Alaska Administrative Code › Title 7 - Health and Social Services › Part 3 - Public Assistance and Medical Assistance › Chapter 46 - Food Stamp Program › 7 AAC 46.021 - State options

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) The department will apply the following
				state options in administering the food stamp program. The department will,
(1) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.1(d), designate the head
				of household;
(2) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(e)(2)(i), conduct a
				telephone interview or home visit for those households for which the office
				interview is waived;
(3) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(2), consider
				information to be questionable if the information is subject to more than one
				interpretation, or is inconsistent with or contradictory to information on the
				application, information on a previous application, other information received
				by the department, or statements made by the applicant;
(4) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(3)(i), mandate
				verification on a state-wide basis of the following factors that affect
				household eligibility or allotment level:
(A)
				liquid resources;
(B) educational
				loans;
(C) shelter charges at the
				time of initial application, or if the residence changes;
(D) claimed utility expenses for heat at the
				time of initial application, if the household is responsible for heating costs
				and elects to use the standard for utilities;
(E) at the time of initial application
				claimed dependent care costs;
(5) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(4)(iv), at state
				option, verify information received from a source other than the household,
				that contradicts statements made by the household, by either contacting the
				household or contacting the source directly;
(6) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(7), verify
				Supplemental Security Income benefits through the State Data Exchange, and
				Social Security benefit information through the Beneficiary Data
				Exchange;
(7) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(8)(i)(A), verify
				medical expenses at recertification;
(8) repealed 4/10/91;
(9) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(f)(9)(v), at state
				option, verify unverified information obtained from the Income and Eligibility
				Verification System by contacting either the household or the appropriate
				income, resource, or benefit source;
(10) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(h)(2)(i)(A), send a
				notice of pending status on the 30th day following the date the application was
				filed, which will suspend the case for a second 30-day period and then convert
				into a denial notice if the household fails to take required action;
(11) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(h)(4)(i), if the
				initial delay was the household's fault, require the household to file a new
				application to determine the household's eligibility in the months after the
				second 30-day period following the date the application was filed;
(12) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(h)(4)(ii), if the
				state agency is at fault for not completing the application process by the end
				of the second 30-day period following the date the application was filed, but
				the case file is not complete enough to reach an eligibility determination,
				continue to process the original application;
(13) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(i)(4)(iii), assign
				normal certification periods to those expedited service households whose
				circumstances would otherwise warrant longer certification periods;
(14) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(j)(1)(i), permit
				households applying for public assistance and food stamps at the same time to
				complete a joint application for both programs;
(15) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(j)(3), apply the joint
				application processing procedures of
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(j)(1) and (j)(2) to a
				food stamp applicant household in which some, but not all, members are in the
				Public Assistance/General Assistance filing unit;
(16) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(k)(1), arrange at each
				Social Security Administration office, for the Social Security Administration
				to complete and forward food stamp applications to the appropriate public
				assistance office;
(17) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(k)(1)(i)(B),
				substitute a state food stamp application for the national food stamp
				application upon approval by the Food and Nutrition Service and the Social
				Security Administration;
(18) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(k)(1)(iii)(A)(2),
				verify Supplemental Security Income benefit payments through one or more of the
				following: the State Data Exchange; the Beneficiary Data Exchange; the
				household;
(19) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.2(k)(1)(iii)(A)(3),
				verify social security benefit amounts through the Beneficiary Data
				Exchange;
(20) repealed
				4/10/91;
(21) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.8(e)(8), require
				verification that property is for sale and that the household has not declined
				a reasonable offer;
(22) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.9(d)(6)(i), offer for
				use in calculating shelter costs, the option of a single standard utility
				allowance that includes a heating component to households that are responsible
				for heating costs;
(23) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.9(d)(6)(iii), use an
				annualized standard utility allowance;
(24) repealed 4/10/91;
(25) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.9(d)(6)(v)(C), use a
				standard telephone allowance, upon approval by the Food and Nutrition Service,
				for those households that are not eligible for the standard utility allowance,
				or that do not choose to use the standard utility allowance, but have telephone
				expenses for which they are responsible;
(26) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(a)(1)(i), use a
				standard 30-day calendar month;
(27) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(a)(1)(iii), to
				determine the amount of the prorated allotment, use either the appropriate Food
				Stamp Allotment Proration Table provided by the Food and Nutrition Service or
				the formula designated in 7
				C.F.R.
