County Responsibilities 430-05-05-20-10

(Revised 01/01/04 ML2893)

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County responsibilities include:

• Certification of applicant households.

• Issuance.

• Control and accountability of EBT card stock.

• Keep records necessary to determine if the program is administered in compliance with Federal law.

• Submit accurate and timely financial and program reports.

• Meet other responsibilities as outlined in this manual and the Issuance and Accountability Manual.

• Accept collect telephone calls or provide a toll free number for any households with calls relating to the program.

 

Certification Personnel

Personnel used in the certification process must be employed in accordance with State Human Resources standards. Such personnel must, in general, be of the same grade level as those providing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Medical Assistance (ME) applications.

 

Qualified county employees are required to conduct applicant household interviews. Volunteers and other non-county employees are not allowed to conduct certification interviews or certify applicants except for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) households and United States Department of Agriculture declared disaster victims.

 

Additionally, TANF certification personnel are required to meet the food stamp interview requirements for TANF households applying for food stamps benefits.

 

Each county must employ sufficient staff to certify and issue benefits accurately to eligible households within prescribed timeframes.

 

Hours of Operation

The hours of operation of all food stamp offices must be reviewed annually by the State Office to ensure that the needs of individuals (including issuance needs) are adequately met. Based on the results of the reviews, it may be necessary to change the hours food stamp offices are open. The results of the review are retained by the State Office for federal review.