1135.000.00 Special Application Procedures

IM-53 March 23, 2000

1. Whenever a member of a household consisting only of SSI applicants and recipients transacts business at an SSA office, SSA informs the household of its right to apply for food stamp benefits at the SSA office without going to the FSD office and its right to apply at a FSD office if it chooses.
2. SSA completes the application at the SSA Office.
   1. SSA forwards the completed forms to the appropriate FSD County with a transmittal form, the SSA-4233. SSA also forwards the verification information the applicant presented at the initial interview that may be relevant to processing the food stamp application.
   2. If SSA takes an SSI application or redetermination on the telephone from a member of a pure SSI household, the Tele-Claim and the application are also completed during the telephone interview. In these cases, the food stamp application is mailed to the applicant for signature for return to the county FSD office.
   3. FSD may not require the household to be interviewed again in a FSD office. The household is not contacted further in order to obtain information for certification for food stamp benefits except if:
      1. the application is improperly completed,
      2. mandatory verification required is missing, or
      3. FSD determines that certain information on the application is questionable.

      In no event is the applicant required to appear at the FSD office to finalize the eligibility determination. Contact relating to items described above does not constitute a second food stamp interview.

   4. Consider applications filed for normal processing purposes when the signed application is received by SSA. Food stamp applications and supporting documents sent to an incorrect county office are sent by the receiving county office to the correct county office within one working day.
   5. SSA pre-screens all applications for entitlement to expedited services on the day the application is received at the SSA office. Expedited processing is indicated on the first page of the application for a household that appears entitled to expedited processing.
      1. SSA informs households that appear to meet the criteria for expedited service that benefits may be issued a few days sooner if the household applies directly to the county office.
      2. The household may take the application, with a transmittal from SSA, to the county office for screening, an interview, and processing.
      3. Expedited processing standards begin on the date the county office receives a food stamp application.
      4. NOTE: Since SSA pre-screening does not constitute a determination that a household is eligible for expedited processing, screen all applications for expedited service, not just those that SSA indicates as probably eligible.
   6. For SSI recipients redetermined for SSI by mail, SSA informs them of the right to file a food stamp application at the SSA office (if members of a pure SSI household) or at the local county office. SSA also informs them of the right to an out-of-office or telephone interview by the county office if the household is unable to appoint an authorized representative.
   7. The county office determines if households are already participating in the Food Stamp Program.
3. SSA refers non-SSI households and those in which not all members have applied for or receive SSI to the correct FSD office.
   1. Consider applications from such households filed on the date the signed application is taken at the correct county office.
   2. Expedited processing time standards begin on the date the application is received in the county office.
   3. Normal processing time standards begin on the date the application is signed.