Category: Food Stamp Home

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: MISSOURI SUN BUCKS SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER (SEBT) ELIGIBILITY POLICY

DISCUSSION:

SuN Bucks, Summer EBT (SEBT) provides food assistance for eligible children during the summer months when school is not in session. In 2024, each eligible child will receive a $120.00 benefit on an EBT card. While the benefits can be spent like SNAP, it is important to note these benefits are not SNAP, and eligibility and administration of the program is different.

Eligibility Categories:

Eligibility can be established in 3 ways:

1. School age and categorical eligibility – Missouri children ages 7-17 (up to but not including the 18th birthday) are required to attend school. This is known as Missouri’s compulsory age of attendance. Categorically eligible children are children who are receiving SNAP or TA, in Foster Care, homeless, migrant, or runaway. Children ages 7-17 and categorically eligible are automatically eligible for SuN Bucks. SNAP, TA, and Foster Care information from DSS, along with homeless, migrant, or runaway data from DESE, is used to determine eligibility under this category.
2. National School Lunch Program (NSLP) enrollment – Children enrolled in NSLP (sometimes known as free and reduced lunch) at their school are automatically eligible for SuN Bucks. Schools gather and report this information to FSD.
   • Note: Children who qualify under categories 1 and 2 for any one day in the previous school year are eligible for SuN Bucks.
3. Income eligibility and enrollment at an NSLP school – Children whose household income is below the threshold for NSLP and who attend a school participating in NSLP are eligible for SuN Bucks. These children must apply to be determined eligible for SuN Bucks.

Citizenship and a social security number are not eligibility factors for SuN Bucks; however, social security numbers are requested for DCN assignment purposes.

Household Composition:

The household is made up of related or unrelated individuals living as one economic unit. Self-attestation is generally accepted for household composition.

Income Eligibility:

For children whose eligibility is established partly through income eligibility, household income must be under 185% FPL.

Summer Operational (SO) Period:

The summer operational (SO) period is the months the benefits are intended to cover and generally includes the period between the end of the current school year and the start of the next school year. The Missouri SuN Bucks SO period for Summer 2024 is from June 15, 2024 – August 31, 2024.

Note: Applications can be submitted year-round. Applications received after the SO Period ends will be used to determine eligibility for Summer 2025.

Period of Eligibility (POE):

The period of eligibility (POE) runs from the first day of the school year before the SO period through the last day of the SO period. Children who meet the eligibility requirements in categories 1 or 2 above for even one day during the POE are eligible for SuN Bucks.

The Missouri SuN Bucks POE for Summer 2024 benefits is September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2024. The POE for Summer 2025 started September 1, 2024.

Verification of Eligibility:

In 2024, self-attestation of household circumstances and income is accepted unless FSD is aware of conflicting or inconsistent information. FSD may verify the accuracy of the information provided on the application on a case-by-case basis.

Notice Information:

All participants approved for SuN Bucks will receive an action notice. Additionally, all participants who applied and were determined ineligible for SuN Bucks will receive a rejection notice. When possible, notices will be sent by email or text message. Approval notices will also include information regarding expungement.

Hearing Rights:

Participants have the right to request a fair hearing within 90 days of the end of the SO period if they believe the Family Support Division made an incorrect determination. Requests can be made using established procedures. Participants have the right to confer with legal counsel about any eligibility decision. The deadline for 2024 SuN Bucks hearing requests is November 30, 2024.

Changes in Circumstances:

Households are not required to report changes in circumstances during the school year or SO period. However, households are encouraged to report changes in contact details, including electronic contact details.

Expungement:

Summer EBT benefits will be removed 122 calendar days after issuance. Once the expungement is completed, benefits cannot be reinstated.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/as

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: FORM AND NOTICE UPDATES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD)

FORM REVISION #
FA-150
FA-510
FA-544
FA-546
FA-601
IM-4

DISCUSSION:

As previously introduced in IM-71 8/31/2023, SNAP ABAWD age limits are increasing to 18-54 years of age effective 10/1/2024 due to the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023.

