Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 016 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES › Division 20 - Division of County Operations › Rule 016.20.19-002 - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Child Support Cooperation

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
SNAP Certification Manual - Section 1000
1110
Summary
SNAP Manual 10/01/97
* SNAP benefits are based on the number of eligible household
				members.
* The Casehead is a responsible adult or an emancipated minor
				in whose name an application for SNAP benefits is submitted. The SNAP
				household, not the county office, designates the Casehead.
* The household must be residing in Arkansas. There are no
				restrictions on the duration of residence.
* Eligible household members are normally those people who live
				together and purchase and prepare food together. People who live in the home
				but are not included in the SNAP household may include disqualified members
				(see SNAP 1623), ineligible members (see SNAP 1620), boarders (see SNAP 1624)
				and people who have established a separate household unit. See SNAP 1631 for
				restrictions on separate households.
* Members of some residential facilities such as drug and
				alcoholic treatment centers, shelters for battered women, group living
				arrangements and shelters for the homeless may participate in the Supplemental
				Nutrition Assistance Program (see SNAP 1800). No other person living in an
				institution may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
				Boarders may not participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
				Program.
1200
Eligibility Factors
SNAP Manual 10/01/97
An eligibility factor is a requirement that must be met before
				an application for SNAP benefits may be approved. Eligibility factors may be
				applied to entire households (e.g. residency) or to individual members (e.g.
				citizenship). In this section of policy, eligibility factors dealing with
				households and with individual members of households are discussed. The factors
				are presented in the order in which they are applied.
1300
Process 1 - Determining
			 Residency
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
The first eligibility factor to be considered is residency. A
				household must reside in Arkansas. Also, there is no requirement for a
				household to have lived in Arkansas for any length of time or even for a
				household to intend to reside in Arkansas permanently. Thus, eligible
				households that move frequently may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition
				Assistance Program (SNAP) as long as they currently reside in Arkansas and
				participate in only one state in a given month.
A fixed residence is not required. For example, campsites used
				by homeless individuals or migrant farm workers satisfy residency requirements.
				Since such households may not have a normal or standard mailing address, and to
				"reside" does not mean having a mailing address, "General Delivery" may be used
				as the mailing address.
People who are visiting in Arkansas for a brief period for
				recreational purposes are vacationers. Vacationers do not meet the residency
				requirements. Students who return to their permanent home during school breaks
				and elderly retired individuals who spend a portion of the year with relatives
				are not vacationing and meet residency requirements. Children who spend the
				summer months with grandparents, other relatives, or friends also meet
				residency requirements and may participate in the household where they are
				spending the summer.
No individual may participate in the Supplemental Nutrition
				Assistance Program more than once in any month unless the individual is a
				resident of a shelter for battered women and children (SNAP 1840) or the
				individual is being claimed as a member of one household and actually resides
				in another if the conditions in SNAP 12226 are met.
1310
Household Does Not Meet Residency
			 Requirements
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
If an applicant does not live in Arkansas, the application will
				be denied, and the household will be advised to apply in its state of
				residence. Case records are not sent out of the state.
NOTE: If a county office worker establishes through any source
				that a household has moved from Arkansas to another state, the household's case
				must be closed. This policy applies across the board to all SNAP households
				regardless of the household's reporting requirements. No advance notice is
				required. See SNAP 11450 and SNAP 11571. If the worker suspects the household
				has moved from the State, a request for contact will be sent as instructed in
				SNAP 12400.
1320
Addresses
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
Each application must contain a complete and correct address.
				It is also essential that the county office know how to locate the household if
				a home visit, field investigation, or quality assurance review is to be
				conducted. Instructions about how to locate the home must be documented in the
				eligibility system.
1330
Verification of Residency
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
Verification of residency will be obtained at initial
				application and thereafter when information regarding residency is incomplete,
				inaccurate, inconsistent or outdated. See the Glossary, definition of
				"
Verification
" for additional information.
