Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 301 - SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) RULES › FS-200's › 200 - APPLICATION PROCESS › Section 144-301-200-FS 222-6 - Time Standards/Procedures

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
1.
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE
An opportunity to participate includes the authorization
						of benefits and access to those benefits through an EBT card.
The Department shall give eligible households that
						complete the initial application process an opportunity to participate as soon
						as possible but no later than 30 calendar days following the date of
						application (Section
						999-1) . In instances
						where a card must be ordered for the household, authorization any later than
						the 27th day from the date of application, will not provide the household an
						opportunity to participate within the 30 day standard.
NOTE:
The Department will mail a decision or
						card to the designated address of a participant in the Address Confidentiality
						Program (ACP) within the same timeframe consistent with this section. The
						administrators of the ACP will then forward the mail to the ACP
						participant.
Therefore, the ACP participant might experience delays in
						receiving decisions and cards.
2.
DENYING THE APPLICATION
The Department shall send households that are determined
						to be ineligible a notice of denial as soon as possible but not later than 30
						days following the date of application. If the household fails to complete a
						scheduled interview and makes no effort to reschedule the interview or pursue
						the application, the Department shall send a notice of denial on the
						30th day following the date of application.
In cases where the interview was conducted and all
						necessary verification was requested on the date of application, the Department
						shall send a notice of denial no sooner than the tenth day or later than the
						30th day if the household was provided assistance as outlined in Section
						222-5, but failed to
						provide the requested verification.
3.
DELAYS IN PROCESSING
If the Department does not determine eligibility and
						provide an opportunity to participate within 30 days following the date of
						application, the cause of the delay is determined using the following
						criteria:
A. A delay is considered the
					 fault of the household if they have failed to complete the application process
					 and the Department has taken all of the required actions to assist the
					 household. The following actions must have been taken by the Department before
					 a delay can be considered the fault of the household:
(1) For failure to complete the application,
					 the Department must have offered or attempted to offer assistance in its
					 completion.
(2) For failure to
					 comply with work registration requirements, the Department must have informed
					 the household of the need to register members and the household must have been
					 given at least ten days from the date of such notification to register these
					 members.
(3) Where verification is
					 incomplete, the Department must have offered assistance as outlined in Section
					 222-5 and the household
					 must have been allowed sufficient time to provide the missing information (at
					 least ten days from the date of the initial request for the particular
					 verification).
(4) For failure to
					 complete an interview, the Department must have attempted to reschedule the
					 initial interview within 30 days following the application date by sending a
					 notification of missed interview (NOMI) to the household informing the
					 household it missed the interview appointment and that it is the household's
					 responsibility to contact the Department to reschedule the interview.
NOTE:
If the household failed to complete
						the first scheduled interview and a subsequent interview is postponed at the
						household's request or the household cannot otherwise be rescheduled until
						after the 20th day but before the 30th day, the household must complete the
						interview, bring verification, and register members for work/training by the
						30th day. Otherwise, the delay is the fault of the household. If the household
						failed to complete the first scheduled interview and a subsequent interview is
						postponed at the household's request until after the 30th day the delay is the
						fault of the household. If the household missed both scheduled interviews and
						requests another interview any delay is the fault of the household.