Effective 10/1/2024, the following system-generated documents will be updated to include the increased age limits for ABAWD individuals:

• FA-150 Action Notice
• FA-510 Adverse Action Notice
• FA-544 Change Report Form
• FA-546 SNAP Mid-Certification Review/Report Form
• FA-601 Consolidated Work Requirement Information Notice

The IM-4 Reporting Changes for SNAP Participants flyer was also updated.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/tl

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: OCTOBER SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) MASS ADJUSTMENT FY2025

MANUAL REVISION #

DISCUSSION:

The SNAP Mass Adjustment will go into effect for all applicants and participants as of October 1, 2024. During the SNAP Mass Adjustment, income maximums, resource maximums, utility standards and deductions are updated to reflect changes based on the cost of living.

Policy sections listed above were updated along with the following documents:

• Change Reporting Requirements
• Basis of Issuance Tables
• Manually Calculating a Food Stamp Budget
• SNAP Program Changes Flyer
• IM-4 Reporting Changes for SNAP Participants
• Standards History Chart
• IM-145 Change Report
• SNAP Mid Certification Review/Report Form (FA-546)
• SNAP Change Report (FA-544)

Updates to the Maximums, Utility Standards and Deductions:

Update to Threshold for Change Reporting: The threshold for reporting required changes for a SNAP household remains at $125.

Update to the Resource Limit: The resource limit increased to $4,500 for households with at least one elderly or disabled member and to $3,000 for all other households.

Update to the threshold for reporting substantial lottery or gambling winnings: Has increased to $4,500.

Notices: All households with an allotment increase or decrease will be sent a FA-150 Action Notice dated 09/25/2024.

The notice informs the household of the following:

• The Standard Deduction and Excess Shelter Maximums have changed.
• The Utility Standard Allowances have changed.
• The household SNAP allotment for October has changed.

Fair Hearing Request: When a fair hearing is requested, follow current fair hearing request procedures.

Conflict of Actions: FAMIS will adjust active SNAP cases during the mass adjustment, even if the case has a pending adverse action. A conflict of action is created if there is a pending adverse action when the mass adjustment is completed.

Staff should void the pending adverse action and process the mass adjustment adverse action following these steps:

1. Void the first (pending) adverse action on the Action Resolution (FM50 or ACTRES) screen.
2. Complete the eligibility determination on the Eligibility Determination Resolution screen (FM3Y or EDRES).
3. Authorize the new action, even if the action is a benefit reduction or closing.

Cases Not Adjusted: Pending applications and cases with pending changes cannot be adjusted during the mass adjustment and require staff to take action.
When staff complete the appropriate action, the case will be automatically adjusted.

The following are examples of cases not adjusted:

• Expedited households that are active with postponed verification (APV status).
• Any household with an incomplete eligibility determination, such as when there is insufficient data (ISD).
• Any household in the controlled flow.
• If an unacceptable or blank verification code is entered for a program element.
• Any household with pending verification.

MO HealthNet Non-MAGI Vendor Allotment: The SUA or the telephone standard is used in calculating the community spouse (CS) allotment for vendor cases. This calculation is completed by the eligibility system on the shelter expenses and utility standards entered by staff. The MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled Manual has been updated to reflect the new standards in Appendix B and Appendix J.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/tl

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER (EBT) CARDHOLDER PORTAL MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA) UPDATE

DISCUSSION:

Effective 09/15/2024, FIS Government Solutions (EBT Card Vendor ebtEDGE) is enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for cardholders accessing the Cardholder Portal (ebtEdge) to enhance data security.

MFA requires participants to use more than one method of authentication to log in. The cardholder portal and mobile application allow the user to select one of the options below:

User opts into MFA One-Time PIN (OTP) by email

• An OTP will be sent to the user’s registered email address. The user will enter this OTP along with their User ID and Password to log in to the application.

User opts into MFA OTP by text message

• An OTP will be sent to the user’s registered phone number. The user will enter this OTP along with their User ID and Password to log in to the application.

User opts out of MFA OTP

• No OTP will be sent to the cardholder. Instead, the user must correctly answer a challenge question to log in to the application.

For assistance with Cardholder Portal issues, advise participants to email ebtEDGE.Cardholder.portal@fisglobal.com and to include their Cardholder Portal User ID, the last 4 digits of their card number, state, and the name on the card.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/nw

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: MULTI-LANGUAGE INTERPRETER SERVICES (IM-4 MLIS) ADDED TO SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) NOTICES

DISCUSSION:

Beginning September 1, 2024, the IM-4 MLIS form will be included in the mailings of the following SNAP notices:

• FA325 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
• FA334 APPOINTMENT LETTER
• FA335 NOTIFICATION OF MISSED INTERVIEW
• FA520 FOOD STAMP EXPIRATION NOTICE
• FA546 FOOD STAMP MID CERT REVIEW REPORT

As notices are updated to include the IM-4 MLIS form, a new memo will be released to include newly updated notices.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/vb

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: INTRODUCING THE SPANISH MISSOURI SUN BUCKS APPLICATION

FORM REVISION #
MOSB-1 (Spanish)

DISCUSSION:

The Missouri SuN Bucks application, also known as Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (SEBT), has been translated to Spanish. Participants can find this form in the Forms Manual at MOSB-1 (Spanish).

