Current through Register 1518, March 29, 2024
(A)
Bay State CAP Eligibility Criteria. To be eligible for
Bay State CAP benefits, the following conditions must be met by the applicant.
He or she:
(1) must apply for food assistance
benefits at SSA;
(2) must be
receiving SSI;
(3) must not be
permanently disqualified from receiving SNAP benefits;
(4) must be unmarried (single, divorced or
separated);
(5) must have declared
he or she purchases and prepares food separately from other individuals living
in the same household;
(6) must be
18 years of age or older;
(7) must
be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen in accordance with SNAP rules at
106 CMR 362.220:
Noncitizens; and
(8) must not have earnings, in accordance
with SSA rules.
(B)
The Bay State CAP Food Assistance Application.
(1) Bay State CAP application can be made
only through SSA.
(2) The
application interview for SSI benefits serves as the application interview for
Bay State CAP benefits.
(3) The SSA
worker will ask three food assistance questions as part of the SSI application:
(a) Do you wish to participate in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?
(b) Do you purchase and prepare
separately?
(c) Are your housing
expenses (rent/mortgage) equal to or greater than $453.00 per
month?
(4) The SSI
applicant is not required to visit a DTA office or have a telephone
interview.
(C)
Verification Requirements. The SSI applicant does not
have to verify additional information to complete the application process for
Bay State CAP food assistance benefits. All information necessary to process
the Bay State CAP household is created from SDX data and any existing data on
the DTA computer system. All demographic and income information on the Bay
State CAP household is updated using SDX data.
(D)
Expedited
Issuance.
(1) Bay State CAP
households are not eligible for expedited benefits.
(2) The SSA worker will screen for expedited
service and assist the applicant/recipient in completing the regular SNAP
application if the applicant/recipient appears to qualify for expedited
service. The SSA worker will fax the regular SNAP application to the
Department.
(E)
Establishment of the Bay State CAP Household. For
newly approved SSI recipients reported by SSA as requesting Bay State CAP
benefits and who meet the Bay State CAP eligibility criteria, DTA will take the
following actions:
(1) Create a Bay State CAP
household;
(2) Calculate the
monthly Bay State CAP benefit amount;
(3) Certify the household for 36
months;
(4) Issue the initial Bay
State CAP benefit amount the month following receipt of the SSA approval
information; and
(5) Send a Bay
State CAP approval notice.
(F)
Bay State CAP Benefit
Calculation. The SSI income of the recipient, as well as any other
unearned income, as reported on the SDX, will be used to calculate the monthly
Bay State CAP benefit amount.
(1) Bay State
CAP households receive the standard deduction for one person.
(2) The shelter deduction for each Bay State
CAP household is calculated as follows:
(a)
During the SSI interview, households claiming monthly shelter expenses equal to
or greater than the high shelter standard will receive the high shelter
standard. This amount is determined using a methodology approved by the USDA.
The high shelter standard is posted at
www.mass.gov/dta. Paper copies are available
upon request.
(b) During the SSI
interview, households claiming monthly shelter expenses less than the high
shelter standard will receive the low shelter standard. This amount is
determined using a methodology approved by the USDA. The low shelter standard
is posted at
www.mass.gov/dta. Paper
copies are available upon request.
(c) All Bay State CAP AUs will receive the
Bay State CAP Standard Utility Allowance. This amount is determined using a
methodology approved by the USDA. The Bay State CAP SUA is posted at
www.mass.gov/dta. Paper copies are
available upon request.
(d) One
half of the household's adjusted gross income will be subtracted from the sum
of the appropriate standard shelter expense and the Bay State CAP SUA. The
difference is the shelter deduction for the household.
(3) The shelter deduction will be subtracted
from the household's adjusted gross income to determine the monthly net
income.
(4) The net monthly income
will be used to determine the Bay State CAP benefit amount in accordance with
106 CMR
364.600: Determining the Benefit
Level.
(G)
Bay State CAP Reporting Requirements.
(1) Bay State CAP households will be told to
report the following household expenses to DTA:
(a) Increases in shelter costs
(rent/mortgage);
(b) Payment of
utilities separate from shelter costs;
(c) Medical expenses over $35.00 per
month;
(d) Dependent care costs;
and
(e) Child Support payments for
a nonhousehold member.
(2) Other changes in circumstances must be
reported to SSA in accordance with SSA rules.
(H)
DTA Action on Reported
Household Expense Information. The Department will act on reported
household expenses when:
(1) the information
impacts the Bay State CAP food assistance benefit amount; or
(2) the information would result in a higher
regular SNAP benefit amount.
(I)
DTA Action on SSA Reported
Information.
(1) Changes to the
following SDX demographic data will result in the Bay State CAP household being
updated on DTA's computer system. Demographic data includes name, SSN, address,
gender, race and language.
(2)
Changes to the following SDX data will result in a request for benefit
recalculation and may result in a food assistance benefit amount change, as
follows:
(a) A change from the High Shelter
Standard to Low Shelter Standard;
(b) A change from the Low Shelter Standard to
High Shelter Standard; or
(c) A
change in an SDX Unearned Income Amount.
(3) The following SDX information will result
in a switch from Bay State CAP benefits to regular SNAP benefits for three
months:
(a) The individual requested Bay State
CAP benefits to stop;
(b) SSI
benefits have stopped for a reason not listed in 106 CMR
366.910(I)(4);
(c) The Federal
Living Arrangement Code is no longer A;
(d) The State Living Arrangement Code is no
longer A or B;
(e) The individual
is married;
(f) The individual is
younger than 18 years old; and/or
(g) The individual has had earnings for three
months.
(4) The following
SDX information showing the following changes will result in the closing of the
Bay State CAP case:
(a) the individual is an
ineligible noncitizen;
(b) the
individual is a resident of a Public or Private Institution;
(c) the individual is no longer a
Massachusetts resident;
(d) the
individual is deceased;
(e) the
individual's whereabouts are unknown;
(f) the individual did not cooperate with a
fraud investigation;
(g) the
individual is receiving assistance in another state; or
(h) the individual is a fleeing
felon.
(J)
Recertification of Bay State CAP Benefits.
(1) SSA will ask the food assistance
questions during the SSI redetermination interview.
SSA transmits the redetermination information to DTA through
the SDX file.
(a)
Timely
Recertification. If the SSI redetermination occurs during the Bay
State CAP certification period, the household will be recertified for Bay State
CAP purposes. A new 36-month certification period will be assigned and DTA will
continue the Bay State CAP benefits using the information received through the
SDX file. There will be no interruption in benefits.
(b)
Untimely
Recertification. If the SSI redetermination occurs after the Bay
State CAP certification period expires, the household will be recertified for
Bay State CAP purposes. A new 36-month certification period will be assigned
and DTA will begin issuing Bay State CAP benefits the month after the
redetermination information is received.
(2) If an SSI case is not scheduled to be
redetermined during the Bay State CAP certification period, DTA will mail out a
redetermination package 45 days before the end of the certification period with
a notice informing the household that benefits are due to end unless the
household reapplies. DTA will process the redetermination forms.
Any obligation attributed to SSA in 106 CMR 366.910(J)(2) is
included for informational purposes only. Appeal rights regarding SSI
eligibility or benefit level must be pursued through SSA. Appeal rights
regarding Bay State CAP eligibility or benefit level must be pursued through
DTA.
