SR 05-19 Dated 06/03

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases the following simplifications in reporting changes in the Food Stamp Program:

§   Food Stamp households with 4 and 5-month certification periods are allowed the same simplified reporting requirements previously offered to households with 6-month certification periods, and are only required to report changes that cause the household’s gross monthly income to exceed 130% of poverty; and

§   Food Stamp households that do not have a 4, 5, or 6-month certification period, need only report changes in earned income or unearned income from private sources that exceed $100 in any 1 month of the certification period. Households are not required to report any change in unearned income from a private source when that income was averaged over the certification period.

Form 470, Food Stamp Program Change Report Form, and its instructions have been revised accordingly.

This SR additionally releases a related change eliminating the requirement to report changes in work status and an update to the maximum mileage transportation reimbursement rate on Form 218, Food Stamp Job Search Reimbursement.

POLICY

Food Stamp households with 4, 5, and 6-month certification periods are only required to report changes that cause the household’s gross monthly income to exceed 130% of the poverty level for their household size. Changes that may cause gross monthly household income to exceed 130% of the poverty level include a member with no income leaving the household, a member with income joining the household, or a work status change from part-time to full-time with a subsequent increase in income.

Reporting requirements for Food Stamp households that do not have 4, 5, or 6-month certification periods have also been simplified:

§   the reporting threshold for earned income has increased from $25 to $100;

§   the reporting threshold for changes in unearned income from private sources has also increased from $25 to $100; and

§   there is no requirement for the household to report any change in unearned income from a private source when that income was averaged over the certification period. For example, if a household received intermittent, fluctuating child support payments for several months prior to application and the FSS then averaged this unearned income and used this average to budget for the upcoming certification period, the household is not required to report deviations from this averaged amount during the certification period.

The different reporting requirements for financial and medical assistance and the Food Stamp Program affect determinations of overpayments and over issuances. For example, if a household is not certified for 4, 5, or 6 months, and is receiving Food Stamp benefits and Old Age Assistance (OAA) and the household does not report in 10 days that they begin receiving child care income of $20 per week, an overpayment in OAA would occur but no claim would be required for Food Stamps because the change is less than $100 per month.

DISTRICT OFFICE PROCEDURES FOR SIMPLIFIED REPORTING

Food Stamp-Only Households: At application and recertification, inform clients of the simplified reporting requirements. If the household does not have a 4, 5, or 6-month certification period, provide the individual with Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, after crossing out the side of the Form directed towards households that do.

If the household has a 4, 5, or 6-month certification period:

§   inform the household of the dollar value of their reporting requirement; and

§   provide the individual with Form 215, after crossing out the side of the Form directed towards cases that do not have a 4, 5, or 6-month certification period.

All Other Households: At application and recertification/redetermination, inform clients of standard reporting requirements. If the client has also applied for or is a recipient of Food Stamp benefits, explain the simplified food stamp reporting requirements. Cross out the side of Form 215 directed towards cases that have a 4, 5, or 6-month food stamp certification period before providing the Form to the client.

RELATED POLICY CLARIFICATION

An FNS-approved waiver required New Hampshire Food Stamp households to report changes in work status, from full time to part-time or vice versa. This waiver has expired. As such, Food Stamp households are no longer required to report changes that are solely work status-based and have no impact on countable earnings. However, any work status-based changes that affect the 130% simplified reporting requirement for households certified for 4, 5, or 6 months, or work status-based changes that cause a change in countable earned income of more than $100, must continue to be reported. FSM 145.03, What to Report, has been updated accordingly.

FORMS REVISIONS

Form 470, Food Stamp Program Change Report Form

Form 470, Food Stamp Program Change Report Form, and its instructions, were updated to reflect the simplified reporting requirements released by this SR as well as clarifications regarding when a change occurs released by SR 02-32, dated October 2002. The title of the Form was also revised to emphasize that the form is used for reporting Food Stamp Program changes only.

Form 218, Food Stamp Job Search Reimbursement

Form 218, Food Stamp Job Search Reimbursement, was updated to reflect the $40 monthly maximum transportation reimbursement rate released by SR 02-32, dated October 2002. Additionally the form was simplified in the following ways to reflect the streamlined automated process:

§   rather than requesting that the participant choose one of three proposed reimbursement scenarios, as is done on the current paper version of the form, the revised version now contains a one sentence short answer request for the reimbursement amount; and

§   the 4-Part NCR form was reduced to a 1 sheet non-NCR form. Because reimbursement information entered into New HEIGHTS is considered "authorized" by the NHES Food Stamp Interviewer, the worker no longer needs to send 3 paper copies of the form to the Finance Unit for authorization.

After entering the reimbursement information into New HEIGHTS, the NHES Interviewer:

§   initiates and prints the Form 218 off of New HEIGHTS from the "FS Reimbursement Details" screen, under "Food Stamp Reimbursement," in the "Work Programs" folder;

§   obtains required signatures; and

§   retains the signed document, with any needed verification attached, in the NHES Food Stamp case record for three years from the date of completion.

Form 218(i), Instructions for Form 218, was revised accordingly.

Note: Because both forms will be printed when the current supplies are exhausted, no Certificate of Destruction has been included with the SR.

Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, and the Food Stamp 130% Reporting Poster

The 4, 5, and 6-month reporting requirements were incorporated into the Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, and the Food Stamp 130% Reporting Requirements Poster during the release of SR 03-26, dated October 2003.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

Section 145.01   Reporting Requirements

Section 145.03   What to Report

Section 145.04   Special Reporting Requirements

Section 145.07   When to Report

Section 145.09   Notifying Individuals of Reporting Requirements

PART 147    ACTIONS ON CHANGES

Section 161.03   Required Verification for Redetermination/Recertification

IMPLEMENTATION

The policies described in this SR were released via two Director’s Memos entitled:

§   "Food Stamp Change Reporting Requirements," dated June 23, 2003, with an effective date of June 30, 2003; and

§   "Six Month Reporting," dated July 22, 2003, effective the same date.

Policies were implemented according to the effective date of the Director’s Memos.

The effective date of the revised Forms 470, Food Stamp Program Change Report Form, and Form 218, Food Stamp Job Search Reimbursement, will be June 2003, to align with the effective date of the earlier of the two Director’s Memos released. However, the current supply of both forms may be used until exhausted. The new versions of both forms will be printed when the current supply is depleted.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Notify clients of the simplified reporting requirements at application, recertification, or whenever information about reporting requirements is requested. No additional client notification is needed.

TRAINING

On August 21, 2003, a remote training on Food Stamp Reporting requirements was held for DFA staff.

FORMS POSTING INSTRUCTIONS

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 April 4, 2005.

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