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Reduce an individual's State Supplement Program (SSP) financial assistance grant by one-third when the SSP individual:

. resides with others in an independent living arrangement;

. does not receive Food Stamp benefits; and

. does not have any food or residence costs.

SSP includes the Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD), Old Age Assistance (OAA), and Aid to the Needy Blind (ANB) financial assistance programs.

. Independent living arrangement means that an individual eligible for an SSP grant lives in one of the following types of residences: apartment or house.

. The "others" that the individual eligible for an SSP grant is living with can be anyone: relative or non-relative. Relationship to the individual eligible for SSP is not a factor; the pertinent criterion is that the SSP individual is not living alone.

. Residence expenses means that the individual eligible for an SSP grant helps pay for household expenses such as rent, mortgage, electric, heat, phone, etc.

. Food expenses means that the individual eligible for an SSP grant helps pay for the food in the household.

Do not apply the one-third reduction in the SSP grant in the following situations:

. Individuals who do not live in an independent living arrangement. The one-third reduction is not applied to individuals who are homeless or who live in CR or RCF housing types. These individuals do not have to provide verification of food or residence costs.

. Individuals who live alone. If the individual eligible for an SSP grant lives alone, the one-third reduction in the SSP grant does not apply, as the "living with others" criterion of the policy has not been met.

. Individuals who are either receiving Food Stamp benefits or included in a Food Stamp household, regardless of living arrangement. These individuals are considered to have met the "paying towards the costs of food in the household" criterion.

. ANB cases in which parental income and resources have been deemed to the case. If ANB parental deeming policy has already been applied to the ANB child's case, even if $0 income and $0 resources can be deemed from the parents, the one-third reduction in the SSP grant policy does not apply.

The one-third reduction in the SSP recipient's grant applies until the SSP recipient verifies a change in their circumstances. Once the SSP recipient supplies proof that the recipient has residence or food expenses, or that the recipient's living arrangement has changed, the one-third reduction is removed from the grant applicable for the next payment period. The one-third reduction will be automatically removed from any SSP recipient who begins to receive Food Stamp benefits.