SR 09-12 Dated 05/09 (FSM)

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases a pilot at the Central Healthy Kids (CHK) Office involving the current CHK caseload. The CHK Office will pilot processing applications for Food Stamps (FS) from the current CHK caseload only, and provide ongoing FS case management to eligible CHK families.

Pending the success of the pilot, the CHK office will continue to process FS applications for the CHK caseload only without the release of an additional SR.

POLICY

The Central Healthy Kids (CHK) Office will pilot processing applications for Food Stamps (FS) from the current CHK caseload only.

Starting in May, a subgroup of the CHK caseload scheduled for June redeterminations will be sent an invitation to apply for DFA programs and services. The invitation package will be sent instead of the regular mail-in redetermination packet and will include Form 800, Application for Assistance, Form 77u, It Takes a Village, and a business reply envelope. Individuals who are not interested in applying for additional benefits are still required to recertify their current medical coverage by completing and returning the enclosed Form 800, or current recipients may also use Form 800PR, NH Healthy Kids Renewal Application, which can be printed from the Department of Health and Human Services’ web-site. The remaining CHK cases scheduled for a June redetermination will be sent their regular mail-in redetermination packets, and the separate invitation package will be sent at a later date. This same process will then be followed for July, August, and September CHK redeterminations.

During the pilot, CHK staff will screen all applications received from the subgroup of CHK recipients who received the special letter and forms:

§   For applicants that apply for programs other than FS and HK/MCPW, CHK staff will contact the client by phone to inform them their application is being forwarded to the household’s local District Office. If the application indicates potential eligibility for expedited FS, however, CHK staff will process this part of the application prior to sending the application to the local DO.

§   For applicants that apply for FS and HK/MCPW only, CHK staff will conduct a phone interview with the household and process the application.

CHK households determined eligible for FS by the CHK Office will receive ongoing case management by that office.

Applications Processed by the CHK Office

CHK staff will contact and immediately schedule a phone interview with CHK recipients who only apply for FS. The following situations may occur:

§   New non-exempt recipients of FS are subject to FS work registration and job search requirements. Staff must manually refer clients to the FS Employment and Training Program through New HEIGHTS by completing the "Transfer/Work Registration" screen.

§   One and two-person households eligible for FS are eligible for the minimum FS benefit allotment according to current policy. See Food Stamp Manual (FSM) PART 601, Table G: Determining Food Stamp Allotments.

§   All FS households who are certified for a 4, 5, or 6 month period are subject to special reporting requirements. See FSM Section 145.04, Special Reporting Requirements, for more information.

§   Some applicants of FS will have household expenses that were not considered allowable costs for the HK/MCPW programs, but could be allowable costs for the Food Stamp Program. For allowable expenses to be counted when determining eligibility for the Food Stamp Program, including those that also count for HK/MCPW, documentation verifying the expenses must be provided. A verbal verification of expenses is not sufficient for the expense to be counted for FS, even if verbal verification is sufficient for HK/MCPW eligibility.

§   All phone interviews must follow the same process that is currently followed at the conclusion of a personal interview in the District Office. The New HEIGHTS-generated Eligibility Interview Summary must be sent to the applicant along with Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, a business reply envelope, and all other required forms. A follow-up call to explain the information on these forms may also be needed.

§   Some households who are considered eligible for FS benefits may not be eligible for an actual dollar amount in monthly FS benefits. This is because the FS monthly benefit amount is still calculated based on expenses, household size, and net income. Even if the household receives a zero monthly FS benefit, being determined eligible for the Food Stamp Program:

-   provides automatic eligibility for the Food and Nutrition Free and Reduced School Lunch Program for all households with school-age children; and

-   means that non-exempt household members are subject to Food Stamp Program work registration and job search requirements. Staff must manually refer newly eligible FS recipients to the FS Employment and Training Program by completing the "Transfer/Work Registration" screen.

EBT NOTE: FSS must enter "NO" on the New Heights "Benefit Issuance" screen for households receiving a zero monthly FS benefit so an EBT card is not issued to the case.

·   EBT cards that are issued from New Heights due to the client’s RID not being known to the EBT web Edge system: These individuals must retrieve their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card at the District Office associated with the household’s street address. This is because the CHK Office is a mail-in office only, and FS recipients are only able to collect their EBT cards at a walk-in District Office. FS recipients will receive this information, including the address of the corresponding District Office, on the Notice of Decision that is automatically generated and sent by New HEIGHTS. When there are special circumstances for card delivery or there are PIN issues, the CHK FSS must contact the DOMO in the DO associated with the household’s street address, so that appropriate action on the case can be taken.

