New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 18 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES › Chapter II - Regulations of the Department of Social Services › Subchapter B - Public Assistance › Article 4 - Services to Individuals › Part 387 - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program › Section 387.17 - Certification/authorization

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) Households
			 eligible for receipt of food stamp benefits shall be authorized to receive
			 those benefits by means of a State-prescribed form(s). Such authorization shall
			 be effective for a specific period of time, known as the certification period,
			 which coincides with the periods of eligibility determinations and
			 redeterminations. Such an authorization shall contain all pertinent information
			 as to the status of the household and the amount of food stamp benefits. When
			 the certification period ends, food stamp entitlement expires and cannot
			 continue without a recertification application and eligibility determination.
			 Certification periods shall be as follows:
(1) For public assistance (PA) cases, except
			 those required to report quarterly, the food stamp certification period will be
			 the same as the PA certification period plus one month, but not more than a
			 total of 12 months.
(2) At least
			 for three months, except:
(i) for those
			 households which at the time of initial certification had their certification
			 process completed after the 15th day of the month of application and also had
			 circumstances which warranted it, the certification period shall be increased
			 by one month;
(ii) when the
			 household cannot reasonably predict what its circumstances will be in the near
			 future, or when there is a substantial likelihood of frequent and significant
			 changes in income or household status, the certification period shall not be
			 more than two months;
(iii) for
			 those households which have little likelihood of changes in income and
			 household status, the certification period shall be up to 12 months;
(iv) for those households in which all adult
			 household members are disabled or elderly persons with very stable income, the
			 certification period shall be up to 24 months;
(v) for those households whose primary source
			 of income is from self-employment (including self-employed farmers) or from
			 regular farm employment, including farm workers whose annual salaries are paid
			 on a scheduled and unchanging monthly basis, provided income can be readily
			 predicted and household circumstances are not likely to change, the
			 certification period will be up to 12 months;
(vi) for all cases subject to six-month
			 reporting under subdivision (d) of this section, the certification period will,
			 notwithstanding any other provision of this subdivision, be six months, except
			 for those households residing within social services districts that have been
			 given written permission by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
			 to lengthen the certification periods to more than six months but not longer
			 than 12 months. For those social services districts authorized to lengthen the
			 certification periods beyond six months, households subject to six-month
			 reporting shall be required to submit a periodic report in the sixth month in
			 accordance with subdivision (e) of this section; and
(vii) for those households which are granted
			 separate household status, in accordance with section
			 387.1(t)(2)(i)(c) and
			 (d)  of this Part because the household
			 consists of an individual and that individual's minor child(ren) living with
			 the individual's parent or sibling and purchasing and preparing meals separate
			 from the parent/sibling, the eligibility/certification period will not exceed
			 six months.
(3)
			 Households certified on an expedited basis that have provided all necessary
			 verification prior to certification, shall be assigned normal certification
			 periods. Households that postponed verification may be certified only for the
			 month of application (the month of application and the subsequent month for
			 those applying after the 15th of the month). A normal certification period may
			 be assigned to those households whose circumstances would otherwise warrant a
			 longer certification period.
(4)
			 Social services districts may lengthen a household's certification period as
			 long as the total months of the certification period does not exceed the limits
			 described in subparagraphs (2)(i) through (vi) of this subdivision. In
			 extending certification periods, a notice of intent must be sent advising the
			 household of its new certification period ending date.
(5) Social services districts may only
			 shorten a household's certification period when the social services district
			 either receives verified information that the household is ineligible for food
			 stamps or the household has failed to cooperate with the social services
			 district in clarifying its circumstances. When a certification period is
			 shortened pursuant to this paragraph, a notice of adverse action must be sent
			 to the household.