not certified under Part B of Title XIX of the Public Health Service Act. The BPS must also determine if the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has certified the facility as a retailer and whether the center has a Point-of-Sale (POS) device to use SNAP benefits at the institution.

To get SNAP benefits, residents of treatment centers must apply and participate through a designated employee of the center. The household must freely choose to apply for benefits. The resident household should assist in completing the application and should sign the application along with the authorized representative before certification, if possible. Normal SNAP certification notices and procedures apply to households that reside in eligible treatment centers except for the requirement that residents must apply through a representative of the center.

a. Accessing and Using SNAP Benefits

To access SNAP benefits, each household or representative must have an EBT card. Eligible household residing in drug or alcohol treatment centers must participate in the Program through an authorized representative. The authorized representative will receive an EBT card to use on behalf of the household. The client may not possess an active EBT card while a resident of the treatment center.

Treatment center representatives must use the SNAP benefits for food prepared by or served to the resident addict/alcoholic. If the treatment center has a POS device, the authorized representative must use each individual household's EBT card to access one-half of the monthly benefit according to the household's assigned benefit issuance date (1st, 4th, 7th). If the treatment center does not have a POS device, the authorized representative must use each resident's EBT card at the grocery store and access up to one-half the benefit amount by the 10th day of each month. The treatment center may access the second half of the benefits on or after the 16th of each month if the resident remains in the center as of the 16th day of the month.

If the household leaves the treatment center before the 16th day of the month, the household is entitled to one-half of the allotment for the month. If the household leaves the treatment center on or after the 16th of the month, the household will not receive any portion of the benefits directly.

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