·   EBT cardholders whose RID is known to the EBT web Edge system: If the cardholder has an active account but has no card or has account questions, the cardholder must call EBT Customer Service at 1-888-997-9777. If a new card is needed, a replacement card will be mailed to the cardholder’s mailing address. If the cardholder has an active account and a card, the household is all set and no further action is required by the FSS as the household can begin to use the card on the FS benefits’ begin date.

Applications Transferred to a District Office

CHK staff transferring applications to a District Office because the household has applied for more assistance than just HK/MCPW and FS must follow the policy for filing of an application received in the wrong District Office found in AAM/FAM/FSM, Section 109.01 Filing an Application.

Note: After eligibility is determined at the District Office, cases are only transferred back to the CHK Office if the assistance group is eligible for HKG, HKS, or MCPW only. Cases determined eligible for programs other than HK or MCPW, even cases that applied for other assistance programs but ultimately are only eligible for HK/MCPW and Food Stamps, remain at the District Office that determined the assistance group’s eligibility.

NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND STAFF IMPLEMENTATION

A paragraph has been added to the Notice of Decision initially sent to recipients from the CHK Office who are newly eligible for FS but whose RID is not known to the EBT web Edge system. The text notifies the household that the the EBT card must be collected from the District Office associated with the household’s street address. The notice includes the address and phone number of the identified District Office.

If the household is eligible for the Food Stamp Program but receives zero monthly FS benefits, "No" must be chosen for the question "Should a card be issued?" on the New HEIGHTS "Benefit Issuance" screen, so that an EBT card is not issued to the case.

Households whose RID is known to the EBT web Edge system must call EBT Customer Service at 1-888-997-9777 if the cardholder has an active account but has no card or has account questions. If a new card is needed, a replacement card will be mailed to the cardholder’s mailing address. If the cardholder has an active account and a card, no further action is required by the FSS as the household can begin to use the card on the FS benefits’ begin date.

During the pilot, CHK staff must manually refer non-exempt FS recipients to the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program based on the individual’s catchment area. Manually refer clients by completing the "Transfer/Work Registration" screen within the Work Program function in New HEIGHTS. Pending the results of the pilot, further changes may be requested in New HEIGHTS such as the automatic referral of non-exempt CHK FS recipients to the proper Food Stamp Employment and Training Program.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Family Assistance Manual Topics

SR’s Retained

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

SR’s Retained

IMPLEMENTATION

The policy in this SR is related to a pilot and begins in May 2009. Pending the success of the pilot, the process will be implemented permanently without the release of an additional SR.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

One of two one-time client letters will be sent to all CHK Office HKG and MCPW recipients scheduled for a June, July, August, or September redetermination.

The first letter will be sent to a sub-group of HKG and MCPW recipients scheduled for a June, July, August, or September redetermination. The letter invites recipients to apply for other DFA programs and services, and provides the necessary steps to apply. The list of acceptable verifications from Form 800V, Examples of Acceptable Verification Needed to Determine Eligibility, is included on the back of the letter. The letter also informs individuals who are not interested in other benefits that they are still required to recertify their HKG/MCPW benefits by completing and returning the enclosed Form 800 or by using Form 800PR, Healthy Kids Renewal Application, which can be printed from the DHHS web-site.

The second letter will be sent to the remaining HKG/MCPW cases scheduled for a June, July, August, or September redetermination. The letter will be sent after this group’s redetermination has already been processed. The second letter includes the same information as the first with the exception of information regarding the client’s requirement to renew their current benefits.

Both mailings each month will also contain Form 77u, It Takes A Village, so that potential eligibility for FS benefits via the new expanded categorical eligibility criteria can also be determined. See SR 09-05, dated May 2009, for further information on the expanded criteria.

The letters have been attached to this SR for reference.

TRAINING

Starting on April 27, 2009, a week-long Food Stamp training will be held at Eagle Square for CHK staff.

DISPOSITION

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the revised manual topics released by this SR have been posted to the On-line manuals.

DISTRIBUTION

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR, and revised On-Line Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/DFA/LIBRARY, effective June 1, 2009. Additionally, this SR will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Family Assistance and Food Stamp Manuals. The SR should be retained in those manuals until further notice.

DFA/MPM:JBV