SR 98-42 Dated 10/98

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

Effective September 15, 1998, this SR eliminates combined allotments for expedited food stamp cases that apply and are determined eligible for food stamp benefits after the 15th day of the month.

BACKGROUND

Prior to the release of SR 95-15, Combined Allotment for Expedited Food Stamps with Postponed Verification..., food stamp policy allowed expedited food stamp households, which applied after the 15th day of the month and provided all verifications within expedited timeframes, to be issued a combined allotment consisting of the prorated month’s benefits and full benefits for the following month. No other food stamp households, with the exception of certain migrant households, could be issued a combined allotment.

Following a U.S. District Court finding against the U.S Department of Agriculture (Johnson v. USDA and Georgia, 3/31/92), the Food and Consumer Service (FCS) revised FCS regulations to require state agencies to add the second month's full allotment to the prorated first month's allotment for all expedited food stamp households applying after the 15th of the month without requiring additional verification (other than identity) from the household.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), Public Law 104-193, effective August 1996, allows states the option of separating a prorated initial expedited food stamp benefit and the next full calendar month of food stamp benefits. At the time this option became available, the Department decided to continue combined issuances for eligible expedited service cases, because EMS was programmed to issue combined allotments. Also, due to other systems commitments and priorities, EMS could not be easily reprogrammed to remove the combined issuance process. Since issuing combined allotments can be error prone, and because this systems capability will be eliminated with New HEIGHTS, the decision was made to eliminate combined allotments for expedited service cases effective September 15, 1998.

Effective September 15, 1998, all initial allotments for expedited service cases, including migrant households, will be issued separately and will not be combined with the allotment for the next calendar month. This SR eliminates the special treatment previously afforded to expedited service cases that applied and were determined eligible after the 15th day of the month. The revised policy applies to all expedited households regardless of the application date. Subsequent allotments will be issued when all verifications are submitted and full eligibility is determined.

IMPLEMENTATION

The revised policy is effective for all expedited food stamp households that apply on or after September 15, 1998.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Clients will be notified on an as needed basis.

TRAINING

No training is planned.

DISPOSITION

This SR may be destroyed after its contents have been noted, and if appropriate, its posting instructions have been carried out.

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.state.nh.us/dhhs, October 1, 1998.

This SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all hard copy holders of the Food Stamp Manual.

DFA/SJC:s