An initial application for food stamp benefits is one of the following:

1. An application from a household that has never before participated in the Program; or
2. An application from a household whose case has been closed or expired when the household did not submit an application for recertification before the end of the last month of certification.

The determination of initial application status is important because the first month's food stamp benefits are usually prorated to the date of application.

The initial application process begins the day an application is submitted to the county office and ends when the application is approved or denied. Eligible households that complete the application process will be allowed to participate in the Program as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of application. Applications not approved or denied by the 30th day must be evaluated to determine if the household or the county was at fault for the delay in processing the application. If the county office is at fault, the application will continue to be processed. If the household is at fault, the application will be denied.

The application process consists of the following actions:

1. Registering the Application

The date of application is the date the application was received in the county office. The date of application will be entered on page 1 and/or page 4 of the application form on the day the form is received in the county office.

2. Providing each adult household member with voter registration application assistance as explained in Appendix V.
3. Interviewing the applicant.
4. Insuring declared household composition is correct and if all members are eligible.
5. Work registering members not exempt from this requirement.
6. Determining that all members have declared or applied for an SSN.
7. Determining if the household is eligible based on income and resources.
8. Obtaining all necessary verification.
9. Completing all necessary forms, routing them as required by the local office and organizing the case record as specified.
10. Issuing forms and notices to the household as specified.

FSC 8000 explains the processes of filing an application, registering an application, interviewing a household and determining fault when an application is delayed. The time frames for completion of the application are also explained. The actual process used to determine eligibility is covered in FSC 7100.

The county office has the following responsibilities:

1. To display the required posters.

The county will prominently display the following posters:

1. "And Justice For All" or "Nondiscrimination" (FNS-193);
2. "Food Stamp Rights" (FNS-183);
3. "USDA Food Assistance" (FNS-200);
4. "SSI Joint Application Processing"; and
5. The Client Assistance Hotline Number poster or, in Pulaski County, the local Client Assistance number - 682-8233 or 682-8275 (TDD).

These posters must be displayed in at least each waiting area designated for food stamp benefit applicants and recipients in both public assistance and non-public assistance categories.

1. To provide food stamp benefit applications

Food Stamp Applications (DCO-220's) will be provided, upon request, to anyone including outreach groups. Applications may be requested in any manner. Applications requested by telephone or by mail will be mailed to the household or outreach group on the same day the request is received in the county office.

2. To encourage each household to file an application on the same day the initial contact with the county office is made.

This includes households who contact the office by telephone or in person.

3. To provide each household with voter registration assistance as described in Appendix V.
4. To advise each household of the rights described in FSC 8120.
5. To advise each household that the household may file an application before the date of the scheduled interview.
6. To screen applications to determine if the household is entitled to expedited services as instructed in FSC 8170.
7. To record on the Food Stamp Application (DCO-220) the date the application is received.
8. To process the application within the required time frames as instructed in FSC 8500.

See FSC 1300 for an explanation of the residency requirements. A household that contacts a county office in the wrong state will be advised to apply for food stamp benefits in the state of residence.

A household may voluntarily withdraw an application for food stamp benefits at any time during the application process. The request may be made in either written or oral form, although a written request is preferred. The household's request to withdraw an application will be documented in the case file. If the household gives a reason for the withdrawal, this will be included in the documentation.

An automated client notice will be issued to the household to confirm that the application has been withdrawn per the household's request. An automated notice will be issued via the FACTS system when the denial reason "21" and client notice "Y" code are completed on the Food Stamp Application (DCO-220), or the Food Stamp Registration/Denial (DCO-211).

Completed food stamp application forms are not returned to any household that withdraws an application.

NOTE: If the withdrawal request was made by telephone and the household later states no such request was made, the same application will be reinstated using the original date of application. The household will not be considered to have caused any delays in application processing.

This section of policy deals only with the registration of pending applications.

