IM-15 INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL ACCURACY CLEARINGHOUSE (NAC) MATCHES FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

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Department of Social Services
Family Support Division
PO Box 2320
Jefferson City, Missouri

TO:  ALL FAMILY SUPPORT OFFICES

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL ACCURACY CLEARINGHOUSE (NAC) MATCHES FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

MANUAL REVISION #
1105.015.15
1125.025.00
1141.010.15

 

DISCUSSION:

The NAC is a system developed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to be used nationwide to compare data between states and prevent duplicate SNAP benefit issuances. It helps states ensure smooth transfers for people who may be moving between states.

The NAC must be searched any time someone applies for SNAP benefits, completes a SNAP recertification, or when a new person is added to the SNAP household. Before checking the NAC, a participant’s social security number, residency, and identity must be verified. If there is a match, the state must inform the household, take action, and inform the other state involved.

If a NAC match is received during a household’s certification period, staff must investigate the information according to SNAP unclear information policy within 10 days of receiving the match and inform the household before taking action. Once a determination has been made, staff must also share the outcome with the other state.

Note: This is a new program from FNS, not all states are currently sharing participant information with the NAC. If a participant reports receiving benefits in another state and a NAC match is not found, staff must still follow the existing procedures for verifying out of state benefits.

Do not disclose any location information to the household. System-generated notices will only communicate the change in household composition, and will not reveal the name of the state matched. If a participant questions a NAC match, staff may provide the following information:

  • Name of the matched individual, and
  • Dates of benefit issuances

This will protect individuals who may be in a vulnerable situation, such as someone staying in a battered women’s shelter or someone who shares information indicating they may be fleeing a dangerous situation.

NAC Web Portal:

All NAC queries for potential SNAP duplicate participation must be completed using the NAC web portal. The NAC web portal will be used to view information on NAC matches at application and to make necessary updates to inform the other state on the status of the match and what action(s) have been taken.

Note: A training will be made available through the Employee Learning Center (ELC) that will provide more details on how to sign up for access to the NAC portal as well as how to conduct searches and make updates.

In order to search the NAC, staff will need the participants’:

  • Name,
  • Date of Birth,
  • Social Security Number,
  • DCN, and
  • Search Reason.
    • Search Reasons include: New Application, New Household Member, Recertification or Other.

When a match is found when searching the NAC portal, the SNAP Participants Search Result section will appear on the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the Match ID will bring up the Match Details screen with more information.

When staff get a new match during a certification, the match notification email will have a Match ID to look up case information. The match notification will indicate the other state, if the participant is a vulnerable individual, and the three most recent month’s benefits issued in the other state.

Note: It is possible to get multiple matches for a single individual; however, at this time, Missouri is one of the first states to join the NAC.

The NAC portal also has fields to update the initial action taken and the final disposition (outcome) on the case. Updating these fields informs the other state of what actions Missouri has taken to resolve the match.

Note: NAC matches on active cases will be tasked in Current. Staff receiving a NAC match Current task will need to login to the NAC portal to review and update the match as necessary.

System Updates:

As of March 18, 2024, the eligibility system was updated with the following:

  • “NAC Y/N” field added to Received Out of State (RECOUTST/FMMW).
  • Two NAC-related verification codes were added:
    • NA—NAC Match Not Verified (Active Case Only)
    • NM—NAC Match Result- Not Living in Missouri
  • A notice of match received (NOMR/FA-601) for NAC Matches.
  • A notice of adverse action (NOAA/FA-510) with NAC match language.

NAC match on Initial, Recertification and Add-A-Person applications:

  • If a NAC match is received for an initial, recertification, or add-a-person application:
    • Enter “Y” in the the “NAC Y/N” field,
    • Enter the date the last benefit was received as it appears on the NAC match in the “Last Recd” field, and
    • Leave the verification code blank in order to request verification from the participant.
      • The eligibility system automatically generates and sends the proper NOMR for the NAC match via an overnight batch process.
        • The NOMR gives the participant 10 days to respond to the match, advises what is needed to resolve the match, and warns what the consequences are for the SNAP case if the household fails to respond.
  • If the household fails to respond to the match, the application will reject.
  • If the participant provides the proper verification to prove their out of state SNAP case has closed, enter “HC” (Hard Copy) to approve the case.
  • If the participant confirms the NAC match, is not living in Missouri, and still intends to receive benefits in another state, resolve the match with the following actions:
    • Remove the “Y” from the “NAC Y/N” field and
    • Enter “NM” (NAC Match Result- Not living in Missouri).

NAC match during Certification Period:

The eligibility system automatically shares SNAP participant data with the NAC on a daily basis which is then matched with similar data from other states. Any resulting NAC match received outside of the application period should be treated according to SNAP unclear information policy.

  • If the NAC match is received during the certification period, the RECOUTST screen must be updated.
    • Enter “Y” in the “NAC Y/N” field,
    • Enter the date the last benefit was received as it appears on the NAC match in the “Last Recd” field, and
    • Enter “NA” (NAC Match Not Verified [Active Case Only]) in the “VER” field to generate a NOAA combined with the NAC notice language.
      • The combined NOAA gives the participant 10 days to respond to the match, advises what is needed to resolve the match, and warns what the consequences are for the SNAP case if the household fails to respond.
  • If the household does not respond to the notice, the matched participant will be removed from the SNAP case.
  • If the participant provides the proper verification to prove their out of state SNAP case has closed, enter verification code “HC” (Hard Copy) to approve the case.
  • If the participant confirms the matched individual is not living in Missouri, and is still intending to receive benefits in another state, resolve the match by removing the “Y” from the “NAC Y/N” field and entering “NM” (NAC Match Result- Not living in Missouri) in the “VER” field.

Note: Updates in the eligibility system or Current Tasking system will not automatically update the NAC portal. Once staff complete their system entries, staff must log in and update the NAC portal in order for the information to be communicated to the other state per FNS regulations.

Additional SNAP Manual Updates:

Sections 1105.015.15 Duplicate Participation and 1125.025.00 Steps to Process Expedited Eligible Applications of the SNAP manual were updated to reflect that a NAC match must be resolved prior to the issuance of expedited benefits.

 

NECESSARY ACTION:

  • Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

 

 

 

KE/tl