6.1.3 Timely Action on Reported Changes During the Certification Period

6.1.3.3 Changes That Cause an Increase in Benefits, Including Person Adds

6.1.3.5 Person Add Following a Sanction (Re-request)

6.1.3.6 Changes That Cause a Decrease in Benefits

Changes can be reported timely or untimely. ESS must act promptly on all reported changes. If verification is requested a minimum of 10 days must be allowed for the recipient to provide.

6.1.3.1 Processing Reported Changes

Request verification from the customer as soon as possible, following the report of a change. See FSH 1.2.1. To prevent “failure to act” agency QC errors, eligibility workers must act on reported changes within 10 days. As a best practice a worker should process the change as soon as possible and not wait until the 10th day.

Example 1: Barry reports on June 29 that he started a job on June 19. His ES worker must request verification and allow Barry 10 days to provide it. If verification is requested on June 29, it will be due July 09. His ES worker will have time to process the verification and issue proper notice to Barry by adverse action in July. If the ES worker fails to act on the change by not requesting verification until July 09, Barry would have until July 19 to provide the verification, which is after adverse action. In this case it is likely that August benefits would be in error due to worker failure to act promptly on the reported change.

Lack of verification is a common cause of case closure. A new application for FS is not always required under specific circumstances when FS close due to lack of verification during the certification period. Allow FS to reopen without a new application when closing for lack of verification after a change is reported or discovered, as long as the requested verification is submitted in the calendar month following case closure. Benefits are prorated from the date the required action was taken.

Example 2: Julie is certified for FS from March through February. Julie reports on April 5 that she began a job. Julie’s worker, Marcia requests verification of Julie’s job, due April 15. Julie fails to provide verification by the due date and FS close effective April 30. Julie provides Marcia verification of her job on May 8. Marcia reopens Julie’s FS case without requiring a new FS application and prorates benefits from May 8 forward. Julie’s certification period remains the same March through February.

FS may also close for reasons other than verification. Allow FS to reopen when a change in circumstances during the month following the month of case closure causes the HH to regain FS eligibility, as long as the HH takes the required action.

Example 3: Pam’s FS close effective September 30 due to a pay increase at her job. Pam contacts her worker, Linda on October 8 to indicate her hours have been cut and she wants to reapply for FS. Linda informs Pam that she has the option of reapplying for FS or may provide verification of her new work hours to reopen FS effective the date she provides the verification. Pam chooses to provide verification, which she submits on October 12. Linda reopens Pam’s FS with prorated benefits from October 12 forward.

Example 4: Joan’s FS close effective October 31 as a result of her new roommate’s earned income. Joan contacts her worker Amy on November19 to indicate her roommate moved out and she wants to reapply for FS. Amy provides Joan the option of reapplying for FS or reopening her FS effective November 19. Joan chooses to request Amy to reopen FS without a new application. Amy removes the roommate from the case and redetermines a prospective estimate of Joan’s household income and expenses. Amy issues FS benefits from November 19 forward.

6.1.3.2 Changes “Verified on Receipt”

Some examples of changes considered to be "verified on receipt" are:

Data exchange (8.3.11) information that does not require further contact with the client,
Changes reported by a recipient that do not require further verification, or
Adequate verification submitted with a change report.

6.1.3.3 Changes That Cause an Increase in Benefits, Including Person Adds

7 CFR 273.12(c)(1)

All reported changes that cause an increase in the FS benefit including person additions, increases in expenses, etc., will be effective the first of the month following the report month if required verifications are received within 10 days of the request for verification.

If verifications are not received within 10 days, and the FS case is not closed for at least one day, make the change effective the first of the month following the month verifications are received.

Issue the appropriate supplement by the 10th day of the month the increase in benefits is effective.

Note: A person cannot be a member of more than one (1) food unit and one (1) FS group in the same month except residents of shelters for battered women and children (3.4.1). Prior to adding a person from one FS case to another, remove the person from the previous FS case.

Example 5: (baby add):

Baby Mike is born June 25, and is reported June 27. Supplement FS effective July 1.
If Baby Mike is born June 2, and is reported June 25; supplement FS effective July 1,
Or if Baby Mike is born June 27, and is reported July 1; add baby effective August 1.

Example 6: Jule has an open FS case with a certification period of February through January. Jule reports on March 25 that her sister Eve moved in on March 15. Jule’s worker requests verification of Eve’s eligibility information by April 4. Verification is not provided by April 4 and the FS case closes effective April 30. Eve provides verification to the local agency on May 15. FS reopened without a new application with benefits issued from May 15 forward. Jule’s FS certification period remains the same, February through January.

