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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

10/24 VOLUME V, PART VI, PAGE 16

group home may be prosecuted under applicable federal or state statutes for intentional acts that misrepresent household circumstances.

These provisions do not apply when the resident household applied on its own behalf.

e. Local Agency Responsibilities

The BPS must certify eligible residents of group living arrangements using the same provisions that apply to all other households. Before certifying any residents of a particular facility, the BPS must establish that the group living arrangement is authorized by FNS-USDA to accept SNAP benefits or is certified by an appropriate agency of the state or locality, including that agency's determination that the center is a nonprofit organization.

Before certifying group home residents for SNAP benefits, the BPS must establish that the group living arrangements meets Section 1616(e) of the Social Security Act criteria, even if the group home is not certified under Section 1616(e) of the Social Security Act. The BPS must also determine if the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has certified the facility as a retailer and whether the group home has a Point-of-Sale (POS) device to use SNAP benefits at the group home.

The BPS should provide the group living arrangement with blank Change Report forms so the group living arrangement or household could complete to report changes, including when the household leaves the group living arrangement. The BPS must take prompt action to remove the authorized representative when the household leaves the group living arrangement upon learning of the address change.

The local agency must receive a periodic list of residents from the group living arrangement. The agency may establish the frequency of receiving the resident lists. The local agency must review the list to ensure that only those residents listed are participating as residents of that institution. The agency must resolve any discrepancies immediately between the list submitted by the group living arrangement and the agency's certification record.

In addition to reviewing the lists of residents in the group living arrangement, the local agency must conduct periodic random on-site visits to the center. This review is to assure the accuracy of the listings and that the local agency's records are consistent and current.

The BPS must promptly notify the Regional Office for the Virginia Department of Social Services when there is reason to believe that a group living arrangement is misusing SNAP benefits. The Virginia Department of Social Services must transmit the local agency's findings to USDA. The BPS must not act however, until USDA provides instructions.

TRANSMITTAL #35