New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 10 - HUMAN SERVICES › Chapter 87 - NEW JERSEY SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (NJ SNAP) MANUAL › Subchapter 2 - THE APPLICATION PROCESS › Section 10:87-2.10 - Restrictions on authorized representatives

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) Public welfare
				agency employees who are involved in the certification and/or issuance process
				and retailers that are authorized to accept NJ SNAP benefits may not act as
				authorized representatives without the specific written approval of the CWA
				Director, and only if the Director determines that no one else is available to
				serve as an authorized representative. The CWA Director shall personally
				approve any appointments of this nature.
(b) Individuals disqualified for intentional
				program violation shall not act as authorized representatives during the period
				of disqualification, unless the disqualified individual is the only adult
				member of the household able to act on its behalf and the CWA has determined
				that no one else is available to serve as an authorized representative. The CWA
				shall separately determine whether or not these individuals are needed to apply
				on behalf of the household and to access benefits in order to purchase food for
				the household. For example, the household may have an authorized representative
				but may not be able to find anyone to access their benefits and purchase food
				regularly. If the CWA also is unable to find anyone to serve as authorized
				representative to access benefits and purchase food regularly, the disqualified
				member shall be allowed to do so.
(c) Limits shall not be placed on the number
				of households an authorized representative may represent. In the event that
				employers, such as those that employ migrant or seasonal farm workers, are
				designated as authorized representatives or that a single authorized
				representative has access to a large number of recipient benefits, the CWA will
				exercise caution to assure that: the household has freely requested the
				assistance of the authorized representative; the household's circumstances are
				correctly represented and the household is receiving the correct amount of
				benefits; and the authorized representative is properly accessing and using the
				benefits. When a CWA suspects an authorized representative of not properly
				accessing and using the benefits, it should report the circumstances to the
				Director, Division of Family Development, who will in turn forward the report
				to the FNS.
(d) CWAs that have
				obtained evidence that an authorized representative has misrepresented a
				household's circumstances and has knowingly provided false information
				pertaining to the household, or has made improper access to or use of benefits,
				may disqualify that person from acting as an authorized representative for up
				to one year. The CWA shall send written notification to the affected
				household(s) and the authorized representative 30 days prior to the date of
				disqualification. The notification shall include the proposed action, the
				reason for the proposed action, the household's right to request a fair
				hearing, the telephone number of the NJ SNAP office and, if possible, the
				person to contact for further information. The household, not the authorized
				representative, may appeal this action. This provision is not applicable in the
				case of licensed or approved residential substance abuse treatment programs and
				those group homes that act as authorized representatives for their
				residents.
(e) Homeless meal
				providers may not act as authorized representatives for homeless NJ SNAP
				recipients. A homeless meal provider means a public or private nonprofit
				establishment (for example, soup kitchen, temporary shelter), approved by the
				New Jersey Department of Human Services and authorized by FNS to accept NJ SNAP
				benefits, that feeds homeless persons.
1. The
				Division of Family Development, or another appropriate State or local
				governmental agency identified by the New Jersey Department of Human Services
				in addition to FNS, shall approve establishments and shelters serving the
				homeless. The establishment or shelter is required to present sufficient
				evidence, as determined by the State agency, that it does in fact serve meals
				to homeless persons. The Division of Family Development will remain responsible
				for ensuring effective compliance with these provisions when another agency has
				been identified to approve establishments or shelters serving the homeless.
				Upon approval as a homeless meal provider by the State agency, the homeless
				meal provider must present evidence of the State's approval to FNS if it wishes
				to become authorized by FNS to accept NJ SNAP benefits.