C. Eligibility
1. Basic Categorical Eligibility (BCE)
a. BCE households are:
1) Households in which all members receive,
or are authorized to receive, SSI, Colorado Works (CW), Old Age Pension (OAP),
Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND), Aid to the Blind (AB) or a combination of
these benefits. The CW, SSI, OAP, and/or AB program(s) need only to authorize
benefits for the household to be considered for BCE. Clients who are authorized
to receive a benefit from one or more of these programs, but who are not paid
such benefits because the grant is less than a minimum benefit or the benefits
are suspended or are being recouped, are still considered eligible under BCE
rules.
Households not receiving, or authorized to receive, TANF,
Title IV-A or SSI benefits, who are entitled to Medicaid only, shall not be
considered SSI or Title IV-A participants.
2) A household in which at least one (1)
member receives services from the Family Preservation Program. This
determination must be documented in the case record.
b. Households eligible under BCE have been
deemed to have met the income and resource requirements of the program that
confers eligibility; therefore, no further verification is required beyond that
gathered by the program that confers eligibility. However, the local office
must collect and verify eligibility factors, if these factors are not already
collected and verified by the other program, are considered questionable, or
are unavailable to SNAP. This includes:
1)
Net income;
2) Gross
income;
3) Resources;
4) Residency;
5) Social Security Number; and
6) Sponsored non-citizen
information.
c. A
household cannot be considered under BCE rules if, at the time of application:
1) Any member is disqualified for a SNAP
IPV.
2) Any member has been
convicted of a drug-related felony where SNAP benefits were used to purchase
drugs. Drug-related felony means the same as in
7 C.F.R.
273.11(m), which is
incorporated by reference in section 4.100, above.
d. Households that are ineligible for SNAP
benefits under BCE rules shall have their eligibility determined under ECE or
SE rules.
2. Expanded
Categorical Eligibility (ECE)
a. ECE
households are:
1) Households with a combined
gross income at or below two hundred (200%) of the federal poverty level as
defined in section 4.401.1; and
2)
Households who have been authorized to receive non-cash Temporary Assistance to
Needy Families/Maintenance of Effort (TANF/MOE) funded service designed to
further TANF Purpose Four (4) by "encouraging the formation and maintenance of
two-parent families." Language regarding the non-cash TANF/MOE funded program
shall be provided on the application, application for recertification, periodic
report form, and/or the statement of facts.
b. Households eligible under ECE have been
deemed to have met the income and resource requirements of the program that
confers eligibility; therefore, no further verification is required beyond that
gathered by the program that confers eligibility. However, the agency must
collect and verify eligibility factors, if these factors are not already
collected and verified by the other program, are considered questionable, or
are unavailable to SNAP. This includes:
1) Net
income;
2) Gross income;
3) Resources;
4) Residency;
5) Social Security Number; and
6) Sponsored non-citizen
information
c. A
household's eligibility cannot be determined using ECE rules if, at the time of
application:
1) Any member is disqualified
for a SNAP IPV.
2) Any member has
been convicted of a drug-related felony where SNAP benefits were used to
purchase drugs. Drug-related felony means the same as in
7 C.F.R.
273.11(m), which is
incorporated by reference in section 4.100, above.
d. Households that are ineligible for SNAP
benefits under ECE rules shall have their eligibility determined under SE
rules.
3. Standard
Eligibility (SE)
a. SE rules shall only be
applied to the following households:
1)
Households that include a member who is serving a disqualification for an IPV
or a fraud conviction;
2)
Households that include a member who has been convicted of a drug related
felony where SNAP benefits were used to purchase drugs. Drug-related felony
means the same as in 7 C.F.R.
273.11(m), which is
incorporated by reference in section 4.100, above;
3) Households that do not meet the criteria
to be considered under BCE or ECE rules.
b. Households having their eligibility
reviewed under SE rules must meet the following criteria:
1) Households that include a member who is
aged sixty (60) and older or a person with a disability must have a combined
net income, after all applicable deductions, at or below one hundred percent
(100%) of the federal poverty level. The household must have resources below
the limit prescribed in Section 4.408; or
2) Households that do not include a member
who is aged sixty (60) and older or a person with a disability must have a
combined gross income at or below one hundred thirty percent (130%) of the
federal poverty level. After all applicable deductions, the household's net
income must be at or below one hundred percent (100%) of the federal poverty
level as defined in section 4.401.2. The household must have resources below
the limit prescribed in Section 4.408; or
3) Households must also meet nonfinancial
eligibility criteria set out in Section 4.300.
c. Households, as defined in Section 4.304,
that are found ineligible under SE rules shall be considered ineligible for
participation in SNAP.
