After a further review of this matter, and upon advice of our legal counsel, we have reconsidered our position on the use of the Request for Contact (RFC) to facilitate household cooperation with fraud investigations. We have decided that the RFC may only be issued by state eligibility workers and only when the state agency learns of a change in the household’s circumstances that calls into question the household’s continued eligibility for the program or its current level of benefits.

Over the past few months, we have learned that some local offices suggest that clients withdraw their applications. The suggestion or recommendation that a client withdraw impinges on the voluntary character of a withdrawal.

This memorandum encourages those state agencies that have not already done so to consider seriously adopting provisions currently available to simplify operations and improve program access for households with earnings.

Update on the Department of Defense (DoD) Subsistence Supplemental Allowance for Members of the Armed Forces

The attached questions and answers concern the final rule’s provisions on Semi-Annual Reporting. They address both certification policy and quality control review procedures. 

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2001 increases the maximum excess shelter expense deduction and allows sates to substitute their TANF vehicle rules for the food stamp vehicle rules where doing so would result in a lower attribution of resources to food stamp households.

The purpose of this memorandum is to advise you of our decision to offer state agencies the opportunity to participate in a demonstration project to exclude the income of temporary census employees.

This memo clarifies that any time all members of a household receive benefits under a program for needy families funded primarily through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, whether cash or other benefits such as services, the TANF resource rules apply and thus an income eligible working family can both own a car and obtain food stamps.

This policy memorandum provides guidance on acceptable forms of documentation which confirm current participation in the Food Stamp Program for WIC adjunctive income eligibility purposes.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide clarification regarding the effective date of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children vendor disqualification's that result from the permanent disqualification of a vendor from the Food Stamp Program.