Hawaii Administrative Rules
Title 17 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Department of Human Services
Chapter 686 - SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER (EBT) PROGRAM
Subchapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 17-686-2 - Definitions
Current through August, 2024
For the purposes of this chapter:
"Authorized representative" means a non-household member designated in writing by the applicant to act on behalf of a household in applying for program benefits.
"Benefit" means Summer EBT payment that is established annually by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Nutrition Services, and will be effective January 1 through December 31 of each year.
"Categorically eligible" means considered income eligible for Summer EBT, as applicable, based on documentation that the child:
(1) Is a member of a household and one or more children in that household are receiving assistance under SNAP, TANF, or another means tested program as approved by the Food Nutrition Services;
(2) Is in foster custody;
(3) Is considered to be migrant, homeless, or a runaway as defined in 7 C.F.R. § 245.2;
(4) Participates in the Head Start program; or
(5) Is determined eligible for a free or reduced priced meal through the NSLP/SBP.
"Current income" means income received during the month prior to an application for Summer EBT benefits. If such income does not accurately reflect the household's annual income, income must be based on the projected annual household income. If the prior year's income provides an accurate reflection of the household's current annual income, the prior year may be used as a base for the projected annual income.
"Department" or "DHS" means the department of human services. State of Hawaii.
"Department's designee" means a service provider contracted by the department to deliver the services described in this chapter.
"Direct verification" means the process of verifying household income or categorical eligibility by matching against data sources or other records without the need to contact households for documentation.
"Electronic benefit transfer" or "EBT" means the computer-based system that processes and distributes authorized Summer EBT benefits to qualified households from a central computer system through an automated teller machine or point-of-sale device.
"Eligible child" means a child who meets the eligibility requirements to receive Summer EBT benefits.
"Eligible household" means a household that includes at least one eligible child.
"Enrolled students" means students who are enrolled in and attending schools participating in the NSLP/SBP and who have access to a meal service (breakfast or lunch) on a regular basis.
"Expungement" means the removal of Summer EBT benefits from the EBT account to which they were issued typically by an EBT processor on behalf of a Summer EBT agency.
"Fraud" means willfully providing a false statement or misrepresentation of a fact or concealing or withholding facts which results in the receipt of a Summer EBT benefit that would not otherwise result without the false statement or withheld facts, or any action by an individual or household unit for the purpose of receiving a Summer EBT benefit.
"Household" or "Household unit" means a group of related or nonrelated individuals, who are not residents of an institution or boarding house, but who are living as one economic unit.
"Income Eligibility Guidelines" means the household-size and income standards prescribed annually on July 1 by the United States Department of Agriculture for determining income eligibility for reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
"Instructional year" means the period from July 1 of the prior year through one day prior to the summer operational period.
"NSLP/SBP" means the National School Lunch Program established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and/or the School Breakfast Program established under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.).
"Period of eligibility" means the period of time from the first day of instructional year immediately preceding the summer operational period through the last day of the summer operational period.
"School-aged child" means a child who will have arrived at the age of at least six years, and who will not have arrived at the age of eighteen years on or before December 31 of any school year.
"Special provision school" means, for the purposes of Summer EBT, those schools which do not collect NSLP/SBP applications annually described in section 11 (a) (1) (B)-(F) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA).
"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" or 'SNAP" means the program that provides food assistance to qualifying low-income and needy households.
"Summer EBT application" means an application submitted to a Summer EBT agency or an NSLP/SBP participating school by a household for a child or children who are enrolled at an NSLP/SBP-participating school for Summer EBT benefits. Eligibility determinations based on Summer EBT applications may not be used to confer eligibility for the NSLP/SBP.
"Summer operational period" means the benefit period that generally reflects the period between the end of classes during the current school year and the start of classes for the next school year.
"Temporary assistance for needy families" or "TANF" means the federally funded financial assistance benefits provided to qualified families with dependent children under the age of eighteen years.
"Temporary assistance for other needy families" or "TAONF" means the state-funded financial assistance benefits provided to qualified families with dependent children under the age of eighteen years where there is at least one household member that is not a U.S. citizen.
"Verification" means confirmation of eligibility for the Summer EBT Program when a child's eligibility is established through a Summer EBT application. Verification includes confirmation of income eligibility and may also include confirmation of any other information required in the application. Direct verification must be attempted prior to contacting the household. If such efforts are unsuccessful, verification may be accomplished by examining information provided by the household such as wage stubs, or by other means. If a SNAP or TANF case number or other identifier is provided for a child, verification for such child must only include confirmation that the child is a member of a household receiving SNAP or TANF benefits.
"Verification for cause" means verification of questionable applications, on a case-by-case basis, such as an instance when the Summer EBT agency is made aware of conflicting or inconsistent information than what was provided on the application.
