SR 20-25 Dated 10/20

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION – bureau of family assistance

SUMMARY

This SR releases the 2020 annual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) updates to:

·         the minimum and maximum benefit allotments;

·         the gross and net income limits;

·         the standard utility allowances (SUAs);

·         the resource limit for SNAP households with a disabled member or household member age 60 or older (target population) and for the non-target population; and

·         certain income deductions.

BFA Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, and its associated Spanish translation, BFA Form 215(Sp), as well as the SNAP 130% Reporting Requirements Poster, have been revised accordingly.

POLICY

Minimum & Maximum Benefit Allotments and Gross and Net Income Limits

The SNAP gross and net income limits and maximum and minimum benefit allotments for all group sizes have been updated as noted below, effective October 1, 2020.

¹Gross income limits do not apply to the elderly and disabled Target Population.

The minimum SNAP allotment for household sizes of 1-2 remains at $16.

Target and Non-Target Population Resource Limit

The resource limit for SNAP households with a disabled member or household member age 60 or older (target population) remains the same at $3,500.

The resource limit for non-target SNAP households remains the same at $2,250.

Standard Utility Allowances

Effective October 1, 2020, the Standard Utility Allowances are as follows:

Income Deductions

Effective October 1, 2020, the Standard Deduction is as follows:

·         the Excess Shelter Expense Deduction increased from $569 to $586;

·         the Homeless Shelter Allowance has increased from $152 to $157; and

·         the Medical Deduction remains unchanged at $115.

Extended Food Stamp Benefits

Extended Food Stamps (EFS) benefit allotments will be updated to reflect the current SNAP federal deductions effective 10/1/20. Refer to Food Stamp Manual PART 249, EXTENDED FOOD STAMPS (EFS), for more information about EFS benefits.

NEW HEIGHTS & NH EASY SYSTEMS PROCEDURES AND IMPLEMENTATION

New HEIGHTS has been programmed to calculate SNAP eligibility and benefits using the new figures for the October 1, 2020 issuance. The 2020 October SNAP Mass Change schedule will run from Tuesday, September 8, through Thursday, September 17, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. The total number of cases being run through the Mass Change will be approximately 35,889 cases. New HEIGHTS will continue to run the mass change by case number instead of by District Office because the SNAP cases are unevenly distributed throughout the state. Workers will need to monitor the following MC reports each day they are run.

POST MASS CHANGE REPORTS

The reports below are produced as a result of the October Mass Change. These reports are available in New HEIGHTS each subsequent working day after the mass change is run.

NMC600RA: Status After MC

This report lists all cases that were selected for the Mass Change, including cases that were successfully confirmed as shown on NMC540RA and those that were not confirmed (exceptions shown on NMC550RA). This report is sorted by District Office and contains the following information: D.O., Worker Name, Client Name, Case Number, and Household Size.

NMC600RB: Status Before MC

This report shows the pre-mass change status of cases that were selected for the Mass Change. It contains the following information: D.O., Worker Name, Client Name, Case Number, and Household Size.

NMC540RA: AG’s Affected by MC

This report lists all cases upon which the Mass Change ran successfully through confirmation. It contains the following information: D.O., Worker Name, Client Name, and Case Number.

NMC550RA: MC Exception

This report lists cases that were selected for the Mass Change, but were not confirmed due to some discrepancy in data. These cases require further District Office action. The report contains the following information: D.O., Worker Name, Client Name, Case Number, Reason for Exception, and Mass Change Type.

DESCRIPTION OF REVISIONS MADE TO FORMS

BFA Form 215, Reporting Requirements Handout, and its associated Spanish translation, BFA Form 215(Sp), as well as the SNAP 130% Reporting Requirements Poster, have been updated to incorporate the current figures that are effective October 1^st as provided by FNS.

District Offices will be provided with an advance supply of BFA Form 215 and the new version of the 130% poster, both dated 10/20, at the end of September. The Spanish translation of BFA Form 215 can be ordered from the BFA Policy Unit on an as needed basis, or retrieved from the N drive. Old versions of BFA Form 215, BFA Form 215(Sp), and the 130% posters must be recycled. A Certificate of Destruction is included in this SR. Place a reorder through the DHHS Warehouse/Logistics via the District Office’s Quarterly Forms Order (QFO) when the supply of the new version of BFA Form 215 is low. BFA Form 215, and its Spanish translation, are also available externally on the DHHS website at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dfa/apply.htm, and internally, for Department staff only, on the N drive.

BFA Forms 768, 800R, and 800V were revised to reincorporate references to internet services. The current version of BFA Forms 768, 800, 800R, and 800V must be destroyed once new versions are available to replace them.

POLICY MANUAL REVISIONS

Revised Food Stamp Manual Topics

Section 119.01                When Eligibility Is Uncertain

PART 403                       RESOURCE LIMITS

PART 601, TABLE E        SNAP MAXIMUM MONTHLY INCOME LIMITS

PART 601, Table F          Maximum SNAP Allotments

PART 601, TABLE G        DETERMINING SNAP ALLOTMENTS

PART 601, TABLE I         SNAP DEDUCTIONS

Section 603.09                Other Allowable Deductions: Medical Deduction

Section 611.01                Computing Income Eligibility

Section 621.03                Rate and Method of Recoupment

Section 713.21                 Methods of Collection

IMPLEMENTATION

Policy released in this SR is effective October 1, 2020. The 2020 October SNAP Mass Change schedule will run from Tuesday, September 8, through Thursday, September 17, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.

An advance supply of BFA Form 215 and the new SNAP 130% Reporting Requirements Poster, both dated 10/20, will be distributed to the District Offices at the end of September. The Spanish translation of BFA Form 215 can be ordered from the BFA Policy Unit on an as needed basis or retrieved from the Forms subfolder of the BFA folder on the N drive. Recycle all versions of BFA Form 215, BFA Form 215(Sp), and the SNAP 130% Reporting Requirements Posters, which are not dated 10/20. When the advance supply of BFA Form 215 is low, resume regular ordering procedures through the DHHS Warehouse/Logistics via the District Office’s QFO. BFA Form 215, and its Spanish translation, is also available externally on the DHHS website at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dfa/apply.htm, and internally, for Department staff only, on the N Drive.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Households experiencing a change in SNAP 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:

On October 1, Federal and State laws changed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps.  These included changes to income limits, the maximum amount of SNAP benefits you can receive, and the amount of deductions you can claim. In addition, internet expenses are no longer an allowable deduction. Your SNAP benefits, as shown in the old and new budget below, were adjusted to reflect these changes. 

An additional client notification was made to all open SNAP households on 09/30/20 and 10/01/20 to correct the statement regarding the internet deduction as follows:

Effective October 1, 2020, a $50 deduction will be allowed for households that use the Internet if that is their only utility. If a household uses the Internet and another utility, such as electricity, the household will be allowed to use the 2-utility deduction. Effective October 1, 2020, the 2-utility allowance will be $256.

TRAINING

No special training is planned or needed.

FORMS MANUAL 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 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 October 30, 2020. Additionally, this SR, and printed pages with posting instructions, will be distributed under separate cover to all internal hard copy holders of the SNAP and Forms Manuals.

BFA/MBL:s