Policy                                                                       Issuance Number: FSC 00-07

Food Stamp Certification Manual                     Issuance Date: 03/01/2000

From: Ruth Whitney, Director                                Expiration Date: Until Superseded

Subj: Authorized Representatives – Treatment Centers and Group Living Arrangements

The PUB-390, Use of Food Stamp Benefits by Residents of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Treatment Centers, is being reissued. One copy of the PUB-390 is attached. An initial distribution of the revised PUB-390 will be sent to county offices that serve treatment centers. All copies of the PUB-360 dated 01/99 should be discarded upon receipt of this transmittal.

A maximum of 50 additional copies of the PUB-390 will be provided upon request. To request additional pamphlets, send a memorandum to Georgia Gilkey, Manger, Food Stamp Program, Slot 1240. Or, you may request additional copies via e mail to Betty Helmbeck or Curtisteen Brooks.

In a treatment center, one employee of the center serves as the authorized representative (AR) for all center residents. In a group living arrangement, an employee of the group living arrangement may serve as the authorized representative for several residents. In the past, an AR employed by a treatment center or group living arrangement was often classified as the alternate payee or primary payee. As a result, the AR’s name appeared on the member segment of household’s FACTS record and an EBT card was issued to the AR.

When ANSWER is implemented, an individual who serves as the alternate payee or primary payee for more than one individual will appear on ANSWER as a duplicate member. In order to avoid this problem, one person will no longer be allowed to serve as the alternative payee or the primary payee for more than one individual. This means that when an application for a resident of a treatment center or group living arrangement is approved via either FACTS or ANSWER, the AR’s name will not, for any reason, be entered as a household member.

As a result, there are changes in the Food Stamp Certification policy pertaining to the issuance of EBT cards to residents of treatment centers and group living arrangements. The specific changes are explained below:

FSC 981 – A statement has been added to this section prohibiting the classification of a treatment center AR as an alternative payee.

FSC 981.3 – This section has been revised to provide updated information regarding the role of authorized representatives at treatment centers.

FSC 981.4 – The instructions for deactivating and then reactivating an EBT account when a resident leaves a center are no longer applicable. These instructions have been deleted.

FSC 981.5 – This section has been updated to reflect the new procedures to be used by a treatment center AR.

FSC 982.1 – This section has been updated to reflect the new procedures to be used when a resident of a group living arrangement is represented by an employee of the group living arrangement.

FSC 14500 to 14600 – In these sections, the instructions regarding authorized representatives have been revised.

Inquiries to: Betty Helmbeck, Food Stamp Section, (501) 682-8284