SR 11-08 Dated 10/11

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY

This SR releases eligibility and benefit criteria for Nutritional Supplement for Working Families (NSWF), an initiative in which working, single-parent Food Stamp recipients with at least one dependent child, are provided with a monthly supplement that can only be used to purchase Food Stamp-approved items.

Because NSWF is financed through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funds, NSWF recipients can be counted toward New Hampshire’s federal work participation rate.

POLICY

Nutritional Supplement for Working Families (NSWF) is an initiative in which working, single-parent Food Stamp recipients with at least one dependent child under age 18, are provided with a monthly nutritional benefit. The NSWF benefit is added to the recipient’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, separate from and in addition to the household’s Food Stamp benefit, and can only be used to purchase Food Stamp-approved items. There is no application process, and redetermination periods align with the Food Stamp household’s certification period. If a Food Stamp/NSWF recipient fails to complete the Food Stamp recertification process timely, both Food Stamps and NSWF will close with no 10-day advance notice period (ANP).

As of October 1, 2011, the monthly NSWF benefit is $20.00. However, the monthly NSWF amount is dependent upon the amount of funds allotted to offer NSWF, divided by the amount of Food Stamp recipients eligible for NSWF. Because NSWF recipients can be counted toward the federal work participation rate, it is in the Department’s best interest to extend NSWF assistance to as many eligible Food Stamp recipients as possible, and for as long as possible. As such, there is no set minimum NSWF amount that a NSWF-eligible Food Stamp recipient may receive. The following methodology will be used to determine the standard monthly NSWF allotment:

·   The amount of the standard monthly NSWF benefit is calculated by dividing the total NSWF funding for a fiscal year by the current total number of NSWF-eligible households and, if needed, rounding that figure down to the nearest dollar.

·   Since the NSWF funding is a finite amount but the number of eligible households could vary, if the Department determines that the number of eligible households has increased so much that it would deplete the NSWF funding before the end of the fiscal year, the amount of the standard monthly NSWF benefit will be lowered.

·   If the Department later determines that this reduced NSWF benefit still will not prevent the funding for the fiscal year from being exhausted, or that the NSWF amount has been reduced to a level that offers no benefit to a family, the minimum number of required work hours used as an NSWF eligibility requirement will be raised from 35 hours to a higher number of hours that the Department determines will prevent the NSWF funding from being depleted by the end of the fiscal year, and/or that will provide a benefit to the family.

NSWF Program Eligibility Criteria

As long as funding and resources allow, NSWF is automatically provided to all Food Stamp recipients who:

·   are single parents living with at least one dependent child who is under age 18. No child can have another biological or adopted parent living in the home. For example, if the household consists of a mother, the mother’s child (the child’s father is not in the home), the mother’s boyfriend, and the mother and boyfriend’s child in common, the entire household is not eligible for NSWF because one of the dependent children in the home has both parents present;

·   are receiving regular Food Stamp benefits and no member of the household has applied for, is pending for, or is receiving any category of cash assistance. Recipients of Extended Food Stamps benefits (EFS), or Expedited Food Stamps are not eligible for NSWF; and

·   are working at least 35 hours per week. Self-employed Food Stamp recipients meet this requirement if their monthly net income divided by the federal minimum wage, and then divided by 4.33 to obtain a weekly figure, results in a weekly work hour figure that meets or exceeds 35 hours a week.

Although NSWF is funded by TANF MOE, most TANF requirements do not apply, including:

·   Receipt of NSWF does not automatically exempt the NSWF household from the NH Child Care Scholarship waitlist as receipt of Financial Assistance to Needy Families (FANF) does.

·   NSWF does not impact the federal or state "clock" associated with the 60-month lifetime limit on receipt of FANF cash assistance.

·   NSWF recipients are not eligible for New Hampshire Employment Program (NHEP) employment support services.

·   NSWF recipients are not required to assign child/spousal support rights to the Department or cooperate with child support efforts to obtain support, identify liable relatives, and establish the paternity of a child as a condition of eligibility for NSWF.