Verification may be waived when such verification cannot
				reasonably be accomplished. For example, verification may be waived when newly
				arrived households, migrant households, or homeless individuals apply. A home
				visit may be in order for such households. See the definition of
				"
Verification
" in the Glossary for an explanation of a
				home visit as a part of the application process.
No specific source of verification of residency is mandated.
				Acceptable verification includes rent receipts, mortgage payment books, utility
				receipts, or a driver's license if these documents contain the applicant's
				current physical address. Current utility receipts or receipts for utility
				deposits are preferred. (These items may also serve as verification of identity
				or expenses.) If verification of residency cannot be established through these
				sources, collateral contacts or other readily available documentary evidence
				which reasonably establishes the household's residency must be accepted.
				Failure or refusal to provide verification of residency will result in denial
				of the SNAP application for non-expedited households.
1400
Process 2 - Verifying
			 Identity
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
The identity of the person making application must be verified
				at the time of the application interview, and thereafter if information
				regarding identity is incomplete, inaccurate, inconsistent or outdated. See the
				Glossary definition of "Verification" for additional information.
If an authorized representative (AR) applies on behalf of the
				household, the identity of both the AR and the head of the household must be
				verified.
1500
Process
			 3 - Designation of Casehead
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
When a household makes application for SNAP benefits for the
				very first time, the casehead must be established. After the casehead is
				established, the case will be filed in the county's file under the name of the
				casehead and all notices pertaining to the household's eligibility will be sent
				to the casehead.
The household, not the county office worker, normally
				designates the casehead. It is not necessary that the casehead be present for
				the interview. Any responsible household member may make application and appear
				for the interview, or the interview may be conducted with an authorized
				representative.
In no instance will an application be denied solely due to the
				lack of a responsible adult member to serve as the casehead. If a responsible
				household member is not available to serve as the casehead and the household
				cannot find a relative or friend to serve as an authorized representative, the
				worker will assist the household in completing the application and obtaining
				the necessary verification.
1600
Process 4 - Determining Household
			 Composition
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
A SNAP household is normally composed of an individual living
				alone or a group of individuals who live together and who customarily purchase
				food and prepare meals together. To "customarily purchase and prepare together"
				means that the household purchases food and prepares meals for home consumption
				as one unit more than 50% of the time. This includes individuals who intend to
				purchase and prepare meals for home consumption as a unit but lack the
				financial means to do so until SNAP benefits are received.
1620
Evaluating Eligibility of
			 Members
SNAP Manual 04/01/20
The county office worker will evaluate each household member
				listed on the application to determine if that member is eligible to
				participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The categories of
				individuals who are not eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition
				Assistance Program are listed below.
1.
Ineligible Aliens-Undocumented
			 Aliens
- See SNAP 1621 for details regarding qualified aliens.
			 Ineligible-Undocumented aliens are those who are unable or unwilling to verify
			 immigration status.
2.
Certain Students Enrolled in an Institution of Post-Secondary
			 Education
- See SNAP 1622.2 for an explanation of which students
			 are ineligible to participate in the program.
3.
Disqualified
			 Individuals
- This includes people disqualified for any of the
			 following reasons:
a. An intentional program
			 violation (IPV) as defined in SNAP 15410
b. Failure to comply with the social security
			 number (SSN) requirement as explained in SNAP 2100
c. Failure or refusal to comply with the work
			 registration requirements explained in SNAP 3400
d. Noncompliance with the Workfare
			 requirement explained in SNAP 3700
e. Being currently classified as a fleeing
			 felon as explained in SNAP 1622.10
4.
Boarders
- See
			 SNAP 1624 for an explanation of boarder policy.
5.
Residents of
			 Institutions
- See SNAP 1800 for a definition of an institution
			 and the exceptions to this rule.
6.
OCSE (Office of Child Support Enforcement) Non-cooperation
			 Disqualification
-This includes both custodial parent, caretaker,
			 or non-custodial parent who do not cooperate with OCSE.