FSC Manual 10/01/97

1301 Alternate Service Counties

Under the alternate service procedures, a household may apply for and receive food stamps in a county other than the county where the household lives. The county where the household actually lives is called the residence county. The county where the household receives services is called the service county.

Customers who want to receive services in a county other than their residence county must sign a Request for Service in Alternate County (DCO-74).

FSC Manual 10/01/97

1302 Restrictions to Alternate Service County

If any member of the household receives any service through DHS other than food stamps, the household must receive food stamps in their residence county. Any household participating as separate households under the provisions in [FSC 1631] will be evaluated separately. One household may participate in the Food Stamp Program through a service county while the other household participates through their residence county.

Households with at least one member subject to Food Stamp E&T or Workfare Requirements must participate in the Food Stamp Program through their residence county.

FSC Manual 10/01/97

1303 Requests to Participate in a Service County

When a household requests a transfer to an alternate service county, the request will be evaluated to determine if the household is entitled to service in an alternate County.

If not, the request will be denied. The household will be notified of this decision via Notice of Action (DCO-1).

If yes, the request will be approved. The household's records will be transferred to the service county with a copy of the Request for Service in Alternate County (DCO-74).

When a change is reported; a quarterly report is submitted; or another case action is initiated prior to the request for transfer, the case action must be completed prior to the transfer. This includes fraud or field investigations initiated prior to the request for transfer. It also applies to cases undergoing a quality control review.

To transfer a case to a service county, code 20 (close and transfer) will be used as the action reason on the Food Stamp Authorization Document (DCO-233). The household will not be required to submit a new application in the service county. Instead, the case will be reinstated as instructed in DCOUM 7310.

Upon receipt of the case record, a DCO-1 will be issued to provide the household with the county office's address, telephone number and other pertinent information.

FSC Manual 5/01/93

1500 Process 3 - Designation of Case Head

When a household makes application for food stamps for the very first time, the case head must be established. After the case head is established, the case will be filed in the county's file under the name of the case head and all notices pertaining to the household's eligibility will be sent to the case head. In the FACTS system the household's case will be maintained under the social security number and name of the member designated as the case head.

The household, not the caseworker, normally designates the case head. It is not necessary that the case head be present for the interview. Any responsible household member may make application and appear for the interview, or the interview may be conducted with an authorized representative.

In no instance will an application be denied solely due to the lack of a responsible adult member to serve as the case head. If a responsible household member is not available to serve as the case head and the household cannot find a relative or friend to serve as an authorized representative, the caseworker will assist the household in completing the application and obtaining the necessary verification.

Except for ineligible students or members disqualified for intentional program violations (IPV) or for failure to provide an SSN, only eligible household members will be permitted to serve as the case head. An ineligible alien will be permitted to serve as the case head only if he or she is the only adult household member. When an ineligible household member is designated as the case head, the caseworker must insure the correct member status code is entered in the member segment field (field 7) of WFSM so that member's income will be handled correctly by the system.

The name of the case head will be entered on the Food Stamp Authorization Document (EMS-233) in the field entitled "Casehead Name." The social security number of the case head will be entered on the EMS-233 in the field entitled "Case Number."

Until a change must be made because the case head is no longer in the home or until the household specifically requests a change, the case head will remain the same. This is true even when the household submits an application at a later date with another responsible household member listed on the front of the Food Stamp Application (EMS-220) under "Name of Applicant."

Recoupments of overissuances are tracked by the case head. See [FSC 15700]. Therefore, when an overissuance has occurred and the household's case has been referred to the Overpayments Unit for collection, the case head will not be changed unless the person designated as the case head dies or actually leaves the home.

If the person who is designated as the case head leaves the household while the household is certified to receive food stamps, another responsible household member must sign the application form. See [FSC 12227].