·   NSWF is issued in a flat monthly amount. The $10 minimum FANF grant amount, per Family Assistance Manual (FAM) 613, Rounding Procedures, does not apply to NSWF.

·   NSWF households are not considered to be automatically FANF-eligible by virtue of receipt of NSWF when applying for Emergency Assistance (EA). NSWF recipients may apply for EA and have a manual determination of FANF eligibility made using the same procedures as for any other non-cash recipient applying for EA (see FAM 703.05, Emergency Assistance (EA) Eligibility Requirements).

The start date for NSWF depends solely upon the day that NSWF is confirmed:

·   If eligibility is determined on the 1st of the month, then NSWF will start from the 1st of the month.

·   If eligibility is determined after the 1st and on or before the 16th of the month, then NSWF will start from 16th of the month.

·   If eligibility is determined after the 16th of the month, then NSWF will start on the 1st of the next month.

NWSF eligibility ends when:

·   any of the eligibility criteria described above are not met;

·   anyone residing in a NSWF recipient’s household applies for any category of financial assistance offered by the Department; or

·   NSWF funding and resources are no longer available.

NSWF recipients are not eligible to continue receiving NSWF during appeals of the Department’s decision to terminate their NSWF assistance. Also, all appeals of the Department’s decision to terminate NSWF because the NSWF funding and resources are no longer available will be denied.

NSWF Work Programs Process

Although NSWF recipients are not considered to be TANF recipients, NSWF recipients are counted toward New Hampshire’s federal work participation rate. Because a NSWF eligibility criterion is that the single-parent must be working at least 35 hours per week, all NHEP work participation requirements are considered to be met. New HEIGHTS will automatically enroll the NSWF parent in NHEP Work Programs, and waive all NHEP work participation requirements for NSWF recipients as long as NSWF remains open. In addition:

·   the NSWF recipient is not required to attend an NHEP Orientation as a condition of eligibility;

·   no verifications are needed on a weekly basis to prove NHEP work participation requirements are being met; and

·   no meetings with the NHEP Employment Counselor Specialist (ECS) are required.

NSWF Benefit Issuance Process

NSWF is issued via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT). The monthly NSWF benefit is issued to the recipient’s EBT card as a separate nutritional benefit that can be used to purchase Food Stamp-approved items only. The NSWF benefit is not based on household size, income, or resources. If eligible, each NSWF household receives a flat monthly amount, half of which is issued on the 15th and the 30th of each month, or on the preceding business days if the 15th or the 30th falls on a weekend or a Friday or Monday holiday.

NSWF is removed from the NSWF recipient’s EBT account, and is no longer available for use, if NSWF is:

·   issued by the Department in error;

·   issued by the Department while the individual is ineligible for NSWF; or

·   not used for a period of 90 days.

PROCEDURES & IMPLEMENTATION

NSWF will be automated in New HEIGHTS beginning October 1, 2011.

Confirming NSWF Closure When a NSWF Recipient Applies for Cash

NSWF eligibility must end when a NSWF recipient applies for any category of financial assistance. This means that even if the individual is pending eligibility for cash assistance, the individual is not eligible for NSWF and the closing of NSWF must be confirmed by the Family Services Specialist (FSS) to avoid any overissuance. When an NSWF recipient applies for cash, the FSS must immediately take the case through the driver and run eligibility. Eligibility will build a closure of NSWF whether cash eligibility is "Pending" or "Open." Regardless of whether the cash is pending or open, the FSS must continue through the rest of the screens to "Confirmation" where the FSS must confirm the closing of NSWF to avoid any overissuance of NSWF funds. New HEIGHTS has been programmed to allow the worker to confirm the closing of NSWF (also known as "partial confirmation") independently of any other program.

NHEP ECS Action Needed When A Former NSWF Recipient Applies and Is Found Eligible for FANF Cash Assistance

New HEIGHTS will automatically enroll the NSWF parent in Work Programs, and waive all NHEP work participation requirements for NSWF recipients as long as NSWF remains open. NHEP ECS do not have to take any action on these cases. However, because New HEIGHTS has automatically waived all the work requirements for NSWF recipients, including the NHEP Orientation and Service Determination Appointments (SDA), if a current NSWF recipient applies for FANF cash assistance and then subsequently opens for FANF cash, NHEP ECS must take manual action to schedule Orientations and SDAs. This is because New HEIGHTS continues to waive all employment requirements even after the case opens for FANF cash, and the NHEP Orientation and SDA are now FANF program requirements.

