SR 10-35 Dated 10/10 |
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION
DFA SIGNATURE DATE: |
October 7, 2010 |
FROM: |
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, DFA Terry R. Smith |
AT (OFFICE): |
Division of Family Assistance |
TO: |
DFA Supervisors
|
SUBJECT: |
Change in the Food Stamp Program Heat & Utility Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) from $493 to $584 |
EFFECTIVE DATE: |
October 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 |
SUMMARY
This SR releases a change in the Food Stamp Program Heat & Utility Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) from $493 to $584. Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) is allowing NH to use this higher SUA deduction for a three-month period, from October through December, at which point the SUA deduction is slated to return to the $493 figure released by DFA SR 10-25, dated October 2010.
FORMER POLICY |
NEW POLICY |
The full Heat & Utility SUA was $493 as of the release of DFA SR 10-25, dated October 2010. |
The full Heat & Utility SUA is $584 retroactively effective to October 1, 2010. On January 1, 2011, the Heat & Utility SUA will return to the $493 figure, in accordance with FNS mandates. |
POLICY
The full Heat & Utility SUA is now $584 effective from October 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.
NEW HEIGHTS SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION
New HEIGHTS reran the Food Stamp mass change for approximately 14,290 cases claiming the full Heat & Utility SUA according to the following schedule:
Run Date |
District Office |
October 5, 2010 |
Keene, Claremont, Laconia, Conway, and Concord |
October 6, 2010 |
Seacoast, Littleton, Berlin, Manchester, Salem, and Central Healthy Kids |
October 7, 2010 |
Southern, Rochester, and cases opened between 10/1 and 10/4/2010 |
On the above run dates, November, and December Food Stamp allotments were recalculated using the higher SUA amount.
Households experiencing a change in Food Stamp benefits due to the mass change received a standard New HEIGHTS Notice of Decision (NOD). The following message also appeared in the "Explanations" section of the NOD:
The Federal Government let NH change 1 deduction you get. The deduction was $493. Now the figure is $584. This change means that you may now get a higher Food Stamp benefit. The Federal Government is only allowing us to use this higher deduction for October, November, and December. Your January benefits may be lower when we have to use the smaller deduction again. Your Food Stamp budget below reflects this change.
District Offices will be receiving the following reports under separate cover by October 8, 2010:
· a list of cases that were closed during the mass change run in September and cases that were acted upon between August 22, 2010 and September 1, 2010 that then built an "open" for September and a "close" for October. FSS will need to reopen these cases and rerun eligibility using the higher SUA. Choose benefit type "Retroactive Supplemental" if supplemental benefits need to be issued to ensure that these supplemental benefits are not subject to recoupment;
· new Food Stamp cases opened between October 1, 2010 and October 4, 2010. FSS will need to rerun eligibility using the higher SUA. FSS must issue "Retroactive Supplemental" benefits as needed.
New HEIGHTS will be issuing "Retroactive Supplemental" benefits to households that were open in September in which no action was taken on the case after September 20, 2010. Manual recalculation of the correct benefit allotment and potential issuance of "Retroactive Supplemental" benefits will be required for those open Food Stamp cases on which action was taken between the time periods of September 20, 2010 and October 4, 2010. The report identifying these cases will be sent under separate cover the week of October 11, 2010.
POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS
Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics
PART 601, TABLE I FOOD STAMP DEDUCTIONS
IMPLEMENTATION
Policy released in this SR is retroactively effective to October 1, 2010 and expires on December 31, 2010.
CLIENT NOTIFICATION
Households experiencing a change in Food Stamp benefits due to the mass change received a standard New HEIGHTS Notice of Decision (NOD). The following message also appeared in the "Explanations" section of the NOD:
The Federal Government let NH change 1 deduction you get. The deduction was $493. Now the figure is $584. This change means that you may now get a higher Food Stamp benefit. The Federal Government is only allowing us to use this higher deduction for October, November, and December. Your January benefits may be lower when we have to use the smaller deduction again. Your Food Stamp budget below reflects this change.
TRAINING
No 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 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 November 1, 2010. 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.
DFA/JBV:s