Example 7:(person leave) Lisa reports on March 5 that her husband left the home on February 27. The ES worker should redetermine the prospective estimate of Lisa’s household income for April and issue benefits for April based on the new estimate.

Example 8:(rent increase): Carol reports on March 25 that her rent is increasing for April. She submits verification of the increase to her ES worker on April 2, within 10 days. The worker makes the change to increase Carol’s FS benefit effective April 1 and issues a supplement for April.

If Carol had reported the rent increase on April 2, the FS benefit increase would have been effective May 1.

6.1.3.4 Sanction Request

An ES worker should act on a sanction request immediately, but has 10 days to process the request. However, the ESS should try to enter the sanction before the next adverse action (6.3.1) in CARES.

Example 9: The ES worker receives a sanction request for Jayne on the 12th of June. The worker officially has 10 days to process the sanction. Adverse action is on June 18, the worker makes sure to act on the sanction before the 18th. However, if they do not, the case would not be in error unless he did not act on the sanction until after AA in July.

6.1.3.5 Person Add Following a Sanction (Re-request)

If an individual is requesting to be added to the FoodShare group following:

A disqualification for an IPV, or
Failure to comply with FSET requirements, or
Failure to comply with other FS program requirements, or
Was an ineligible alien,

eligibility for the previously excluded person will be effective the first of the month following the period of disqualification, or the first of the month following their request to be added back to the FS group, whichever is later.

Example 10: Margaret’s husband David fails to participate in FSET and is sanctioned from August 1 – August 31. Margaret calls on August 25 and requests that David be added back to the FS group on September 1. Verification is complete.

The ESS adds David to the FS group effective September 1. If David is a mandatory FSET participant, the referral to FSET would not be effective until September 1.

If Margaret’s request for David to be added back to the FS group was made on or after September 1, he would be added to the group effective the first of the month following the request.

6.1.3.6 Changes That Cause a Decrease in Benefits

7 CFR 273.12(c)(2)(i)

For reported changes that result in a decrease in benefits, process the change to allow for adequate negative notice to be issued to the customer. If verifications are not received within 10 days, and the FS case is not closed for at least one day, make the change effective the first of the month following the month verifications are received.

Example 11: Lisa reports on June 3 that her husband moved back into the home on May 29.

Lisa’s worker adds Roy to CARES and requests verification of his income. Roy’s income will cause a decrease in FoodShare benefits. Lisa provides Roy’s verification on June 10. Notice of a decrease in benefits is issued at adverse action in June and benefits are decreased for July.

If verification was not provided within 10 days, FoodShare benefits would close June 30 for failure to verify income. If Roy’s verification was submitted during the month of July, FS would reopen without requiring a new application. Benefits would be prorated from the date Roy’s verification was received by the agency.

6.1.3.7 Change Impact Matrix

Household Type	Initial Certification Period and SMRF requirement	Change Reported	Date Change Acted On	Impact on Certification Period	SMRF Reqmt.
Regular	12 months - SMRF required	Homelessness or Migrant in household	Prior to Adverse Action in the 4th month of the certification period	CARES will shorten the certification period to 6 months requiring a review in month 6 to continue eligibility.	No
Regular	12 months - SMRF required	Homelessness or Migrant in household	After Adverse Action in the 4th month of the certification period	No effect on the original certification period of 12 months	Yes
Homeless or Migrant	6 months – No SMRF req.	Reports securing housing or no longer migrant	Any time during certification period	Certification period stays at 6 months	No
EBD household with earnings*	12 months – SMRF required	Source of earnings ends	At any time during the certification period	No effect on certification period.	No
EBD without earnings	12 months – No SMRF required	New source of earnings	Prior to AA in the 4th month	No effect on certification period.	Yes
EBD without earnings	12 months – No SMRF required	New source of earnings	After AA in the 4th month	No effect on certification period.	No
TFS	5 months – No SMRF required	Changes other then death of PP, or loss of WI residence by PP	Any time during the certification period	No effect	None
TFS	5 months – No SMRF required	Death of PP or loss of WI residence by PP	Any time during the certification period	TFS closes – client must re-apply	N/A

This page last updated in Release Number: 08-02

Release Date: 04/14/08

Effective Date: 04/14/08