SR 23-29 Dated 08/23

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES - Bureau of family assistance (bfa)

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This Supervisory Release (SR) releases the creation of a new BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, the revision of BFA Form 77d, SNAP Information Sheet, the revision of BFA Form 800W, Website Forms, revised Food Stamp Manual pages regarding SNAP work requirements, and guidance for BFA staff regarding when and how SNAP applicants and recipients must be informed of work requirements.

POLICY

At initial certification, every recertification, and anytime a change is reported that affects an individual’s work registration status, the applicable work requirements must be reviewed with the household orally, and a written notice must be provided. BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, has been developed to provide the written information and is to be provided to all SNAP households at certification and recertification, and whenever there are any changes in work registration status.

SNAP work requirements are a condition of eligibility that apply to all individuals ages 16 through 59, unless exempt. In New Hampshire, the applicable work requirements are:

·      Register for work at the time of application. There is no separate form to complete; the individual is considered registered when they complete an application for assistance and their work registration status (mandatory or exempt) is recorded in New HEIGHTS. Work registration is reviewed at every recertification;

·        Do not voluntarily quit a job of 30 or more hours per week or reduce work effort to less than 30 hours per week; and

·        Accept an offer of suitable employment. Employment is considered suitable if:

o   The offered wage is equal to or higher than the Federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr);

o  The individual is not required to join, resign from, or refrain from joining any legitimate labor organization as a condition of employment;

o   The work offered is not at a site subject to a strike or lockout at the time of the offer; and

o   The distance from the individual’s home to the work site is not unreasonable (commute time must not exceed 2 hours per day) or is within reasonable walking distance if no public or private transportation is available to the individual. Reasonable walking distance could vary from person to person and self-attestation is accepted if an individual states they could not walk to the work location from home.

If it is determined that a non-exempt individual has refused or failed to comply with the SNAP work requirements, and did not have a good cause reason, the individual must be disqualified from SNAP. The length of disqualification is 1 month for the first noncompliance, 3 months for the second noncompliance, and 6 months for the third and any subsequent noncompliance.

For more information on SNAP work requirements, including exemptions and good cause reasons for failure to comply, see FSM PART 800, TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND EMPLOYMENT. For more information on voluntary quit, see FSM PART 315, VOLUNTARY QUIT.

NEW HEIGHTS & NH EASY SYSTEMS PROCEDURES

There are no changes to New HEIGHTS or NH EASY associated with this SR.

DESCRIPTION OF NEW AND REVISED FORMS

·        BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, has been developed to inform SNAP applicants and recipients of applicable work requirements, exemptions from the work requirements, penalties for failing or refusing to comply, and possible good cause reasons for failure or refusal to comply. This form has been translated into Spanish.

·        BFA Form 77d, SNAP Information Sheet, and its Spanish translation, have been updated to add reference to the new BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, under the Work Requirements section.

·        BFA Form 800W, Website Forms, and its Spanish translation, have been updated to add the new BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, as a form that must be reviewed by SNAP applicants.

BFA Form 811S, Statements of Understanding, BFA Form 800R, Application for Continued Eligibility for Financial, Medical, Child Care, and SNAP Benefits, and the Statements of Understanding on NH EASY applications have also been updated and were released with SR 23-27. The following statement was added to each:

I understand that my receipt of SNAP requires that I comply with SNAP work requirements. I certify that I have read and understand BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements.

Place an order through the DHHS Warehouse/Logistics via the District Office’s Quarterly Forms Order (QFO) when a supply of the new versions are needed.

New versions of BFA Forms 77d, 213, and 800W, as well the Spanish translated versions, will also be available electronically on the DHHS website at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/forms-documents and NH EASY Gateway to Services at https://nheasy.nh.gov/#/forms.

BFA Form 77d, SNAP Information Sheet, BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, BFA Form 800W, Website Forms, as well as the Spanish translated versions and the associated instructions for all will also be available internally, for Department staff only, on the N:\ drive upon release of this SR.

FORMS INSTRUCTIONS

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Food Stamp Manual Pages – Revised/Renumbered

Section 125.17            Postponed Work Registration

Section 315.01            Definition of Voluntary Quit

Section 315.03            Good Cause for Voluntary Quit

Section 315.05            Sanctions/Disqualifications for Voluntary Quit

Section 315.07            Informing the Household about Voluntary Quit

Section 315.09            Administrative Appeals for Voluntary Quit

Section 315.11            Reapplication/Reinstatement after Voluntary Quit

Section 315.13            Verification of Voluntary Quit

PART 800                   TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND EMPLOYMENT

PART 801                   SNAP WORK REQUIREMENTS

                                    (previously PART 813 FOOD STAMP WORK REGISTRATION)

Section 801.01            Exemptions from SNAP Work Requirements

                                    (previously PART 809 WORK REGISTRATION AND EXEMPTIONS FROM FOOD STAMP                                                                                  PROGRAM (FSP) WORK REQUIREMENTS)

Section 801.03            Verification of Exempt Status

                                    (previously PART 811 VERIFICATION OF EXEMPT STATUS)

Section 801.05            Loss of Exemption from SNAP Work Requirements

                                    (previously PART 815 LOSS OF EXEMPTION FROM WORK PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS)

PART 803                   NOTIFICATIONS AT APPLICATION

PART 805                   NOTIFICATIONS AT RECERTIFICATION

PART 807                   WHICH WORK REQUIREMENTS APPLY?

PART 819                   SNAP EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING (SNAP E&T) PROGRAM

PART 821                   RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL

PART 823                   GOOD CAUSE FOR FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE

PART 827                   DISQUALIFICATION PENALTIES

Section 827.01           Length of Disqualification

Section 827.03           Opening and Closing a Case During a Disqualification Period

Section 827.05           Notices to Individuals

PART 829                   ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS FOR WORK REQUIREMENTS

Food Stamp Manual Pages – Deleted

PART 801                    PURPOSE AND LONG-TERM GOAL

PART 825                    CONCILIATION PROCESS

IMPLEMENTATION

Begin providing SNAP households with BFA Form 213, SNAP Work Requirements, upon release of this SR.

The current version of BFA Form 77d, SNAP Information Sheet, will be used until the supply is exhausted, at which point the new version will be printed. 

Prior English and Spanish versions of BFA Form 800W, Website Forms, must be recycled and the new versions used immediately. A Certificate of Destruction has been included with this SR.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

No special client notification is planned or needed.

TRAINING

No special training is planned or needed.

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 Online Manuals.

DISTRIBUTION

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for BFA policy releases. This SR, and revised Online Manuals, will be available for agency staff in the Online Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sr_htm/sr.htm, effective September 1, 2023.

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