If a NSWF recipient applies for and is determined eligible for FANF cash assistance, New HEIGHTS displays the former NSWF recipient as an "open FANF" case that remains in Work Programs with all the Employment Activity open, but with the NHEP Orientation and SDA as still waived. For these cases that transition from NSWF to FANF, NHEP ECS must take the following daily manual actions:

Identify former NSWF recipients who have been determined eligible for FANF cash (they are now categorized in New HEIGHTS as FANF clients with the NHEP Orientation still waived), by looking at the "Work Program Inquiry/Referral List" screen to find:

·   individuals whose "Category" is listed as any type of FANF program, including NHEP, IDP or FWOC; and

·   have a "NSWF Worker" showing in the Case Manager column.

NHEP ECS must schedule NHEP Orientations and SDAs for these clients as soon as possible since New HEIGHTS will already be counting them in the work participation denominator.

Note: If NHEP ECS see individuals on the "Work Program Inquiry/Referral List" screen in New HEIGHTS who are categorized as "NSWF" with a "NSWF Worker," no action is required.

Beginning October 1, 2011, new messages will be added to New Heights-generated notices when NSWF opens or closes, as detailed in the CLIENT NOTIFICATION section below.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

New Family Assistance Manual Topic

PART 715   NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT FOR WORKING FAMILIES (NSWF)

Section 715.01   Purpose of NSWF

Section 715.03   NSWF Eligibility Requirements

Section 715.05   NSWF Amount

Section 715.07   Initiation of NSWF

Section 715.09   NSWF and the NHEP Work Program

Section 715.11   NSWF Benefit Issuance

Section 715.13   Termination of NSWF

New Food Stamp Manual Topic

PART 715   NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT FOR WORKING FAMILIES (NSWF)

IMPLEMENTATION

The policy in this SR is effective October 1, 2011.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Notification of the adoption of the Administrative Rules governing the NSWF assistance policy will be published in the NH Rulemaking Register, Office of Legislative Services, in October 2011. A public hearing on the proposed adoption of He-W 696 will be held in November 2011.

Beginning October 1, 2011, NSWF recipients will start receiving New HEIGHTS-generated notifications with the following messages when the changes below occur:

NSWF Closing

To get NSWF, you must get Food Stamp benefits and be a single parent living with your child who is younger than age 18. You must also be working at least 35 hours per week. You cannot get NSWF if you get any cash assistance, Extended Food Stamps or Expedited Food Stamps. Your NSWF is closing because you no longer meet all these requirements.

NSWF Opening

You are getting NSWF because you get Food Stamp benefits, are a single parent, live with your child who is younger than 18, are working at least 35 hours per week, and do not get a cash grant. NSWF is to help you with your groceries. It is on your EBT card. Use NSWF to buy the same things that you can buy with your Food Stamp benefit. If you do not use your NSWF on your EBT card for 90 days in a row, we will take the NSWF off your card and you will not get it back.

These messages will not appear in the Explanations section of the Notice of Decision, but will be printed as part of the Food Stamps Summary Details.

Change in the Amount of the Standard Monthly NSWF Amount

If, due to a substantial increase in the number of NSWF-eligible households, the Department determines that NSWF funding will be depleted before the end of the current fiscal year, the Department will reduce the standard monthly NSWF benefit to prevent a depletion of the NSWF funds. Recipients will be notified of the new NSWF amount if this happens.

TRAINING

The Training Unit provided a brief overview of NSWF eligibility guidelines for District Office Supervisors on Friday, September 23, 2011 at the Concord District Office.

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 www.dhhs.nh.gov/DFA/publications.htm, effective October 31, 2011. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Family Assistance and Food Stamp Manuals.

DFA/KD:s