Any application for food stamp benefits that contains at least a name, an address, and the signature of a household member or an authorized representative must be registered via the WFAP screen using the Food Stamp Application (DCO-220) or the Food Stamp Registration/Denial (DCO-211) as the input document. Applications which do not contain at least this information will be returned to the household, if possible, for completion. The date of application will be the date that an application containing at least this minimum amount of information is received in the county office. (The date of receipt is to be entered on the DCO-220 by the county office on the day the application is received.)

NOTE: If the application contains any member's social security number (SSN), name, and date of birth, this information must be entered via WFAP to be used in the IEVS matching process.

Expedited applications are to be registered via WFAP no later than one day after the application is received by the county office. All other applications will be registered no later than the fifth day. For applications received on the last workday of the month, the application should be registered before the night of the 4th workday of the next month, when the application reports are generated.

All applications entered via WFAP in a "pending" status are tracked and the related reports generated through FACTS are to be used by the county office to monitor application processing.

The social security number (SSN) of the casehead is the food stamp case number. In cases where the casehead cannot locate or does not have an SSN and the application is registered on the Food Stamp Application File (WFAP), all zeroes will be used for the casehead's SSN. Any other household member who does not furnish an SSN will not be listed on WFAP.

Once the applicant household has been determined eligible to receive food stamp benefits, each member must have an SSN listed on the Food Stamp Master File (WFSM). Any member who has not provided an SSN at the time the application is approved will be assigned a unique pseudo SSN from the DHS Social Security Number Data Base (WDHS).

The following procedures are to be used to obtain a unique pseudo SSN.

• If a household member has never applied for an SSN with DHS, no WNAM search need be conducted. A unique pseudo SSN will be obtained from WDHS and used on the SS-5, DCO-12, and DCO-233 completed by the worker.

• If it is verified that a household member has applied for an SSN by completing a SS-5 for TEA or Medicaid purposes, then a copy of the completed SS-5 will be obtained for the food stamp record. If the SS-5 was never submitted to the Social Security Administration, it will be necessary to follow the appropriate process in FSC 2221, 2222 or 2223. If a unique pseudo number is listed on the SS-5 found in the record, it will be necessary to inquire to WDHS to determine if the pseudo number remains on the file. If a pseudo number is found on WDHS, this number will be used on the new SS-5, DCO-12, and entered into the FACTS system. If no pseudo number is found on WDHS, a new unique pseudo SSN must be obtained for use on the SS-5, DCO-12, and FACTS system.

• If it appears a household member has applied for an SSN with another division of DHS, the Name Search File (WNAM) will be checked. If WNAM shows only a unique pseudo SSN, WDHS must be checked to see if the pseudo number process has been completed. If, on inquiry, the number no longer shows on WDHS, the member should have received their SSN. If the unique pseudo SSN remains on WDHS, the SSN has not yet been reported back to the agency. The household should be questioned to ensure a second application for an SSN has not been made. If not, the unique pseudo number on WDHS will be used in the SSN application process.

• Whenever a household member is listed on WFSM with an old pseudo SSN such as 800-00-0001, etc., the appropriate correction should be made. If an SSN is not located in the case record or cannot be obtained from the household, a unique pseudo SSN should be obtained from WDHS for the member and used in the application for an SSN.

Refer to FSC 2221 - 2223 for instructions on completion of the SS-5.

At a minimum, an interview of an applicant must cover the topics listed below.

