109.01 Filing an Application SR 04-23, 07/04 (FSM-A)

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Individuals have the right to file an application on the same day they contact the District Office. Advise individuals that they may file the application before an interview is conducted. *

Accept an application as valid if it contains the applicant’s:

• name;

• address;

• signature, or the signature of an authorized representative acting on behalf of the applicant; and

• request for program(s) of assistance.

Exceptions:

• When a resident of an institution applies prior to leaving the institution, the filing date of the application is the date the applicant is released from the institution.

• Inmates of NH State Prison facilities who are enrolled in a pre-release program may apply prior to their release. The filing date of the application will be the first day of the month in which the applicant is released, regardless of the actual release date.

• The filing date for pure SSI households who apply at a Social Security Administration (SSA) office will be the date SSA receives the signed application.

Support Staff Process

• Provide the individual with Form 800, Application for Assistance, upon request.

• Assist the applicant in completing the form, if requested.

• When the client returns the application, review to ensure the application is valid as described above, and then date stamp the application.

• Provide the applicant with Form 800A, Programs & Services Guide, Form 800AA, Programs & Services Guide Insert, and any additional needed forms.

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• Complete the "Agency Use Only" sections of the Form 800.

If the client will be interviewed during normal interview hours, create a case file for the client or retrieve the client’s file from storage, place the client on the interview rotation list, and notify the FSS next in rotation. If the individual cannot stay for an interview or has arrived after interview hours have ended, have the District Office Supervisor or designee review the application for eligibility for expedited Food Stamp services (see PART 125, EXPEDITED SERVICE).

If the applicant is eligible for expedited Food Stamp services, a full interview is conducted on the same day that the application is filed. If the applicant is not eligible for expedited Food Stamp services, Support Staff must:

• complete Client Registration (CR);

• add a row to the "DO Traffic" screen in CR by selecting either;

- "Apply – Unable to Stay" if the applicant does not have time to stay for an interview; or

- "Apply – Advised to Return" if DO interview hours have ended and the household does not meet criteria for receipt of expedited Food Stamp services;

• complete the "Agency Use Only" section on the back of the coversheet of the Form 800;

• give this coversheet plus Form 800AN, Applicant Notice, to the individual. Explain that the application will be denied if the individual does not return for the interview within 30 days;

*

• create a case file for the applicant or retrieve the individual’s file from storage; and

• file in the appropriate area until the individual returns for an interview, or for 30 days, whichever comes first.

 Do not initiate or print Form 800H, also known as the HAF, at the conclusion of CR. Write a note on the Form 797, Eligibility Narrative, to notify the FSS that CR has been completed.

For individuals who require a recertification interview but cannot stay or have arrived after interview hours have ended, add a row to the "DO Traffic" screen in CR and select "Rede – Not Seen."

Filing of an Application in the Wrong DO

If an application is mailed to the wrong office, date stamp it and forward it to the appropriate office on the same day that it was received, unless it meets the criteria for expedited Food Stamp services. If information on the application indicates the household is eligible for expedited benefits, process the Food Stamp portion of the application immediately.

If an individual contacts the wrong office in person or by telephone:

• give the individual the address and telephone number of the correct office; and

• offer the individual the opportunity to complete an application that same day.