A group living arrangement is defined as a community-based
residential facility operated by a public or private nonprofit organization or
institution authorized to serve no more than 16 residents. The facility shall
be certified by an appropriate state agency under regulations issued pursuant
to section 1616(e) of the Social Security Act, or under standards determined by
the Secretary of Agriculture, to be comparable to standards implemented by
appropriate state agencies under such section. To be eligible for SNAP
benefits, residents of group living arrangements, not including Teen Parent
Structured Living Programs (TLPs), must be blind or disabled as defined in
106 CMR
361.240: Ineligible
Households.
Before certifying a resident of a group living arrangement, the
worker must verify that the facility is operated by a nonprofit organization or
institution certified by the appropriate State agency and authorized to serve
no more than 16 residents.
(A)
Application Procedures for Group Living Arrangements Not Including
Teen Parent Structured Living Programs (TLPs). Residents of group
living arrangements, not including TLPs, may apply and be certified through the
use of an authorized representative who is an employee of and designated by the
facility; or apply and be certified on their own behalf or through the use of
an authorized representative of their own choice. The facility shall make the
determination whether a resident must apply through the facility's authorized
representative, or may apply on his or her own behalf or through the use of an
authorized representative of his or her own choice. The determination shall be
based on the resident's physical and mental ability to handle his or her own
affairs. All of the residents of the group living arrangement do not have to be
certified using the same method.
(1)
Group Living Arrangement as Authorized Representative.
Residents that apply through the use of the facility's authorized
representative shall have their eligibility determined as one-person
households. The facility shall receive and spend the residents' SNAP benefit
allotment for food to be prepared and served to the eligible residents, or may
allow the residents to use any portion of their allotments on their own
behalf.
(2) When a resident, or
group of residents, applies and is certified on their own behalf or through the
use of an authorized representative of their own choice, they must authorize
the transfer of their monthly SNAP benefit to the facility through the use of
an on-site POS Terminal or EBT Manual Voucher System. The facility shall
receive and spend the residents' SNAP benefit allotment for food to be prepared
and served to the eligible residents, or may allow the residents to use any
portion of their allotments on their own behalf.
(B)
Application Procedures for
Teen Parent Structured Living Programs (TLPs). Residents shall
either apply and be certified on their own or through the use of an authorized
representative employed and designated by the TLP.
(1) If the facility has an on-site POS
Terminal or EBT Manual Voucher System the resident or the facility as
authorized representative must authorize the transfer of the monthly SNAP
benefit allotment to the TLP. The TLP may either receive and spend the SNAP
benefit allotment for food prepared by and/or served to the resident, or allow
the resident to use all or any portion of the SNAP benefit allotment on his/her
own behalf.
(2) If the facility
does not have an on-site POS Terminal or EBT Manual Voucher System, the
facility as authorized representative may either receive and spend the SNAP
benefit allotment for food prepared by and/or served to the resident, or allow
the resident to use all or any portion of the SNAP benefit allotment on his or
her own behalf.
