This was the head’s up. All the key information is in ACL 08-37. [Download]

Wrong phone number, wrong website link in the first letter.  [Download]

Figuring out Food Stamps will now be a snap, with the renaming of the program….“Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” or SNAP is the new national food program. Contingent on a state budget, the following changes impacting recipients will be effective 10/1/08: 1) the standard deduction will be raised to $144 and indexed it to inflation starting in FFY 2010; 2) removes the cap on dependent care expenses; 3) adjusts the asset limit to inflation (don’t get your hopes up, the trigger is not expected to be reached until 10/2012!); 4) excludes all tax-preferred education accounts and retirement accounts (e.g., IRAs), from countable resources; 5) increases the minimum benefits amount, indexed to inflation, from the current $10; 6) increases the time to preserve benefits in inactive EBT accounts.

Other changes are pending federal implementing regulations. [Download]

Clarification of the recert process for Food Stamps and new notices. The new forms must be used starting no later than January 1, 2009. No more check box that says “call your worker.” Instead, the county must send one notice listing the end of the certification period, and another with an actual appointment date. The appointment letter states whether in person or by phone. [Download]

The four automated eligibility systems are required to be able to track disaster food stamps benefits.  By this letter, CDSS informs them of the  codes and reporting requirements for Disaster Food Stamps Benefits, Disaster Food Stamps Supplemental Benefits, and Replacement Food Stamps Benefits. [Download]

Currently, when a household member leaves a Transitional Food Stamps (TFS) household and is approved for benefits in another food stamp household, the individual is removed from the benefit amount, but the individual’s income is not removed for purposes of calculating the TFS benefit for the remaining members. This results in the income being considered in both households.

The FNS has found this policy out of with federal regulations. CWDs must therefore recompute the TFS benefit for the remaining TFS household members by removing the individual from the TFS household along with his/her income, if any. This change is effective September 1, 2008. [Download]