211.01 Who Must Be Members SR 98-03, 05/98 (FSM-A)

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Certify the following as separate food stamp households:

• An individual who lives alone.

• A group of individuals who live, purchase food, and prepare meals together.

• An individual or group of individuals who live with others and who:

- usually purchase and prepare food separately from the others, or

- intend to purchase and prepare food separately from the others after certification.

• An individual age 60 or over (and spouse) who resides with others but cannot purchase and prepare food separately because of a permanent physical or mental disability, or disability considered permanent under the Social Security Act. Allow separate household status only when all of the following apply:

- the income of the other household members (without the elderly person and spouse) is less than 165% of the food stamp net monthly income limit,

- the elderly individual verifies the others’ income, and

- the elderly individual verifies the disability, if questionable.

• Siblings living together who purchase food and prepare meals separately and are not under the control of an adult household member.

• An individual or group of individuals who are disabled residents of an authorized group living arrangement and who receive benefits under Title II or Title XVI of the Social Security Act.

• A resident of federally subsidized housing built under Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 or Section 236 of the National Housing Act.

• A drug addict or alcoholic living and participating in a treatment program if the program is authorized to accept food stamps.

Exception: Consider children living with their parents who participate in such programs as members of the same household.

• A resident in a public or private nonprofit facility that provides shelter for the homeless or serves battered women and children. Consider families temporarily living in these facilities as separate households.

Strikers. Determine if the household was eligible for, potentially eligible for, or receiving food stamps immediately prior to the strike when determining current eligibility.

Certify the following individuals as one household if they live together:

• Parents and children (natural, adoptive, or step) of any age.

Exception: Parents and their children age 22 or older may choose to be certified as separate households if they purchase and prepare food separately (or would if the parent were not age 60 or older and disabled).

• Children under 18 years of age who are under the parental control of an adult member of the household who is not their parent, even if the following applies:

- the adult could qualify for separate household status because of age, target population criteria, or disability.

• Spouses of household members. Spouses are individuals who are married under New Hampshire law or who live together and present themselves to relatives, friends, neighbors, trades people, or others in the community as husband and wife.