Ohio Admin. Code 5101:4-7-07 - Food assistance: recertification
(A) What is the recertification process?
(1) In accordance with rule
5101:4-5-03 of the
Administrative Code, all supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP)
assistance groups are assigned a certification period for which they are
eligible. An assistance group may not participate beyond the expiration of its
assigned certification period without a determination of eligibility for a new
period. Assistance groups must apply for recertification and comply with
interview and verification requirements.
(2) The county agency shall collect
sufficient information and necessary verifications to ensure an accurate
determination of eligibility and benefits as described in rule
5101:4-2-09 of the
Administrative Code.
(3) Assistance
groups are to receive the statewide automated eligibility system generated
approval that contains websites that provide employment and training services
when the assistance group:
(a) Contains a
member that is subject to the work requirements;
(b) Contains at least one adult
member;
(c) Contains no elderly or
disabled members; and
(d) Has no
earned income.
(4)
Assistance groups are to receive a written notice and an oral explanation of
the specific work requirements each assistance group member is subject to in
accordance with rule
5101:4-2-07 of the
Administrative Code.
(5) The
recertification process shall only be utilized for an assistance group that
applies for recertification prior to the end of its current certification
period, except for delayed applications as specified in paragraphs (H)(5) and
(H)(6) of this rule.
(6) The county
agency shall not recertify an assistance group without a signed application for
recertification.
(B) How
is an assistance group notified it is time for a recertification?
(1) The county agency shall provide an
assistance group certified for expedited benefits a notice of expiration at the
time of certification.
(2) All
other certified assistance groups shall receive the statewide automated
eligibility system generated notice of expiration between the first and last
day of the month prior to the month the certification period ends.
(C) What shall the assistance
group provide to the county agency in order to establish an application date
for recertification?
(1) When the assistance
group indicates that it wishes to establish a filing date for its
recertification prior to its interview, the assistance group shall be provided
a JFS 07200, "Application for Cash, Food, or Medical Assistance" or JFS 07204,
"Application to Reapply for Cash and/or Food Assistance" and instructions to
complete and submit the form. The assistance group shall be advised that the
date of application for recertification will be established when the form is
submitted with a name, address, and signature.
(2) The assistance group shall file an
application for recertification using the JFS 07200, the JFS 07204, the
electronic equivalent of the JFS 07200 or JFS 07204, or the telephonic
equivalent of the JFS 07200 or JFS 07204.
(3) The assistance group shall be advised
that the date of application for recertification will be established when the
application is submitted with the minimum requirements of name, address, and
signature as described in rule
5101:4-2-01 of the
Administrative Code. When the completed application is received after business
hours, the date of application shall be the next business day.
(4) When the statewide automated eligibility
system is unavailable or a home visit is necessary, the county agency shall
complete the JFS 01846, "Case Worksheet: Cash, Food Stamps and Medical
Assistance Interview."
(5) When an
interactive interview is conducted or a JFS 01846 was completed, the
application date is established when the JFS 07200 or the JFS 07204 contains a
name, address, and signature from an assistance group member or its authorized
representative, and is received by the county agency.
(D) Is an interview required at the time of
recertification?
(1) As part of the
recertification process, the county agency shall conduct an interview with a
member of the assistance group or its authorized representative. The standard
interview practices in rule
5101:4-2-07 of the
Administrative Code also apply to interviews for recertification.
(2) The county agency shall conduct a
face-to-face interview or the telephonic equivalent. Telephone interviews may
be conducted in lieu of a face-to-face interview unless the agency has
determined the assistance group's situation requires a face-to-face interview
or the assistance group requests a face-to-face interview. The county agency
shall grant a telephone interview to any assistance group that requests
one.
(3) When an interview is
conducted but the assistance group does not submit an application for
recertification, the county agency is to deny the recertification at that time
or at the end of the certification period.
(4) Upon request, the county agency shall
provide the assistance group with the JFS 07501,
"Program Enrollment and Benefit Information" and the JFS 04196, "Food
Assistance Change Reporting."
(5)
The county agency is to notify the assistance group of the date the
verification is to be returned. The assistance group is to be allowed a minimum
of ten days to provide required verification information.
(6) County agencies shall schedule interviews
so that the assistance group has at least ten days after the interview in which
to provide verification before the certification period expires. When an
assistance group misses its scheduled interview, the county agency shall send
the assistance group a JFS 04218, "Notice Of Missed Interview."
(a) When an assistance group misses its
scheduled interview and requests another interview, the county agency is to
schedule a second interview as described in rule
5101:4-2-07 of the
Administrative Code.
