IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART III: APPLICATION PROCESSING
CHAPTER 4: EXPEDITED FOOD STAMP SERVICES
All household members, unless exempt, must work or register for work with the Department at the time of application and once every twelve months after initial registration as a condition of eligibility (see Section 1.3: Work Requirements in Part V). Work registration does not need to take place before expedited benefits are issued.
The SSR may request the applicant or authorized representative to register household members by completing the required forms on their behalf, or the SSR may accomplish work registration through other means, such as calling the household. The Department may attempt to verify questionable work registration exemptions, but such verifications should not delay the processing of a household's application when the household is entitled to expedited service.
SIMULTANEOUS BENEFITS 4.11
If a household applies for initial benefits on or after the 16th of the month and meets expedited service criteria, they will receive a combined prorated allotment for the initial month of application plus the next full month's allotment within the expedited timeframe. This does not apply to expedited service recipients who are migrant or seasonal farm workers receiving full initial month benefits despite applying after the first of the month.
SUBSEQUENT BENEFITS AFTER POSTPONED VERIFICATION 4.12
Groups who apply for FS prior to the 16th of the month and who are entitled to expedited service, receive benefits prorated from the date of application to the end of the month of application under the waived verification requirements. Benefits for the month following the month of application cannot be issued unless all verification requirements are met.
Groups who apply for FS on or after the 16th of the month and who are entitled to expedited services receive FS benefits simultaneously for the month of application (prorated based on the date of application) and the following month. Benefits for the third month cannot be issued unless all verification is provided.
Once during a season, a migrant household is entitled to a postponement in securing out of state verifications during the second month's issuance. They must provide the postponed out of state verifications before they are given a third month's issuance. If the migrant household reapplies for expedited service again during the same season, they will be entitled to a postponement only during the month of application.
NO LIMITS ON EXPEDITED SERVICES 4.13
There is no limit to the number of times a household can be approved under expedited procedures. However, prior to the next expedited approval, the household must either:
- Complete the verification requirements that were postponed at the last expedited approval (regardless of the amount of time that has expired), or
- Be processed under normal application processing standards after expedited benefits were last issued.
APPROVAL OF EXPEDITED SERVICES 4.14
If the household is entitled to expedited benefits, the SSR has to create an Expedited Food Stamp- Postponed Verification Notice (F 609) to be sent through ACEDS. The form tells the household what information is needed before additional benefits can be issued.
DENIAL OF EXPEDITED SERVICES 4.15
If the household is not entitled to expedited service, the SSR will:
- Advise the household of ineligibility for expedited service and document that fact on the screening form (written notice to the household is not required);
- Inform the household of the right to a Department conference with a supervisor within two business days after the determination of ineligibility for expedited service, an administrative conference, or a fair hearing on any action by the Department which occurred in the prior 90 days;
- Pre-screen the application and schedule an interview according to normal application processing procedures; and
- Record in the case record the reason for denial, any attempts to verify identity through collateral contacts (if this is the reason for the denial of expedited service), and that the household was advised of the right to a Department conference.
Reasonable efforts should be taken to verify all information within the expedited processing time standard. In all expedited cases, however, identity is the only item requiring verification before benefits are issued. Identity can be verified through readily available documentary evidence or a collateral contact which is an oral confirmation of a household's circumstances by a person outside of the household. The collateral contact may be made in person or over the telephone.
Expedited benefits cannot be delayed if assets, income, and other facts needed to determine FS eligibility or benefit level cannot be verified within the time requirement.
