Eligible households shall be issued SNAP benefits for each
month of eligibility.
SNAP benefits can be accessed by using an Electronic Benefit
Transfer (EBT) card for food purchases at grocery and other participating
stores and farmers markets.
(A)
Initial SNAP Benefit Issuance.
(1)
Expedited SNAP Benefit
Issuance. The Department shall provide SNAP benefits to households
that qualify for expedited service using expedited processing standards. The
conditions for expedited eligibility are provided at
106 CMR
365.800
through
365.850.
(2)
Normal SNAP Benefit
Issuance. The Department shall provide SNAP benefits to households
that do not qualify for expedited service using normal processing standards.
The time frames for the delivery of Normal SNAP Benefits are provided at
106 CMR
361.080:
Prompt Action.
(B)
Additional SNAP Benefit
Issuance. The Department shall provide additional SNAP benefits,
as well as the household's monthly SNAP benefit allotment, when the household
qualifies for increased benefits because of certain changes in the household's
circumstances. The conditions of eligibility and the time frames for the
delivery of Additional SNAP Benefits are provided at
106 CMR
366.120(A):
Increases in Benefit Level Requiring Expedited
Action.
(C)
Replacement of Benefits after Household Misfortune.
The Department shall replace SNAP benefits when a household's food purchased
with benefits has been destroyed in a household misfortune as defined in
106 CMR
360.030:
Definitions when the following conditions are met.
(1)
Conditions of
Replacement.
(a) The household
must report the destruction of food purchased with SNAP benefits to the
Department within ten days of the date of the destruction.
(b) The household must sign a statement
attesting to the destruction of the food purchased with SNAP benefits and the
reason for the replacement. It shall also state that the household is aware of
the penalties for intentional misrepresentation of facts, including the
penalties for Intentional Program Violations and a charge of perjury for making
a false claim.
The statement must be received by the Department within ten
days of the date of the report. If the tenth day falls on a weekend or holiday,
and the statement is received the day after the weekend or holiday, the
Department shall consider the statement timely received.
(c) The Department must verify the
destruction occurred in a household misfortune through a collateral contact,
documentation from a community agency (e.g., fire department,
police department, Red Cross), or a home visit.
(2)
Restrictions on
Replacement.
(a) The replacement
allotment shall be provided in the amount of the loss to the household, up to a
maximum of one month's allotment for the household's size, unless the allotment
includes restored benefits, which shall be replaced up to their full
value.
(b) Where a federal disaster
declaration has been issued and the household is eligible for disaster SNAP
benefits, the household shall not receive both a disaster allotment and a
replacement allotment for household misfortune.
(3)
Time Frame for Delivery of
Benefits.
(a) Replacement
benefits shall be issued within ten days after the report of destruction or
within two working days of receiving the signed household statement, whichever
is later.
(b) The Department shall
deny or delay replacement issuances in cases in which available documentation
indicates that the household request for replacement is fraudulent.
(D)
SNAP
Benefits. Except as described in 106 CMR
364.900(C), SNAP benefits
will not be replaced. It is the responsibility of the client or the authorized
representative to keep the EBT Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN)
safe from unauthorized users.
(E)
Purging of SNAP Benefits. When the SNAP benefit
account has not been accessed at all for a total of 274 days, the SNAP benefits
issued 274 or more days prior will be permanently purged from the EBT system.
The Department shall mail the household to the address on file
a notice that includes the date benefits will be expunged and what the
household must do to prevent the expungement. This notice must be mailed no
later than 30 days before the date of expungement.
(F)
SNAP Benefit Issuance After
Recertification. Households determined eligible after a timely
recertification are entitled to uninterrupted SNAP benefits. SNAP benefits must
be made available for the household on the household's normal issuance
date.
