History for Food Stamps Policy - Sections 1600

Agencies | Online Services | Policies

FSC Manual 10-1-88	1610 Step 1 - Determining if all Declared Household Members Actually Live in the Home The caseworker will carefully review the household members listed on the application. If the actual presence of any declared member is questionable, verification of household composition will be requested. Verification of household composition is normally accomplished through collateral contact. See the Glossary, definition of "Collateral Contact."
FSC Manual 10-1-88	1620 Step 2 - Determining if Individual Members are Eligible to Participate The caseworker will evaluate each household member listed on the application to determine if that member is eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program. The categories of individuals who are not eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program are listed below. Ineligible Aliens - Individuals who are not United States citizens or eligible aliens. See [FSC 1621] for details. Students - Individuals enrolled in an institution of post secondary education. Some students are not eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program. See [FSC 1622.2]. Disqualified Individuals - This includes people disqualified for: Intentional Program Violation (IPV). See [FSC 15410] for a definition of an IPV. Failure to comply with the Social Security number (SSN) requirement. See [FSC 2100] for the SSN requirements. Non-compliance with the workfare requirement. See [FSC 3700]. Boarders - Individuals to whom a household furnishes lodging and meals. See [FSC 1624]. Residents of Institutions - See [FSC 1800] for a definition of an institution and the exceptions to this rule.
FSC Manual 6-15-98	1621.3.1 Verification - Eligibility Based on 40 Qualifying Quarters of Work The Social Security Administration is the primary source of verification of qualifying quarters of work. An automated system has been developed to provide an array, by year beginning with 1937, of all qualifying quarters of work. The SSA automated system may be accessed via the SSA Query Screen (WQRY). The SSA Quarters Of Coverage History System Appendix to the FSC Manual provides complete information about verifying qualifying quarters of work via the SSA automated system. In some instances, there will be discrepancies between the information provided by SSA and the information provided by the alien. In other instances, the automated system will not provide verification of qualifying quarters of work. The SSA Quarters Of Coverage History System Appendix also provides instructions for resolving discrepancies and for manual verification of qualifying quarters of work. An alien may participate in the Food Stamp Program as an eligible household member for up to six months while SSA works to resolve a discrepancy between the information on their system and the information provided by the alien. However, when the county office is working with the alien to obtain verification of quarters of work not appearing on the system, the normal processing standards will apply. If the household does not provide the requested information by the specified deadline, the alien will be treated as an ineligible alien as per the policy in [FSC 1621.6].
FSC Manual 10-1-97	1621.6 Handling the Resources and Income of Ineligible Aliens The resources of ineligible aliens will be counted in their entirety when the household's eligibility is determined. A pro rata share of the alien's income will be counted in the food stamp budget. The following actions will be taken to calculate the pro rata share of income: Determine the alien's gross countable income as instructed in [FSC 7500]. Enter the full gross income amount in the member segment on page 2 of the Food Stamp Authorization Document (DCO-233). Divide the gross income evenly among all household members including the ineligible alien. (For example, assuming the gross income amount is $500 and there are five members including the ineligible alien, the calculation would be - $500 ¸ 5 = $100 prorated amount.) Multiply the number of eligible members by the prorated amount to determine the amount to be counted in the budget. (For example, if there are four eligible members and the prorated amount is $100, the calculation would be - $100 x 4 = $400 to be counted in the budget.) Enter the amount to be counted in the budget in the budget fields of the DCO-233. Enter earned income in the earned income fields and allow the 20% earned income deduction. Enter other income in the appropriate unearned income field. Medical expenses incurred by an ineligible alien who is aged/disabled are not allowable. Expenses such as shelter costs, dependent care costs and child support payments will be allowed in their entirety unless the ineligible alien incurs part or all of the expense. If the ineligible alien incurs part or all of any expense, the expense will be prorated or divided evenly among all household members including the ineligible alien. Then, the prorated share will be multiplied by the number of eligible household members. Each expense will be prorated individually. If the household has elected to use the utility standard and the ineligible alien incurs part or all of the expense entitling the household to the standard, the standard will be prorated in the same manner as the other allowable expenses. (When the standard is prorated, code "A" must be used in field 63 of the DCO-233.) Uncapped shelter costs will not be allowed if the disqualified member is the only aged/disabled household member. Even if the household does remain entitled to uncapped shelter costs, prorated shelter costs must be used to determine the full shelter deduction. Do not include ineligible aliens when determining eligibility or food stamp allotment.
FSC Manual 6-15-98	1621.7.4 Aliens Whose Sponsor Signed the Old Affidavit For aliens whose sponsor signed an affidavit of support prior to the revision mandated by Section 423 of the PRWORA, the sponsor's income and resources will be deemed as instructed in this section of policy. Deeming procedures are used to determine the amount of the sponsor's resources and income to be used in the food stamp budget of the sponsored alien's household. The amount determined as deemed income and resources will continue to be used in the household's budget for the entire deeming period which lasts three years from the alien's date of entry into the United States. To determine the amount of deemed resources, complete the following actions: Determine the sponsor's total countable resources using FSC 7400 as a guideline. Include the resources of the sponsor's spouse if the sponsor and his or her spouse are living together. Reduce the sponsor's total countable resources by $1,500. Example: A sponsor reports the following resources-$500 checking account; $1000 savings account; 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier (NADA Book value = $5,875 - $4,650 = $1,225 resource value). Total resources are: Vehicle $1,225 Bank Accts. $1,500 $2,725 $1,500 reduction $1,225 will be counted as a resource in the alien's budget Add the sponsor's deemed resources to any resources declared by the alien's household. Compare the total resources (the deemed portion of the sponsor's resources and the resources declared by the alien's household) to the maximum resource limits. They are: a) $2,000 for households without a member age 60 or older; and b) $3,000 for all households with at least one member age 60 or older. (This includes one-person households.) Deny the application if the household's total resources exceed the appropriate maximum resource limit. If the sponsored alien's household is eligible based upon resources, determine the amount of the sponsor's income by completing the following actions: Determine the sponsor's total gross monthly earned income. Include net self-employment income. This includes SSI and other public assistance payments. Include the earned income of the sponsor's spouse if the sponsor and his/her spouse are living together. (This income must be included even if the sponsor and spouse were not married at the time the agreement to sponsor was signed.) To determine gross monthly income, follow the instructions in [FSC 7500]. Calculate the earned income deduction and subtract it from the sponsor's gross earned income. (See Appendix D for the current percentage used to calculate the earned income deduction.) The result is the sponsor's net earned income. Add together all the unearned income of the sponsor and his or her spouse. Do not include income excluded under [FSC 5400]. The result is the sponsor's total unearned income. Add together the sponsor's net earned income and total unearned income. The result is the sponsor's net income. Subtract from the sponsor's net income the maximum gross food stamp income allowable for the sponsor's correct household size. To determine the sponsor's correct household size, include all individuals who could be or who are claimed as tax dependents even those not actually living with the sponsor. Use the resulting amount as unearned income in the sponsored alien's food stamp budget. (If the sponsor actually provides money to the sponsored alien, any amount of the money actually provided which is in excess of the deemed income amount will be shown in the alien's food stamp budget in addition to the deemed income.) For individuals who sponsor more than one alien, the deemed income will be prorated among the aliens who have applied to participate or who are actually participating in the Food Stamp Program.