Households with multiple children only need to complete one application. Applications received after August 31, 2024, will be used to determine eligibility for Summer 2025 benefits only.

For more information on who must submit an application in order to receive SuN Bucks refer to IM-41 Introducing the Missouri Sun Bucks Application

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/my

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: INTRODUCING THE MISSOURI SUN BUCKS APPLICATION

FORM REVISION #
MOSB-1

DISCUSSION:

Applications for Missouri SuN Bucks, also known as Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (SEBT) are now available. Online applications can be found:

• healthytogether.co/onboarding/Missouri-sun-bucks. Encourage participants to apply online whenever possible.
• MOSB-1 In the Forms Manual

Households with multiple children only need to complete one application.
Applications received after August 31, 2024, will be used to determine eligibility for Summer 2025 benefits only.

Who Must Apply

Children who must complete an application to be eligible for SuN Bucks are:

• Children who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school which is a school that provides free breakfast or lunch for all kids.
• Children who have not applied for National School Lunch Program (NSLP)/School Breakfast Program (SBP) at their school, and think they are income eligible. NSLP/SBP income standards are under 185% FPL.

Children Eligible Without an Application

Students will be automatically approved for 2024 SuN Bucks if during the school year they were:

• School-aged (ages 7-17) and are categorically eligible — meaning they receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance (TA), are in foster care, or are identified by their school as a migrant, homeless, or runaway child.
  OR
• They applied and were approved for free or reduced-price meals through the NSLP or SBP.

These students do not need to apply to be eligible for SuN Bucks.

Additional information regarding the SuN Bucks program will be released soon.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/pm

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) CASES

DISCUSSION:

A Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) review finding determined that staff must verbally review the SNAP Work Requirement Consolidated notice (FA-601) and properly explain when a referral to SkillUP is made. Staff must comment in the case record about the discussion with the participant. Staff are required to discuss the following:

• General work requirements
• Exemptions to work requirements, and
• Appropriateness of participants to be referred to SkillUP

When screening for general work requirement assessment, it is important to understand SkillUP is a voluntary program. If the participant is an ABAWD (meaning time limited to three months of SNAP benefits) and mandatory to meet work requirements, being referred to SkillUP is one way to help the participant meet the work requirement, but they are not required to be referred to SkillUP,

There are several ways participants may meet the work requirements such as:

• Working
• Volunteering
• Participating in other qualified training programs, or
• A combination of the above

The participant must understand the SkillUP program and expectations and want to be referred.

For more information on the SkillUP program please review https://mydss.mo.gov/skillup-program

NOTE: The Consolidated notice referenced in this memo is from the MEDES eligibility system. Both the FAMIS and MEDES version contain the same information so either may be used when discussing with participants.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/cs

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR

SUBJECT: UPDATED USE OF ELECTRONIC VERIFICATION SYSTEM (EVS) SOURCES

MANUAL REVISION #
0110.060.10

DISCUSSION:

EVS Manual section 0110.060.10 Use of Electronic Verification System Sources is updated to clarify when to use the National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC).

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/rnr                                              

FROM: KIM EVANS, DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: SNAP MANUAL UPDATE TO CLARIFY EXEMPTIONS TO ABLE BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS (ABAWD) TRAINING/WORK REQUIREMENTS AND VERIFICATION

MANUAL REVISION #
1105.035.15

DISCUSSION:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Manual section 1105.035.15 Exemptions to Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents Training/ Work Requirement and Verification has been updated regarding a request for a Medical Review Team (MRT) decision.

• If an MRT decision is necessary, a completed FS-61 SNAP Summary to Determine Fitness for Work must be included when emailing the MRT Processing Center. This form is needed for the processing center to determine if an individual meets an exemption for the ABAWD work/training requirements.

A clarification was also added that the participant does not need to be seen in person in order to use worker discretion to determine ability to work.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

KE/cs