				273.10(a)(1)(iii)(A);
(28) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(c)(2)(i), use the
				exact monthly income figure if it can be anticipated for each month of the
				certification period or, if a full month's income is anticipated but is
				received on a weekly or biweekly basis, convert the income to a monthly amount
				by multiplying weekly amounts by 4.3 and biweekly amounts by 2.15;
(29) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(e)(1)(ii)(B), use the
				rounding procedure in effect for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children
				program;
(30) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(e)(2)(iii)(A), deny
				the household's application on the grounds that its net income exceeds the
				level at which benefits are issued;
(31) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.10(g)(1)(i)(C), send
				separate notices of eligibility and expiration;
(32) repealed 4/10/91;
(33) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.12(f)(2), use a joint
				change reporting form that can be used by households to report changes for both
				public assistance and food stamp purposes;
(34) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.14(c)(2), at state
				option, schedule an early interview before the last month of the certification
				period or before the date the application is timely filed; however, the
				household will not be denied benefits for failing or refusing to appear for
				this early interview;
(35) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.15(b), provide a fair
				hearing at the state level in all areas of the state;
(36) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.15(d)(1), offer agency
				conferences to households adversely affected by an agency action;
(37) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.16(e)(1), combine fair
				hearings and administrative disqualification hearings, if the factual issues
				arise out of the same or related circumstances and the household receives prior
				notice that the hearings will be combined;
(38) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.16(e)(2), use the same
				hearing officials for administrative disqualification hearings and fair
				hearings;
(39) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.16(f), allow accused
				individuals to waive their rights to an administrative disqualification hearing
				in accordance with 7 C.F.R.
				273.16(f)(1) -
				(f)(3);
(40) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.16(h), allow accused
				individuals to sign disqualification consent agreements for cases of deferred
				adjudication;
(41) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(d)(1)(i)(A), after
				the household has been informed of this policy, initiate collection action for
				claims that cannot be recovered through allotment reduction and are under $35
				if multiple overissuances for a household total $35 or more;
(42) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(d)(1)(ii), postpone
				collection action on inadvertent household error claims in cases where an
				overissuance is being referred for possible prosecution or for administrative
				disqualification and the state agency determines that collection action will
				prejudice the case;
(43) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(e)(1) and (e)(2),
				suspend collection of inadvertent household or administrative error claims, and
				intentional program violation claims;
(44) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(e)(3), terminate
				collection of claims held in suspense for three years and use suspended claims
				to offset benefits in accordance with
				7 C.F.R.
				273.17;
(45) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(f), initiate
				collection action against a household and offset the amount of the claim
				against restored benefits owed to a household that currently contains an
				individual who was an adult member of another household at the time an
				overissuance occurred;
(46) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(g)(2)(iii)(C), invoke
				allotment reduction against a currently participating household for repayment
				of an inadvertent household error or intentional Food Stamp Program violation
				claim if a repayment schedule settlement cannot be reached;
(47) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.18(h)(4), repay either
				with state warrant or with food stamp coupons any excess amount paid on a claim
				by a household;
(48) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(a)(2), determine
				eligibility prospectively;
(49)
				under 7 C.F.R.
				273.21(f)(1)(iii)(C),
				include an individual who has moved out of one household receiving food stamps
				within the state and into another with no break in participation, and the
				individual's income, deductible expenses, and resources, in determining the
				issuance month eligibility and benefit level of the household into which the
				individual has moved;
(50) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(h)(2)(viii), with the
				form requesting social security numbers, include as an attachment a statement
				of the state agency's authority to require social security numbers, the purpose
				of requiring social security numbers, the routine uses for social security
				numbers and the effect of not providing social security numbers;
(51) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(j)(1)(vii)(B),
				consider as income the public assistance grant that is issued in the budget
				month;
(52) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(n), suspend a
				household's food stamp issuance for one month if the household becomes
				temporarily ineligible due to a periodic increase in recurring income or other
				change not expected to continue in the subsequent month;
(53) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(q)(2)(iii), recertify
				households according to requirements set out in
				7 C.F.R.
				273.21(q)(3);
(54) under
				7 C.F.R.
				273.1(a)(1)(iii) consider an
				individual who lives with others to be customarily purchasing food and
				preparing meals together, even if the individual does not do so, if the
				individual is a member of the household for at least part of a calendar
				month.