Background: On March 9, 2020 Governor Mike DeWine declared a state
of emergency for the entire state of Ohio (Executive Order 2020-01D) to protect
the well-being of the citizens of Ohio from COVID-19. In order to protect the lives,
safety and health of Ohio’s citizens, various orders have been issued from the Governor
and the Ohio Department of Health to limit social interaction. These orders include:
prohibiting mass gatherings (100 or more people in a single room); closing schools;
prohibiting visitors in hospitals and jails; closing restaurants and bars; encouraging
businesses to allow employees to work from home as well as asking parents to keep
children out of day care settings.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 116-127)
became law on March 18, 2020 and provided states the ability to seek waivers to
expand flexibility of programs to ease the administrative burden of issuing Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits while under a state of emergency.
On October 1, 2020 the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021, and Other
Extensions Act became law and provided States with the option to, adjust interview
requirements and stop interim report requirements without requiring waiver approval
from the United States Department of Agriculture. Ohio is implementing these options.
New Procedures:
Initial Application Interviews
Effective January 1- June 30, 2021 a county agency can opt to not
conduct an interview at initial application prior to approving SNAP benefits, provided
the following are met:
The applicant’s identity has been verified; and
- All other mandatory verifications in paragraphs (D)
and (E) of rule 5101:4-2-09 of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) have been completed.
-
A county agency shall obtain documentary verifications
(including electronic sources); if documentation is not able to be obtained, the
county agency may use a collateral contact. If neither documentation nor collateral
contact can be obtained, client statement may be used. Case notes must clearly document
the verification used to make an eligibility determination.
- A county agency is required to contact the applicant
if any information on the application is questionable.
- When a county agency is unable to contact the applicant,
it shall schedule a telephone interview and send notice of the appointment to the
applicant. The scheduled interview establishes a means of contact with the applicant
to gather missing information not included in the application. If there is no contact
with the applicant at the scheduled appointment time, the county agency must send
a notice of missed interview (NOMI). If the applicant does not request to reschedule,
the application shall be denied.
Applications processed under expedited procedures, which only require
identity and social security number to be verified, still require a telephone interview
to be completed in order to authorize benefits for a one or two-month certification
period.
A county will need to inform Program Policy Services if it will implement
this option, and for which months, by sending an email to TANF-FSTA@jfs.ohio.gov.
Face-to-Face Interview Method
From January 1-June 30, 2021, when a county agency is conducting
an interview, it is not required to conduct a face-to-face interview when an applicant
requests this method. If a face-to-face interview is requested, the county agency
can schedule it to be conducted by telephone. The client will be serviced through
other available options during the pandemic.
A county will need to inform Program Policy Services if it will implement
this option, and for which months, by sending an email to TANF-FSTA@jfs.ohio.gov.
Interim Reports
Interim reports are not required for assistance groups January 1-
June 30, 2021. Interim reports will not be sent in these months. Assistance groups
remain subject to all other reporting requirements until their recertification.
If you have questions regarding any of the information please reach
out to Program Policy Services by sending an email to TANF-FSTA@jfs.ohio.gov.