IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART III: APPLICATION PROCESSING
CHAPTER 4: EXPEDITED FOOD STAMP SERVICES
Households entitled to expedited service must have their applications processed such that they have an opportunity to pick up their Capital Access Card at one of the two EBT training centers (located at 611 H Street, NE and 2041 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE) in time to draw the initial issuance of FS no later than the seventh calendar day following the date of application.
If the preliminary review fails to identify that a household is entitled to expedited service and the SSR subsequently discovers that the household is entitled, the time standard for issuing the Capital Access Card begins with the date the SSR discovers the entitlement. The discovery date must be documented in the case record. If the delay in issuance of expedited benefits is the result of an agency error in screening or processing the application for expedited service, IMA is still accountable for failing to provide expedited benefits timely.
If a household is ineligible to participate for the month of application but the SSR determines that it meets expedited criteria for the following month, the time standard for issuing the Capital Access Card begins on the first day of the month the household is eligible. A new application is not required.
Do not delay the processing of expedited benefits because of pending verification which is needed to determine eligibility for another program for which the household may be applying.
If a telephone interview is conducted and the application is incomplete, the time standard begins on the day the signed, completed application is received by an IMA office (see Section 1.8.2: Waiver of Face-To-Face Interview in this Part).
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Ms. Jones submits an application for FS at the end of the day on Monday, January 10. The application is not complete because Ms. Jones did not provide any information on her assets. Ms. Jones is elderly and ill (but does not receive SSI) and a telephone interview is substituted for a face-to-face intake interview. During the telephone interview, Ms. Jones still cannot provide any information about her assets, indicating that her adult son who does not live with her keeps track of all her finances for her. Ms. Jones appears to be eligible for expedited service, but eligibility cannot be determined until the information about assets is filled out on her application. The time standard for expedited service does not begin until the application, including the information on assets, is completed. |
If an SSI applicant/recipient applying for FS benefits at an SSA Office meets the expedited criteria, benefits must be made available within seven days from the date that the application is received at IMA.
Households entitled to expedited service must participate in an office or telephone interview (see Section 1.8: Intake Interview in this Part for specific interview policy). If the application is filed in person, the interview must be held the same day the application is filed, unless the applicant/recipient requests a postponement. If s/he qualifies for a telephone interview, it must be conducted no later than the first working day following the application submittal.
If the household applied by mail and/or could not be contacted within one day to be interviewed, this fact must be documented in the case record. IMA must offer the applicant the opportunity to be interviewed no later than one working day after contact is made.
Provide any necessary help in completing the application during the interview.
Expedited service will not be provided until the face-to-face or telephone interview is completed. If the interview is completed within six days of the application submittal, adhere to the seven day deadline for making expedited services available. If the interview is completed on the seventh day or thereafter, consider the date of the interview the "discovery date" and make expedited benefits available within seven days of the date of discovery (see Section 4.5: Time Standards in this Part.)
When determining entitlement to expedited service, only liquid assets are counted (see Section 4.3: Expedited Service Criteria in this Chapter).
When determining eligibility for allotment, both liquid and non liquid assets are counted (see Section 1.4: Liquid and Non-Liquid Assets in Part VI).
All income requirements, including deeming the income of ineligible household members, apply when determining benefits provided under expedited service (see Chapters 4-8 in Part VI: Financial Eligibility).
While past income may be used as an indicator of future income, only income which can reasonably be expected to be received is counted. If the date of receipt or amount is uncertain, the income is not used.
HOUSEHOLD-CAUSED DELAYS IN PROCESSING EXPEDITED BENEFITS 4.9
If the household does not provide the information needed to determine eligibility for expedited service within seven days but provides the information within 30 days from the date of application, the SSR has seven days from the date of discovery to determine eligibility for expedited service.
If the information necessary to determine eligibility for expedited service has not been received, the SSR should indicate a pending status on the Expedited FS form. See Section 4.4: Screening Applications in this Chapter.