1. Applicants must be advised of their right to a confidential interview.
2. Applicants must be advised of their rights and responsibilities. This includes: (a) their rights under the Privacy Act that restrict the release of information in the case record to the conditions specified in FSC 530; (b) their right to review the contents of their case record (FSC 540); (c) their right to an administrative hearing (FSC 16300); and (d) their responsibility to cooperate during the interview and certification process.
3. Applicants must be advised that all food stamp benefit cases are subject to review by the Quality Assurance Unit and that failure to cooperate with the Quality Assurance Unit will result in case closure.
4. Applicants must be advised that social security numbers (SSN's) must be declared and verified for all household members. The use of the SSN will also be explained. (See FSC 2100.)
5. The worker must assist applicants in completing the application form, if necessary.
6. The worker must review the information on the application with the applicant and resolve any unclear or inconsistent information.
7. The worker must request needed verification and must advise the applicant how to return this information to the county office. The worker should assist the household in obtaining the needed verification when the worker becomes aware that assistance is needed. A business reply mail (BRM) envelope will be provided to the household to return the verification or applicants may return the information in person.
8. Applicants will be advised of the time frames under which his or her application will be processed.
9. Applicants will be advised of the consequences of a voluntary quit as explained in FSC 3413.
10. Applicants not subject to quarterly reporting will be issued a Change Report Form (DCO-234) and advised to use the form to report changes. See FSC 11200.
11.  

The normal processing standard for an initial application for food stamp benefits is 30 days. Eligible households that complete the initial application process must be given an opportunity to participate in the Food Stamp Program as soon as possible, but not later than 30 calendar days following the date the application was filed.

An application is filed the day the appropriate county office receives a Food Stamp Application (DCO-220) containing at least the applicant's name, address and the signature of the applicant, a responsible household member, or the household's authorized representative. See FSC 8100 for a full explanation of the filing process.

As per FSC 8503, households found to be ineligible must be sent a notice of denial as soon as possible but not later than 30 days following the date the application was filed. If the 30th day falls on a non-workday, the notice of denial must be sent on the first work day after the 30th day.

At the time of the application interview, the household will be issued a Notice of Delayed Application (DCO-206) if the application is pended for additional information. The household will be allowed until the 30th day of the application period to furnish needed verification. See FSC 8506.

On the 30th day following the date of application the county must assess each application that is still pending. (If the 30th day falls on a weekend or holiday, this will be the first workday after the 30th day.) A county office worker must review the information found in the case record to determine if the household or the county caused the delay in processing the application. See FSC 8520.

If the county is at fault for the delay in processing, the application will not be denied. Instead, the application will be held for up to 30 additional days from the date of application while the county office and/or the household takes any actions necessary to complete the application process.

A delay will be considered the fault of the household if the household has failed to complete the application process even though the county office has taken all required actions. If the household is at fault for the delay in processing the application, the application will be denied on the 30th day or if the 30th day falls on a weekend or holiday, the first work day after the 30th day.

Although the application will be denied, the applicant retains his or her right to complete the application for a full 60 calendar days after the date of application by supplying all needed information.

If an applicant whose application has been denied on the 30th day supplies all needed information before the 60th calendar day following the date of application, the county must take the following actions:

• Locate the denied application;
• Reregister the denied application using the day on which all needed information was supplied as the date of application; and
• Dispose of the application.

The household will not be required to either submit a new application form or have a second interview. If the household reports any changed information, the change must be acted upon before approval of the application.

Each county must develop a system to insure each applicant who was denied on the 30th day retains the right to complete the original application when all needed information is submitted before the 60th day. No system is mandated, but each county must be able to demonstrate compliance with these provisions.

An application for food stamp benefits may be completed as soon as all requirements for an interview, verification, work registration and providing an SSN are met. (See FSC 9440 for special procedures on households entitled to expedited application processing.)

At any time a household is found to meet all requirements and is determined eligible to participate in the Program, the following actions will be completed:

1. If the applicant is still present, he or she will be verbally advised of the determination of eligibility, the length of the period of certification, and the food stamp benefit amount. The notice of action may be generated via the online system.
2. For households not subject to quarterly report (QR), a Change Report Form (DCO-234) and a business reply mail (BRM) envelope will be given or mailed to the household. (This will not apply if the applicant still has a DCO-234 that was issued at the time of the interview.)

If the house is subject to QR, the pamphlet, Food Stamp Quarterly Reporting (PUB-260), must be issued to the household. The QR process will be explained to the household.

