2.2.1 Certification Periods (Reviews)

7 CFRCode of Federal Regulations 273.14(a); 7 CFR 273.10(f)

2.2.1.2 Shortening a Certification Period

2.2.1.5 Eligibility Reviews for Other Programs and Their Impact on the FoodShare Certification Period

The certification period for FS eligibility for most food units is 12 months. Food units where all food unit members are homelessAn individual who lacks a fixed and regular nighttime residence or an individual whose primary nighttime residence is: 1) A supervised shelter designed to provide temporary accommodations (such as a welfare hotel or congregate shelter), 2) A halfway house or similar institution that provides temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, 3) A temporary accommodation for not more than 90 days in the residence of another individual, or 4) A place not designed for, or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (for example, a hallway, bus station, a lobby, or similar places). and food units that include a migrantany person who temporarily leaves a principal place of residence outside of his state and comes to this state for not more than 10 months in a year to accept seasonal employment in the planting, cultivating, raising, harvesting, handling, drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, grading, or storing of any agricultural or horticultural commodity in its unmanufactured state or seasonal farmworker have a 6-month certification period. Recipients must complete an interview (2.1.3) (review) and verify current household information in the last month of the certification period in order to be recertified and continue receiving FS benefits.

Food units with zero FS benefits in their initial benefit month and a FS allotment greater than 0 in the second month, will be certified for 12 months beginning with the application month. If the benefit calculation is zero for the first two months, the case will be denied.

Example 1: Barry applied for FS in August after he lost his job. In the FS benefit determination for August and September, Barry received zero for August (due to excess net income) and $98 in September. His certification period starts in August.

If FS eligibility is denied in the month of application for any other reason, and eligibility begins the following month, the 12-month certification period begins in the month following the application month.

Example 2: Barry's VQT sanction ends 08/31/04. He reapplies and re-requests FS on 08/25/04. He is ineligible in August and eligible for $141 in September. Barry's 12-month certification period begins 09/01/04.

2.2.1.1 Six Month Reviews

The certification period of the following food units is 6 months:

food units that include a migrant of seasonal farm worker, or
food units that are homeless, and
where action is taken in CARESClient Assistance for Reemployment and Economic Support to indicate homelessness or a migrant food unit member prior to adverse action in month 4 of the certification period.

NOTE: Once a 6-month certification period has been established the review will remain due in month 6 even if the homeless food unit secures housing, or the migrant worker leaves the food unit prior to the review month.

2.2.1.2 Shortening a Certification Period

7 CFR 273.10(f)(4) Waiver approval

Local agencies may not end a certification period earlier than the assigned termination date, unless the agency receives information that the food unit has become ineligible or the food unit does not cooperate in clarifying its circumstances. Loss of W2 or a change in employment is not sufficient in and of itself to meet the criteria necessary for shortening certification periods.

A certification period may be shortened only in the circumstances described below:

There is a new request for health care or Child Care,

A health care or Child Care recertification is due prior to the FoodShare renewal,

AND

The household has stated they want to complete a FoodShare renewal at the same time they are applying for or recertifying health care or Child Care.

2.2.1.3 Completing a Recertification

7 CFR 273.14(b)

There are several steps to completing a recertification (review) for FS cases:

Notification must be sent to the recipient informing him/her that the certification period is ending and an interview (2.1.3) must be conducted if benefits are to continue.
An interview must be conducted and the recipient must be notified of verifications required to determine continued eligibility for the program.
Certain information gathered at the interview must be verified (1.2.1).
Resolving any identified Error Prone Profiles (EPPs) (Process Help 70).
Benefit eligibility must be confirmed in CARES (2.1.9) in order for the review or recertification to be considered complete.

2.2.1.4 Review Processing Timeframe

The 30-day processing timeframe for a review is not the same as it is for applications. The 30-day review processing timeframe refers to the review month. In other words, a review must be processed and confirmed by the last day of the review month unless there is an agency-caused delay such as allowing 10 days for verification. In those instances, the worker should document in CARES the reason for the late recertification and set the FS program request date for the first of the month so that there is no pro-ration of benefits.

The FS case will close effective the last day of the review month at adverse action of the review month if recertification is not completed, including confirmation. The local agency and the FS recipient have until the end of the review month to complete recertification.

FS that close at recertification may reopen without requiring a new application under specific conditions. Allow FS to reopen at recertification if the requested action to resolve ineligibility is completed in the month following the end of the current certification period, as long as the interview was timely.

An interview must be completed within the review month of the current certification period to be considered timely. If the HH fails to complete a timely interview, FS will close effective the last day of the review month at adverse action and a new FS application is required.

If FS close for lack of verification after a timely review and the household takes the required action within the calendar month following the certification period, the agency shall reopen FS and prorate benefits from the date the household took the required action. The new certification period will begin the month after the month the review was due.

If FS close for lack of signature after a timely review and the household returns the signature page within the calendar month following the certification period, the agency shall reopen FS and prorate benefits from the date the household returns the signature page. The new certification period will begin the month after the month the review was due.

If FS close due to agency delay in scheduling the interview or the HH is not available to complete the interview until the end of the review month, benefits shall be restored back to the first of the month to ensure ongoing benefits, as long as verification is timely.

Example 3: Holly completes a timely FS review on July 12, but does not have verification of her wages from Marigold’s. Holly’s worker, Jeff, issues a request for verification of earned income. Holly fails to provide verification and her case closes effective July 31. On Aug 5, Holly provides verification of her wages. Jeff changes the date on the FoodShare Request page to August 5 and issues prorated benefits from August 5 through August 31. Holly’s previous FS certification period ended on July 31, 2007. Her new certification period runs from Aug 5, 2007 to July 31, 2008.

If Holly responded timely to Jeff’s request for verification and submitted her verification in July, but Jeff did not process the verification until August, benefits would have been issued back to August 1, due to Jeff’s late processing.

Example 4:Tom's FS review is due by June 30. He completes his interview on June 27 and has verification due July 07. Tom provides the requested verification on July 05. Although Tom's case closed effective June 30 due to lack of completed review/ verification, his FS case is reopened with a certification period beginning July 1. Benefits are not prorated and he is not required to submit a new application.

Example 5: Ruby calls her worker on August 21 to schedule a FS review but the only appointment available is not until September 4. Ruby completes her review but does not have verification of her wages from Sunny’s Craft House. Ruby’s worker, Kim, issues a request for verification of earned income with a verification due date of September 14. Ruby submits the necessary verification on September 10. Because Ruby submitted her verification timely (within 10 days) and because the agency was unable to complete the interview in August, Kim issues benefits to Ruby back to September 1.

Had Ruby submitted the necessary verification after September 14, Kim would not issue benefits back to the first but only to the date verification was submitted.

Example 6: Tricia’s household has a FS certification period ending June 30, 2008. Tricia completed a telephone interview on June 17. The signature page is not returned timely and FS close June 30. Tricia returns the signature page on July 14. FS reopen without requiring a new FS application. Benefits are prorated from July 14, with a new certification period from July 14, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

2.2.1.5 Eligibility Reviews for Other Programs and Their Impact on the FoodShare Certification Period

Reviews completed for other assistance programs do not automatically count as a review for FS and will not change the FS certification period. A FS certification period may be changed to align with that of another program only if the household and has stated their consent to complete a FS renewal in order to align their FS certification period with the certification period of another program.

This page last updated in Release Number: 15-02

Release Date: 04/30/2015

Effective Date: 04/30/2015