SR 18-10 Dated 04/18

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION – DIVISION OF ECONOMIC AND HOUSING STABILITY (DEHS)

 

FROM OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, DEHS:

Mark Jewell

DEHS SIGNATURE DATE:

4/24/18

AT (OFFICE):

Division of Economic and Housing Stability (DEHS)

TO:

District Office Supervisors

SUBJECT:

Exclusion of Burial Funds as a Countable Resource in Determining Eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

                      RETROACTIVE

EFFECTIVE DATE:

 

April 9, 2018

 

SUMMARY

 

This SR releases the exclusion of burial funds as a countable resource in determining eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as Food Stamps. This policy change removes the $1,500 maximum exclusion per burial fund for each AG (Assistance Group) member.

 

FORMER POLICY

NEW POLICY

For Food Stamps the first $1,500 of one burial fund’s value is an excludable resource for each AG member. Any amount in excess of $1,500 is counted toward the resource limit.

For SNAP eligibility, all burial funds will be excluded from AG resources regardless of accessibility or value.

 

POLICY

 

Effective April 9, 2018, burial fund values are excluded in determining eligibility for SNAP benefits.  

Exclude the value of all burial funds in the calculation of resources for SNAP eligibility.

There is no change in policy for the treatment of burial funds for programs other than SNAP.

 

NEW HEIGHTS & NH EASY SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

 

New HEIGHTS has been programmed to exclude the entire value of burial funds from resources when calculating SNAP eligibility, beginning April 9, 2018. A System Alert was distributed on April 9, 2018.

 

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

 

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

PART 409    COMMON TYPES OF RESOURCES: BURIAL FUND

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

The policy change released in this SR is effective April 9, 2018.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

No special client notification is planned or needed.

 

TRAINING

 

No special training is planned or needed.

 

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 BFA 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 May 25, 2018. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the Food Stamp Manuals.

 

BFA/LRS:s