3. A Food Stamp Authorization Document (DCO-233) or its equivalent will be completed and keyed.
4. Supporting documentation will be completed.
5. The case record will be organized as specified in Appendix A.
6. The case record will be routed in accordance with local county office procedures.

If the household is determined to be ineligible, the following actions will be completed:

1. If the applicant is still present, he or she will be verbally advised of the reason for ineligibility and the household's rights to an administrative hearing. A Notice of Action (DCO-1) may be prepared manually and issued to the household or an automated notice may be issued via the FACTS system. The application form will not be returned to the household.
2. The applicable sections of the DCO-211 or DCO-220 will be completed, and the form entered to FACTS.
3. The case record will be organized as specified in Appendix A.
4. The case record will be routed according to office procedures.

All applications that have been neither approved nor denied before the 60th day of the application processing period must be evaluated on the 60th day. The action to be taken depends upon whether the second delay in application was the fault of the county office or the household.

A delay is the fault of the household if the household failed to complete the application process even though the county office has taken all required actions. If the household is at fault for not completing the application process by the end of the second 30-day period, the application will be denied. If the household wishes to participate in the Program, another application must be submitted.

A delay is the fault of the county office when the household has completed all required actions but the worker:

1. Did not schedule an appointment for an interview; or
2. Scheduled the first appointment for an interview after the 50th day of the application processing period; or
3. Did not provide the household with a statement of required verification (DCO-206); or
4. Did not complete all the necessary paperwork.

If the delay is the fault of the county office, corrective action must be taken. See the chart below for the specific action.

For applications approved on or after the 60th day, benefits will be provided back to the date of application.

NOTE: When an action date falls on a weekend or holiday, the action will actually be taken on the next workday; however, approval and denial dates will be the date on which the action should have occurred.

Categorically eligible households with three or more members will be entitled to a minimum benefit of at least $2.00 if the Thrifty Food plan reduced by 30% of the household's net income is at least $1.00. Minimum benefits for households with three or more members vary with the household size and depends on the point at which the household's net income exceeds the limit on the issuance charts. Minimum benefit amounts may be found on the "Exhibit A."

For example, as of October, 1997, the minimum food stamp benefit amount for an eligible regular household of five was $15.00, and the minimum benefit amount for an eligible regular household of six was $44.00. (See the current Exhibit A for the minimum food stamp benefit amounts in effect at this time.)

A categorically eligible household is eligible for food stamps benefits, regardless of the net income calculated for the household.

Exception: Households with three or more members receive benefits only if the household benefit calculation is $1 or more. If the household's benefit amount is less than $1, the case is treated as an otherwise eligible case. These cases must be keyed onto the food stamp system in the same manner as cases which receive benefits. Field 98 will contain a "O" for such households.

Categorically eligible households with 1 or 2 members will receive a minimum benefit of $10, regardless of the benefit calculation.

Retroactive benefits are food stamp benefits due a household at application approval for months in the application period prior to the month of approval. For example, an application is submitted in June and approved in August. June and July food stamps will be authorized as retroactive benefits.

Retroactive benefits will be issued only if the county was at fault for the delay in processing the application and the household is eligible for those months.

Retroactive benefits are subject to proration.

Example: An application is approved on April 10 for a household that applied on March 15. Retroactive benefits for March are prorated to the date of application, March 15.

When a household is entitled to retroactive benefits, the amount of retroactive benefits will be calculated, proration will be applied as necessary, and the retroactive benefits will be entered in the "RETRO" fields of the Food Stamp Master File (WFSM).

If a household is not eligible for the current month but is eligible for a prior month or months in the application period, the household will be issued any retroactive benefits.

Example: A household applies for food stamp benefits on March 15th. On May 2nd, the worker determines that the household is currently ineligible and the county was at fault for the delay in processing. The household was eligible for food stamp benefits in March and April, so the worker calculates the household's March and April food stamp benefits. March benefits are prorated to the date of application, March 15. These benefits are authorized as retroactive benefits.

