Policy                                                                       Issuance Number: FSC 00-15

Food Stamp Certification Manual                     Issuance Date: 08/01/00

From: Ruth Whitney, Director                                Expiration Date: Until Superseded

Subj: Revisions to FSC 8000

The policy has been reformatted and generally updated. Specific changes appear in the highlighted text. The specific changes are explained below:

FSC 8100 – The definition of an initial application has been updated.

FSC 8130 – A new item 10 has been added to the list of county office responsibilities. This item explains the worker’s responsibility to explain the availability of nutrition education.

FSC 8140 – This section has been reworded.

FSC 8142 – The instructions for referring to the DCOUM manual have been deleted.

FSC 8150 – FACTS instructions were deleted from this section.

FSC 8160 – This section, which explained the procedures for registering pending applications via FACTS, has been deleted.

FSC 8161 – This section, which explained the procedures for obtaining a pseudo SSN via FACTS, has been deleted.

FSC 8240 – A new sentence has been added to item 2 to explain that the worker must give all applicants a copy of the pamphlet Your Rights and Your Responsibilities during all application interviews, initial and recertification. A new item 11 has been added to explain the worker’s responsibility to advise applicants about nutrition education.

FSC 8500 – A sentence was added to clarify that day one of the application processing period is the day after the application was filed.

FSC 8505 – The specific instructions for approving applications via FACTS have been removed and replaced with two general items telling the worker to authorize benefits and issue an approval notice.

FSC 8540 – "Failed to assist the household in obtaining needed information when such assistance was requested" has been removed as a reason to continue an application past the 60^th day of the application-processing period.

FSC 8640 – The example in this section has been updated to use current minimum food stamp benefit amounts.

FSC 8641 – This section has been rewritten.

FSC 8650 – Instructions for authorizing retroactive benefits via FACTS have been deleted from this section.

FSC 8651 – Instructions for authorizing aggregate benefits via FACTS have been deleted from this section.

FSC 8960 – The old definition of a categorically eligible household has been removed and replaced with a reference to the policy containing the new definition of a categorically eligible household.

FSC 8962 – Information about handling applications that become categorically eligible has been added to this section.

FSC 8970 – Information about the Simplified Food Stamp Program (SFSP) has been removed from this section and replaced with guidelines for processing joint food stamp and TEA applications.

FSC 8971 – Information about the SFSP has been removed from this section and replaced with guidelines for scheduling interviews when joint food stamp and TEA applications.

FSC 8972 – Information about the SFSP has been removed from this section and replaced with guidelines for processing joint food stamp and TEA applications.

FSC 8972.2, 8972.3, 8973, 8973.4, 8974, 8975, 8976, 8976.1, 8977.2, 8977, 8978, and 8979 contained information about the SFSP. All these sections have been deleted.

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