IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART III: APPLICATION PROCESSING
CHAPTER 4: EXPEDITED FOOD STAMP SERVICES
INTRODUCTION 4.1 Expedited service is an essential part of the FS program and does not apply to any other IMA-Operated Program. It seeks to aid the neediest households which, because of their circumstances, may not be able to wait to receive benefits issued in the normal 30 day processing time standard. The Department must screen all FS applicants/recipients and groups recertifying eligibility using the Expedited Screening Form to identify those entitled to expedited benefits. (It is necessary to screen recertifying customers because some individuals indicate that they are recertifying for FS benefits when, in fact, they are re-applying after a lapse of benefits. Recipients who are timely recertifying their FS benefits are ineligible for expedited processing.)
The Expedited Screening Form provides all the necessary information to determine eligibility for expedited service. Expedited processing does not override program eligibility requirements, although certain processing requirements and actions may be postponed due to the expedited service time standard.
Any FS household which meets expedited service criteria at initial application or recertification and is found eligible to participate in the FS program must receive and have an opportunity to transact its initial EBT allotment with the Capital Access Card no later than the seventh calendar day after the date the application was filed.
LEGAL AUTHORITY 4.2
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FS: USC 2020(e)(9); 7 CFR 273.2(i) |
EXPEDITED SERVICE CRITERIA 4.3
Applicants are entitled to expedited service if:
- They have less than $150 in countable monthly gross income (see Chapter 5: Whose Income is Counted in Part VI) and $100 or less in total liquid assets (see Section 1.4.1: Liquid Assets (Cash Value) in Part VI);
- They are destitute migrant or seasonal farm workers with less than $100 in liquid assets; or
- The household's combined monthly gross income and liquid assets are less than its monthly shelter expenses (shelter expenses include rent and/or mortgage payments, homeowners insurance, or property taxes) plus heat and utilities (standard utility allowance (SUA) may be used instead of actual utility cost if the household is entitled to SUA) (see Section 6.3: Income Disregards and Deductions in Part VI).
Residents of a certified shelter for battered women and children who meet one of these criteria are eligible for expedited services even if they may already have been included in another household which contained the alleged abuser.
SCREENING APPLICATIONS 4.4
The Department must screen all FS applicants, including those requesting additional programs, to identify those entitled to expedited service. The CA and the Expedited Screening Form provide the information needed to identify expedited service cases. The household does not have to request expedited service. A household cannot waive its right to expedited service. Do not deny an applicant the right to apply or to be screened for expedited service.
All applications must be reviewed and accepted for expedited service on the same day an individual applies, even if there is inadequate staffing or an unexpected influx of applications.
When the application is filed, the SSR must screen all applications to determine if the applicant is entitled to expedited service.
Households determined entitled to expedited services must be designated in ACEDS to ensure timely issuance of benefits.