A household that files an initial application after the 15th of the month and is approved by the end of the month of application will be issued aggregate benefits. Aggregate benefits are combined benefits for the month of application and the following month. (If the initial month's benefits are less than $10, only the benefits for the following month will be issued. Prorated initial benefits amounting to less than $10 are not issued. See FSC 8610.)

Example: A household submits an initial application on November 21st, and the application is approved on November 29th. On November 30th the household will be issued aggregate benefits for the months of November and December.

Households that apply after the 15th of the month and are certified under expedited service provisions will be issued prorated benefits for the first and second months within the expedited timeframe.

Aggregate benefits will be authorized via the RETRO fields of the Food Stamp Master File (WFSM).

8920 Processing Joint SSI/Food Stamp Applications

Food stamp households composed only of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants and/or recipients may apply for food stamp benefits at Social Security Administration (SSA) offices. SSA will accept the application for food stamps, obtain verification, and forward the application with an approved transmittal and any other appropriate documents to the county office.

The county office will determine eligibility; and if the household is eligible, will determine the food stamp benefit amount. The county office will send the household an approval or denial notice. If the household is found to be eligible, the notification will specify the food stamp benefit amount and the certification period.

A categorically eligible household is any household in which all members receive or have been authorized to receive TEA Cash Assistance and/or SSI benefits with the following exceptions.

Exception 1 - The entire household is institutionalized.

Exception 2 - At least one household member has been disqualified.

Categorically eligible households need not meet residency requirements, SSN requirements, sponsored alien requirements, the resource limits, or either gross or net income limits. (The household is assumed to have met these requirements.) See FSC 1920 for a full definition of a categorically eligible household and information about eligibility factors.

Households in which all members have made application for SSI are considered potentially categorically eligible.

Potentially categorically eligible households entitled to expedited services as specified in FSC 9200 will be processed as instructed in the 9000 section of this manual.

If a potentially categorically eligible household is ineligible based on residency, the SSN requirements, the sponsored alien provisions, resources, or income (gross or net), the application must be denied at the time ineligibility is determined. If the application is properly coded as a "P" in the HH Type field of the WFAP, the denial notice automatically generated to the household will state that the household may be categorically eligible if the SSI application is approved.

The following households will participate in the SFSP:

• All members receive TEA Cash Assistance. (This includes children who are not receiving TEA Cash Assistance solely due to the family cap provision.)

• All members, except children affected by the family cap provision, receive a combination of TEA Cash Assistance and SSI.

FSC 8961 provides general information about the SFSP. For complete instructions see TEA 10000 - 10700.

The TEA Application (DCO-180) will be used to apply for food stamp benefits under the SFSP. The questions on page 1 of the DCO-180, along with the remainder of the form provides, the information needed to determine eligibility for either the regular Food Stamp Program or the SFSP.

If the TEA application can be completed within 27 days and the household is entitled to participate in the SFSP, the household's food stamp benefits will be authorized under SFSP rules. Under the following conditions, food stamp benefits for TEA applicants must be authorized under the regular Food Stamp Program rules:

• The household is entitled to expedited service, but the TEA application cannot be certified within seven calendar days.

• The household is not entitled to expedited service, but the TEA application cannot be completed within 27 calendar days.

• The TEA application is approved and the household is eligible for food stamp benefits but is not entitled to participate in the SFSP.

• The TEA application is denied, but the household is eligible to receive food stamp benefits.

8972.1 Household Composition

Husbands and wives, parents and their children under age 22, and siblings under age 18 who live in the same dwelling will continue to be restricted from participating as separate households in the SFSP.

Households participating in the SFSP will only be required to meet TEA resource limits unless there is a child in the home affected by the family cap provision. In that case, the household must meet the regular Food Stamp Program resource limits. Countable resources will be determined using TEA guidelines.

Households participating in the SFSP will only be required to meet TEA income limits unless there is a child in the case affected by the family cap provision. In that case, the household must also meet the gross income limits specified in the Basis of Issuance Charts, Appendix A. Countable income will be determined using TEA guidelines.

