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6.1.2 Six Month Reporting Requirement

Food units certified for 12 months, and subject to reduced change reporting requirements, are required to submit a six-month report form (SMRF) in the sixth month of the certification period. Using the SMRF, these food units are required to report and verify the current gross earned and unearned income received by all household members.  Self-employment income that has already been averaged does not need to be re-verified, unless a significant change is reported.  Other changes that must be reported on the interim report are:

  1. Household composition (persons that have moved in or out, including newborns)

  2. New address and resulting changes in shelter and utility expenses

  3. New or ended sources of earned income (4.3.2) (including self-employment) (4.3.3)

  4. Change in legal obligation to pay child a person's biological, step, or adopted son or daughter, regardless of age. support (4.6.5)

 

Any changes reported must also be verified. An adult a person who is 18 years old or older household member must sign the interim report form.

 

To be considered timely, a SMRF must be returned to the local agency by the 5th day of the process month (month 6) or no later than the end of the process month. An incomplete SMRF returned prior to the end of the process month is considered timely and must be acted on by the agency.  If the HH fails to return a timely SMRF, FS will close effective the last day of the process month at adverse action.

 

If verification is needed the recipient has 10 days to provide verification from the date it is requested.  If verification is not returned timely, the FS AG will close. A FS AG closed prior to the end of the report month may reopen for month 7 without a new application if requested verification is received prior to the end of month 6, or within 10 days of the request date, whichever is later.

 

Example 1: Emma is certified for FS from January to December, with a SMRF due in June. Emma returns the SMRF June 27 without verification of her income. Although Emma returned her SMRF at the end of the process month, the due date for verification extends into July because the worker must allow 10 days to provide verification.  Emma provides the requested verification on July 2. Emma’s certification period for FS remains the same, January to December.  Benefits go back to July 1 and are not prorated, as there was no break in service.

 

FS may reopen without a new FS application at SMRF under specific circumstances. Allow FS to reopen at SMRF if the required action to regain eligibility is completed in the calendar month following the month the SMRF was due, as long as a complete SMRF is returned and verification requirements met, no later than the end of the 7th month of the certification period.  

 

- If FS closes for lack of SMRF, verification, or other reasons and the household takes the required action within the calendar month following the report month, the agency shall reopen FS and issue prorated benefits from the date the household took the required action.  

 

- If FS closes due to agency delay in processing a SMRF, benefits shall be restored back to the first of the month.   

 

 

Example 2: Joe has an open FS case with a certification period of April through March with a SMRF due in September.  Joe fails to return a timely SMRF in September to his worker Jayne  and FS closes effective September 30th.  

 

Joe returns the SMRF with required verification on October 25, but he forgot to sign the form.  Jayne returns the SMRF to Joe and indicates that he must return a signed SMRF by October 31 to avoid needing a new FS application.

 

Note: The SMRF must have an action date on the View/Record Six Month Report Actions page that is in the process month otherwise CARES will continue to fail the case for lack of SMRF.

 

Joe returns the signed SMRF on October 31. Although Joe regains FS eligibility October 31, FS  fail with a $0 benefit for October and pass with a FS benefit of $20 for November and December. The FS certification period for Joe’s case remains the same, April through March.

 

Had Joe returned a timely SMRF, but Jayne did not process the form until October, benefits would have been issued back to October 1, due to Jayne’s late processing.

 

If Joe had returned the signed SMRF on November 1, which is beyond the month following the report month, FS would have closed and he would need to reapply.

 

Note: This policy does not have an impact on Child Care SMRF processing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page last updated in Release Number: 09-02

Release Date: 06/26/09

Effective Date: 06/26/09