This letter explains the new Food Stamps changes, hitting the street 10/1/06. Changes include: (1) legally obligated child support payments will be an income exclusion rather than as an income deduction (so lowers income prior to gross income test); (2) exclusion of certain restricted accounts as a resource; (3) exclusion of certain types of income that are excluded for CalWORKs; (4) elimination of actual utility costs in lieu of a SUA, but instead there is no prorating of utilities for non-household members; (5) implementation of a Limited Utility Allowance (LUA) for households that do not qualify for the SUA, and, (6) allowance of a Telephone Utility Allowance (TUA) for households not qualified to receive a SUA or LUA.
The letter includes the proposed regulations. All changes will be treated as county-initiated mid-month change for quarterly reporters, except the restricted accounts, which must be reviewed prior to being excluded. [Download]