(Revised 06/01/09 ML3182)
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IM 5319
Claims must be established for any household that received more SNAP benefits than it was entitled to receive or for benefits that are trafficked.
Exceptions:
- Claim for errors caused by the client must only be established for mandatory reportable changes.
- Claims must not be established when the only household members were under age 18 at the time the error occurred.
Examples:
- Initial application for household consisting of Mom, age 17, and her child, age 3. The application is approved with no income. In month three, the worker discovers Mom had earned income at the time of application. No claim is established in this case as all household members were under age 18 at the time the error occurred. IPV can be pursued.
- Review for household consisting of Mom, age 17 who is also disqualified for fraud (DF), and her child, age 3. The review is approved with no income. Two months later the worker discovers that Mom failed to report a new source of unearned income at application. No claim is established as all household members were under age 18 at the time the error occurred. IPV can be pursued.
A claim is established by calculating and authorizing the overpayment and sending the appropriate notice to the household. Each person who was an adult member of the household when the overpayment or trafficking occurred is responsible for the repayment of the claim. Authorized representatives who actually traffic benefits are responsible for repayment of the claim.
If there is a change in household composition, counties can pursue collection action against any adult who was a member of the household at the time overissuance occurred.
At the time of certification outstanding claims against a household must be identified and appropriate action taken. The worker is responsible to identify outstanding claims at the time of certification by checking TECS claim alerts (SEOO function 2) and direct recoupment (DIRE).
Federal regulations prohibit benefit reduction of an initial benefit, a retroactive initial benefit, and a current month's supplemental benefits. TECS does not allow recoupment in these instances.
Exception:
TECS will recoup from an initial benefit when there has not been a break in participation from the previous month.
Example:
SNAP case closed January 31 for excess income. Household reapplies February 1 and is eligible. TECS will recoup from February benefits.