The household's food stamp benefit amount will be determined using normal food stamp budgeting procedures.

Neither medical costs nor dependent care costs are deductible in the SFSP. See FSC 8973.4 for an explanation of allowable shelter costs.

Except for SFSP households with an aged or disabled member, the shelter cost for each SFSP household will always be a standard amount. The shelter standard, which differs from county to county, includes the rent or mortgage payment, taxes and insurance and utility costs. Households that contain either an aged (age 60 or older) or disabled (SSI recipient) member will be allowed to choose between the shelter standard and the household's actual shelter costs.

Notices will be issued at initial approval, when there is an increase or decrease in the food stamp benefit amount, when the SFSP case is closed or to notify a household when a restored benefit or supplemental benefit has been authorized. Whenever possible, the SFSP notice will be combined with the TEA notice.

One of the following codes must be keyed in field 12 of the WFSM screen to indicate SFSP status:

REG - Indicates a food stamp household that is not participating in the SFSP.

SSI - Indicates a SFSP household with at least one member who receives SSI.

SFC - Indicates a SFSP household with at least one member affected by the family cap provision.

SO - Indicates a SFSP household with all members included in the TEA Cash Assistance.

If there are both SSI recipients and household members affected by the family cap provision, SFC should be keyed in field 12 of WFSM.

8976.1 Certified Under SFSP Rules

Households certified under SFSP rules will be assigned a twelve-month certification period. So long as the household participates in the SFSP, no formal recertification is required. Instead, the household's certification period may be extended for up to twelve more months whenever the worker has contact with this household.

TEA applicants certified under regular Food Stamp Program rules will be assigned a three-month certification period. If the TEA Cash Assistance application is approved before the end of the certification period, the household will be converted to the SFSP and assigned a twelve-month certification period.

If the TEA application is denied or the household is not entitled to participate in the SFSP, the food stamp household will undergo the regular recertification process at the end of the three-month certification period.

Cases will be converted from the regular Food Stamp Program to the SFSP when the food stamp household is composed entirely of TEA Cash Assistance recipients and SSI recipients. If a TEA applicant is currently participating in the regular Food Stamp Program, conversion will occur at the time the application for TEA Cash Assistance is approved.

For households currently receiving TEA Cash Assistance, conversion may occur at the first case action in either the TEA or the food stamp case. Conversion will consist of recalculating the budget and extending the household's certification period. The household's extended certification period may be no longer than 12 months.

Households participating in the SFSP will have no reporting requirements in addition to the TEA Program reporting requirements.

The county office must monitor SFSP cases to ensure that the household's food stamp certification does not expire. The county may choose when to extend the household's certification as long as there is some contact with the household at the time the certification is extended. Page 2 of the revised TEA application contains a tool for tracking the certification periods on SFSP participants. County offices may not develop forms or questionnaires to be completed and returned by the household.

8980 Processing Applications From Households Where Child Abuse Has Occurred

When a report of child abuse is substantiated, the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) must take immediate action to protect the child. When sexual abuse or life-threatening physical abuse is involved, the perpetrator of the abuse may be removed from the home creating a serious hardship for the family.

To ease this hardship, special consideration will be given to households in which:

• There is a substantiated report of serious abuse (physical or sexual);

• The perpetrator is the primary wage earner - (no formal determination of primary wage earner status is necessary); and

• The perpetrator is out of the home by court order, incarceration, or voluntarily.

Such households may be identified by DCFS or other authorities. The county office may also identify such households during the application process.

If such households are entitled to expedited processing as specified in FSC 9200, the application will be handled in accordance with the expedited processing standards contained in FSC 9400. If such households are not entitled to expedited processing, the county office will schedule the household's interview in accordance with the expedited procedures; however, the household will be subject to all normal verification requirements. (These requirements are summarized in a table in the Glossary under the definition of "Verification.")

Due to the household's special circumstances, the worker will assist the household, whenever possible, in obtaining any information and/or verification required to complete the application.