(b) When an
assistance group does not request to reschedule the interview but has submitted
an application for recertification, the county agency is to deny the
recertification thirty days following the date the application is
received.
(E)
What shall be verified at recertification?
(1)
Information provided by the assistance group shall be verified in accordance
with rule
5101:4-2-09 of the
Administrative Code.
(2) Any
assistance group whose eligibility is not determined by the end of its current
certification period due to the time period allowed for submitting any missing
verification shall receive an opportunity to participate, when eligible, within
five working days after the assistance group submits the missing verification.
Benefits shall not be prorated.
(F) When is an application for
recertification considered timely?
(1) An
assistance group certified for expedited benefits shall have fifteen days from
the date the notice of expiration is received to file for recertification
timely.
(2) Assistance groups,
except those certified for expedited benefits, that submit an application for
recertification by the fifteenth day of the last month of the certification
period shall be considered to have made a timely application for
recertification.
(3) For assistance
groups consisting of applicants or recipients of supplemental security income
(SSI) that apply for SNAP recertification at the social security administration
(SSA) office, the application shall be considered filed for normal processing
purposes when the signed application is received by the SSA by the fifteenth
day of the last month of the certification period.
(G) What are the processing timeframes for
timely recertifications?
Assistance groups certified under normal processing standards are to be provided an opportunity to participate by the assistance group's normal issuance cycle in the month following the end of its current certification period. Assistance groups are to be notified of their eligibility or ineligibility by the end of their current certification period.
(H) What is delayed processing?
(1) When an eligible assistance group files
an application before the end of the certification period, but the
recertification process cannot be completed within thirty days after the date
of the application because of the county agency, the county agency must
continue to process the case and provide a full month's allotment for the first
month of the new certification period.
(2) When an assistance group files an
application before the end of the certification period, but fails to take a
required action, the county agency may deny the case at that time, at the end
of the certification period, or at the end of thirty days. Although the county
agency may have the right to issue a denial prior to the end of the
certification period, the assistance group has thirty days after the end of the
certification period to complete the process and have its application treated
as an application for recertification.
(3) When the assistance group takes the
required action before the end of the certification period, the county agency
shall reopen the case and provide a full month's benefit for the initial month
of the new certification period.
(4) When the assistance group takes the
required action after the end of the certification period, but within thirty
days after the end of the certification period, the county agency shall reopen
the case and provide retroactive benefits to the date the assistance group took
the required action.
(5) When an
assistance group files an application within thirty days after the end of the
certification period, the application shall be considered an application for
recertification; however, benefits shall be prorated in accordance with rule
5101:4-4-27 of the
Administrative Code and the application shall be processed within timeframes
for processing initial applications as described in paragraph (J) of rule
5101:4-2-01 of the
Administrative Code.
(6) When an
assistance group's application for recertification is delayed beyond the first
of the month of what would have been its new certification period through the
fault of the county agency, the county agency shall provide restored benefits
back to the date the assistance group's certification period should have
begun.
(7) The county agency shall
determine cause for any delay in processing an application for recertification
in accordance with the provisions of rule
5101:4-5-07 of the
Administrative Code.
(I)
Do the expedited service provisions apply at recertification?
(1) The expedited service provisions of rule
5101:4-6-09 of the
Administrative Code are not applicable when the assistance group applies for
recertification before the end of its current certification period.
(2) When the date of application for
recertification is after the certification period has expired, the assistance
group may be entitled to expedited services when the assistance group's
circumstances fall within the expedited criteria in accordance with rule
5101:4-6-09 of the
Administrative Code.
(3) Assistance
groups that are certified for expedited benefits are to be notified of their
eligibility within twenty-four hours or seven days depending on the expedited
services for which they qualify.
Notes
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 5101.54
Rule Amplifies: 329.04, 5101.54, 329.042
Prior Effective Dates: 06/02/1980, 12/01/1980, 06/18/1981, 10/01/1981, 01/22/1982, 06/17/1983, 12/25/1983 (Temp.), 03/01/1984, 07/20/1988 (Emer.), 10/16/1988, 07/11/1989 (Emer.), 09/17/1989, 05/01/1991 (Emer.), 06/01/1991, 02/03/1992, 07/01/1992, 08/01/1995 (Emer.), 10/13/1995, 04/01/1997 (Emer.), 06/06/1997, 05/01/1999, 06/01/2001 (Emer.), 08/27/2001, 03/02/2002 (Emer.), 05/13/2002, 07/01/2003, 05/01/2005, 08/01/2005, 05/01/2009, 08/01/2010, 07/01/2011, 02/01/2013, 10/01/2015, 09/01/2018, 11/18/2021, 08/01/2022
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