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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 2

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 4 Chapter 2 Common Eligibility Requirements

• Institution residents who do not receive their meals from the institution, but who purchase and prepare their own food, or participate in a delivered meals program or a communal dining program, are eligible if they meet all other eligibility requirements. This includes those students who reside in school dormitories with optional meal plans and do not receive the majority of their meals from the institution. • Residents of federally subsidized housing for the elderly, built under either Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 or Section 236 of the National Housing Act, qualify if otherwise eligible. • Residents of public or private non-profit shelters for homeless persons qualify, if otherwise eligible. See Chapter 16. 2.2.1.C Prolonged Absence from the Home Regardless of the reason for the absence, any person expected to be absent from the home for a full calendar month or more is not eligible to be included in the AG. Shorter absences do not affect eligibility. This policy applies to visiting, obtaining vocational training or education, and obtaining medical care. This policy applies to in-state and out-of-state travel. Although an individual may meet the residency requirement, he may not be eligible to be included in the AG. Refer to Chapter 3 for specific requirements about who may be included in the AG. SNAP Prolonged Absence Example 1: A child is residing in West Virginia with his mother and is included in her SNAP AG. On June 22, he goes to Ohio to visit his father and will remain for an undetermined amount of time. As of July 31, he is still in Ohio. Notice is sent to remove him from his mother’s AG. SNAP Prolonged Absence Example 2: A divorced man and woman both live in West Virginia. On May 29, the woman reports her oldest child will be visiting his father during summer vacation from June 11 to September 1. After advance notice, the oldest child is removed from the woman’s AG for July and August, because he will be absent from the home for those two full calendar months. The father reports the presence of the child on June 10, and requests that he be added to his SNAP benefits. The child is added as of July 1. SNAP Prolonged Absence Example 3: A SNAP AG consists of a man and his wife who reside in West Virginia. His wife goes to Maryland on July 7 to receive medical treatment and is not sure how long she will stay. She returns home on August 29. Her eligibility to remain in the AG is unaffected.