N.M. Admin. Code § 8.139.500.12 - ESTABLISHING CERTIFICATION PERIODS
A. The caseworker shall establish a definite
period of time within which a household is eligible to receive
benefits.
B. Entitlement to SNAP
benefits ends at the expiration of the household's certification period.
Continued eligibility is determined only when an application has been filed, an
interview held, and all verification provided.
C. Under no circumstances shall benefits be
continued beyond the end of a certification period without a redetermination of
eligibility.
D. A household shall
be provided with an expiration notice before or at the beginning of the last
month of a certification period.
E.
If a household is determined eligible for the initial month but ineligible the
following month, it shall be certified for one month only. Conversely, a
household may be ineligible for the month of application but eligible for the
following month(s). If the household is denied for the month of application, it
does not need to file a new application for the following month.
F. Conformity with calendar month:
Certification periods shall conform to calendar months. At the initial
application, the first month in the certification period is the month of
application, even if the household's eligibility is not determined until a
later month.
G. Length of
certification period: All households will be assigned to simplified reporting
and shall be assigned a certification period in accordance with Subsection A of
8.139.120.9 NMAC. Households shall
be assigned the longest certification period possible based on the stability of
the household's circumstances. A certification period cannot exceed 12 months,
except for households in which all adult members in the household are elderly
or disabled. Households in which all members are elderly or disabled will be
assigned a 24-month certification period. At least one contact with each
certified household shall be made every 12 months.
H. Shortening the certification period:
(1) The caseworker may not end a household's
certification period earlier than its assigned termination date, unless the
caseworker receives information that the household has become ineligible, or
the household has not taken action to clarify or provide verification of a
change in household circumstances for which the caseworker has requested
verification.
(2) Loss of cash
assistance or a change in employment status is not sufficient to meet the
criteria necessary for shortening a certification period.
I. Lengthening the certification period: The
caseworker may lengthen a household's current certification period once it is
established, as long as the total months of the certification period do not
exceed 24 months for households in which all adult members are elderly or
disabled, or 12 months for other households. If the caseworker extends the
household's certification period, the caseworker shall issue written notice
advising the household of the new certification end date.
Notes
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