Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 106 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE › Title 106 CMR 366.000 - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): additional certification functions › Section 366.130 - Mass Changes

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Certain changes initiated by the state or federal government
				may affect all or a significant portion of the caseload. These changes include,
				but are not limited to: annual adjustments to the maximum gross monthly income
				standards, maximum allowable monthly net income standards, the shelter
				deduction, the dependent care deduction, the standard deduction, the standard
				utility allowance deductions and the maximum monthly allotments; periodic
				cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security, SSI, and other federal benefits;
				periodic adjustments to PA grants; and other changes in the eligibility
				criteria based on legislative or regulatory amendments.
(A)
Supplemental Nutrition
			 Assistance Program Changes
. Federal adjustments to eligibility
			 standards, benefit levels, income deductions, and adjustments to the standard
			 utility allowance shall be publicized through the news media, posters in
			 certification offices, issuance locations, or other sites frequented by
			 certified households, or by mailing general notices to households. A notice of
			 adverse action shall not be used for these changes. The household shall be
			 notified of the change in accordance with 106 CMR 366.130(D).
(B)
Changes to Grant Amounts of
			 PA Households
. When the Department makes an overall adjustment
			 such as a cost-of-living increase to public assistance grants, including EAEDC,
			 corresponding adjustments in the household's SNAP benefits shall be handled as
			 a mass change. The household shall be notified of the change in accordance with
			 106 CMR 366.130(D).
If the Department has at least 30 days advance knowledge of the
				amount of PA adjustments, SNAP benefits shall be recomputed and the new monthly
				allotment will be effective in the same month as the PA change. If the
				Department does not have sufficient notice, the SNAP change shall be effective
				no later than the month following the month the PA change was
				made.
(C)
Changes in Federal Benefit Payments
. Changes in
			 federal benefits, such as Social Security, SSI, and Veterans' Administration
			 benefits, shall be treated as a mass change.
The Department shall be responsible for automatically adjusting
				a household's SNAP benefit level. The change shall be reflected no later than
				the second allotment issued after the month in which the change becomes
				effective. Households shall be notified of the change in accordance with 106
				CMR 366.130(D).
(D)
Notice for Mass Changes
.
(1) A Notice of Adverse Action is not
			 required when a household's SNAP benefits are reduced or terminated as a result
			 of a mass change in the public assistance grant. However, the Department shall
			 send individual notices to households to inform them of the change. The notice
			 shall inform the household of:
(a) The general
			 nature of the change;
(b) The
			 effect of the change on the household's allotment;
(c) The month in which the change will take
			 effect;
(d) The household's right
			 to a fair hearing;
(e) The
			 household's right to continue benefits and under what circumstances benefits
			 will be continued pending a fair hearing;
(f) General information on whom to contact
			 for additional information; and
(g)
			 The liability the household will incur for any overissued benefits if the fair
			 hearing decision is adverse.