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Change #4-2010
July 1, 2010
All applicant households, including those submitting applications by mail, must have face-to-face interviews in a FNS office or other mutually acceptable location, including a household’s residence. The interview must be conducted by a qualified eligibility worker and be held prior to initial certification. (An exception is discussed in Section 320, Expedited Service.) The individual interviewed may be the head of household, spouse, any other adult member of the household, or an authorized representative. If there is no adult in the household, an emancipated minor can complete the application interview. The applicant may bring any person he chooses to the interview.
The interviewer has several responsibilities during the interview process. Those responsibilities include the following:
A. Advise households of their rights and responsibilities.
B. Explain the appropriate application processing time standards.
C. Inform households of their responsibility to report changes.
D. Advise households that are also applying for or receiving Work First and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits that time limits and other requirements that apply to the receipt of Work First and/or SSI benefits do not apply to the receipt of FNS.
E. Advise households that the termination of Work First and/or SSI due to time limits, employment, or for other reasons, does not affect FNS eligibility.
F. Explain the Lifeline and Link-Up Assistance Programs to the applicant. Refer to FNS Manual Section 630, Lifeline/Link-Up Assistance Programs, for an explanation of these programs.
G. Conduct the interview as an official and confidential discussion of household circumstances. Do not simply review the information that appears on the application form, but explore and resolve any unclear and incomplete information.
H. Protect the applicant’s right to privacy during the interview. Hold the interview in a location that ensures privacy and confidentiality during the interview process.
I. Provide all households with the DSS-8227, Immigrant Access Notice.
J. Provide all households with the information from the DSS-8207, Application for Food and Nutrition Services, regarding TANF funded services.
An office interview may be waived in the following situations only. Document the reason a request for a waiver was granted or denied.
A. Waive the office interview if requested by any household that is unable to appoint an authorized representative and has no household members able to come to the FNS office because they are elderly or disabled.
B. Waive the office interview if requested by any household that is unable to appoint an authorized representative and lives in a location that is not served by a FNS certification office.
C. Waive the office interview on a case-by-case basis for any household that is unable to appoint an authorized representative and has no household members able to come to the FNS office because of transportation difficulties or similar hardships that the agency determines acceptable. These hardships include, but are not limited to:
1. Illness;
2. Care of a household member;
3. Hardships due to residency in a rural area;
4. Prolonged severe weather; or
5. Work or training hours which prevent the household from participating in an in-office interview.
If the agency determines that the office interview shall be waived, the following procedures must be followed.
A. The agency may conduct a telephone interview or a home visit for those households for whom the office interview is waived. If a home visit is necessary, the household must be notified prior to the home visit.
B. Waiver of the face-to-face interview does not exempt the household from the verification requirements. Special procedures may be used to permit the household to provide verification and obtain benefits in a timely manner.
EXAMPLE: Substitute a collateral contact in cases where documentary evidence would normally be provided.
C. Do not shorten the length of the household’s certification period because the office interview is waived.
The agency must schedule an interview for all applicant households who are not interviewed on the day they submit their applications. The application may be submitted in person, by an authorized representative, faxed, mailed or by e-mail. All applications submitted must have the name, address, and signature. Schedule interviews to accommodate the needs of groups with special circumstances, including working households, if at all possible. The DSS-8650 should be used to schedule all interviews as promptly as possible to ensure eligible households entitled to normal processing standards receive an opportunity to purchase food within 30 days after the application is filed. The 30-day count begins the day after the date of application. Due to electronic benefits transfer (EBT) procedures, it is recommended that application approvals be processed by the 25th day. This should give households the opportunity to purchase food by the 30th day. For more details on time frames, see Section 315, Application Time Frames.
The following procedures apply when an applicant household fails to attend their first scheduled interview:
A. Mail the household a DSS-8650, Notice of Information Needed to Complete Your Food Stamp Application. Inform the household that they missed the scheduled interview and the household is responsible for rescheduling a missed interview.
B. Deny the application on the 30th day following the date of application if the household fails to appear for the first scheduled interview and fails to contact the agency before or on the 30th day.
C. Schedule a second interview if the household contacts the agency within the 30-day application processing period.
The following procedures apply when an applicant household contacts the agency to reschedule an interview appointment:
A. The agency must schedule a second interview if the applicant contacts the agency within the 30-day processing period.
B. If the applicant contacts the agency but chooses not to schedule a second interview, deny the application on the 30th day following the date of application.
C. Determine if good cause can be established if a household is responsible for a delay in the interview process. Refer to Section 350.06 and 350.07 if good cause is established. Take the following actions if good cause cannot be established.
1. If the first interview is postponed at the household’s request and cannot be rescheduled until after the 20th day but before the 30th day following the date the application was filed, require the household to:
a. Appear for the interview,
b. Bring all needed verification, and
c. Register members for work by the 30 th day.
If the household fails to comply with the above requirements, deny the application on the 30th day following the date of application. In this situation, the household is not entitled to the minimum ten days to provide verification. Refer to Section 350.05 for procedures to follow if the applicant provides the required verifications after the 30th day.
2. If the household failed to appear for the first interview, fails to schedule a second interview, and/or the subsequent interview is postponed at the household’s request until after the 30th day following the date the application was filed, the delay is the household’s fault. Deny the application on the 30th day following the date of application. Refer to Section 350.05 for procedures to follow if the applicant interviews and/or provides the required verifications after the 30th day.
3. The household is also at fault if it missed both scheduled interviews and requests another interview. Deny the application on the 30th day following the date of application. Refer to Section 350.05 for procedures to follow if the applicant interviews and/or provides the required verifications after the 30th day.
4. If the household was at fault for the delay in the first 30-day period but is determined eligible during the second 30-day period, provide benefits from the date the verification is provided. The household is not entitled to benefits from the original date of application if the delay was the household’s fault and good cause is not established.
D. If good cause is established and the agency cannot schedule the second interview until after the 20th day but before the 30th day following the date of application, do the following:
1. Schedule the interview as soon as possible;
2. Allow the household ten days to provide all necessary verifications;
3. Do not deny the application on the 30th day;
4. Pend the application following the procedures discussed in Sections 350.06 and 350.07; and
5. Provide benefits from the original application date if the household is determined eligible.
E. If good cause is established and the agency cannot schedule the second interview until after the 30th day following the date of application, do the following:
1. Schedule the interview as soon as possible;
2. Allow ten days for the household to provide all necessary verifications;
3. Do not deny the application on the 30th day;
4. Pend the application following the procedures discussed in Sections 350.06 and 350.07; and
5. Provide benefits from the original application date if the household is determined eligible.
F. Households who fail to contact the agency by the 30th day must reapply for benefits.
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For questions or clarification on any of the policy contained in these manuals, please contact your local county office. |
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