(A) How does an
individual apply for food assistance supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP)
benefits?
(1) The
application process begins with a request for food
assistanceSNAP. Upon request to apply, the county agency shall provide the
individual with all of the following forms:
(a) A JFS 07200,
"Request for Cash, Food, and Medical Assistance" (rev. 9/201410/2016);
(b) A JFS 07217
"Voter Registration Notice of Rights and Declination" (8/2009) and a
voter registration form (for requirements and procedures of the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 refer to rule 5101:1-2-15 of the Administrative Code);
and
(c) A JFS 07501
"Program Enrollment and Benefit Information" (rev. 11/20144/2018).
(2) The JFS 07200 requires the individual
making the request to provide his or her name, address and signature.
(3)(2) Assistance groups wishing to participate in
the program shall file a complete application JFS 07200 or the electronic equivalent.
For purposes of division 5101:4 of the
Administrative Code:
(a) An "application" is a JFS
07200 or its telephonic or electronic equivalent; and
(b) A "complete application" is
an application that includes, at a minimum, the name, address and signature of
the person completing the application.
(4)(3) The county agency shall assist an assistance
group in the completion of its JFS 07200 application and offer to provide a copy of a completed
application to the assistance group. The county agency shall provide an
electronic copy of the completed application when the applicant requests an
electronic copy.
(5)(4) The county agency shall provide a means for
the applicant to immediately begin the application process whether the process
is paper,or electronic, or telephonic.
(B) What are the
methods for filing a JFS 07200an application?
(1) An assistance group Assistance
groups shall be able to file may submit a JFS 07200an application by submitting the form to the county agency:
(a) In person;
(b) Through an
authorized representative;
(c) By fax;
(d) By electronic
transmission; or
(e) By mail.; or
(f) By telephone.
(2) Assistance groups shall have the right
to apply for SNAP in writing. The county agency shall make the JFS 7200 readily
accessible and available even if the county agency accepts applications using
other means as described in paragraph (B)(1) of this rule.
(2)(3) Pure supplemental security income (SSI)
assistance groups, in which all members are applicants for or recipients of
SSI, may apply at either the social security administration (SSA) district
office or the county agency.
(3)(4) Individuals scheduled for release from a
public institution who are applying for SSI benefits will also be permitted to
apply for participation in the food assistance programSNAP in accordance with rule 5101:4-6-19 of the
Administrative Code.
(C) Who shall sign
the JFS 07200 application?
(1) The JFS 07200 application shall be signed by all
individuals who helped complete the formapplication. This includes the assistance
group primary applicant's name, the
authorized representative when one has been designated, an interpreter or a
social worker.
(2) The types of signatures include:
(a) Handwritten signatures (including
handwritten signatures that are transmitted by facsimile or other electronic
submission). When the signatory cannot sign with a name, an 'X' is a valid
signature. The county agency may require a witness to attest to an 'X'
signature. An employee of the county agency may serve as a witness.
(b) Electronic signatures through the
online application; and
(c) Telephonic signatures obtained in
accordance with procedures approved by the Ohio department of job and family
services (ODJFS).
(3) A handwritten signature shall not be
required when there is an electronic or telephonic signature. Electronic and
telephonic signatures shall have the same legal effect and are enforced in the
same way as a handwritten signature.
(2)(4) When an application is not signed by the
necessary individuals then the application for benefits for that assistance
group is considered incomplete. The county agency shall contact the individuals
listed and attempt to obtain a valid signature. The
county agency shall not certify an assistance group without a signed
application.
(3)(5) The signature of a responsible adult person
on the application certifies, under penalty of perjury, the truth of the
information contained on the application, including the information concerning
citizenship and alien status of the members applying for benefits.
(D) When can the JFS 07200 an application
be filed?
(1) An assistance group Assistance
groups shall be advised of the right to file a
JFS 07200an application on the same day they contactit contacts
the county agency during office hours. The county agency:
(a) Shall
encourage an assistance groupsgroup to file a JFS 07200an application the same day the assistance group or its
representative contacts the county agency in person or by telephone and
expresses interest in obtaining food assistanceSNAP or expresses concerns that indicate food
insecurity.
(b) Shall post
signs that explain the application processing standards and the right to file a JFS 07200an application
on the day of initial contact.
(c) Shall include
information about same-day filing in outreach materials
and on the JFS 07200.
(2) The assistance
group shall also be advised that it does not have to be interviewed before
filing the JFS 07200an
application and that it may file an incomplete
JFS 07200application as long as the formapplication contains
the applicant's name, address, and the signature of the appropriate individuals
as defined in paragraph (C)(1) of this rule.
(E) Where shall an
application be filed?
An application shall be filed with the county agency that serves
the county in which an applicant resides.
(1) When an
application is filed with a county agency that does not serve the county where
an applicant resides, the following shall occur:
(a) When the
application is filed in person, the county agency shall provide the applicant
with the address and telephone number of the county agency that serves the
county in which the applicant resides and shall offer to forward the
application to the county agency that same day. The county agency shall forward
the application on the same day or forward it the next day by any means that
ensures the application arrives at the county agency the same day it is
forwarded.
(b) When the
application is filed by mail or electronically, the county agency shall mail,
fax or electronically send the application to the appropriate county agency on
the same day or forward it the next day by any means that ensures the
application arrives at the county agency the same day it is forwarded.
(2) When an
applicant contacts a county agency by telephone and declines to go to the
county agency to file an application that same day and instead prefers to
receive an application by mail, the county agency shall mail an application on
the same day the telephone request is received. The county agency shall include
with the application the name and address of the county agency where the
application shall be filed (when known) and remind the applicant eligibility
for benefits is based on the date the application is received.
(F) What is the
date of application?
(1) The date of
application is the date the agency receives the JFS
07200completed application either in person, mail or via electronic transmission with a
name, address, and signature. When the completed
application is received after business hours, the date of the application shall
be the next business day. When an assistance group is determined
eligible, benefits shall be provided from the
date the of
application was received to the end of the month.
(2) When an assistance group is currently
receiving cash assistance and decides to apply for food assistance at
reapplication, the JFS 07204 "Request to Reapply for Cash and Food
Assistance" (rev. 1/2013) with a name, address and signature shall
establish the date of application.
(3)(2) County agencies shall document the date the JFS 07200application was filedreceived by
recording the date of receipt on the application.
(4)(3) The filing date of the JFS 07200application to
be recorded by the county agency is the date of release of the applicant from
the institution when a resident of an institution is applying for food assistanceSNAP
benefits prior to leaving the institution. When a
resident of an institution is jointly applying for SSI and SNAP benefits prior
to leaving the institution, the date of release of the applicant from the
institution will be considered the date of application.
(G) How many applications
can be filed by a household?
(1) One
application can be submitted for all assistance groups within a household
although there may be situations in which more than one application will be
completed.
(2) When more than
one assistance group resides in a household, each assistance group has the
right to complete its own separate application. Rule 5101:4-2-03 of the
Administrative Code shall be followed to determine the composition of
assistance groups within the residence.
(3) The household
shall not be required to complete more than one application when it is indicated that the household is applying for
medicaid, cash and/or food assistanceSNAP simultaneously.
(H) What happens
when an assistance group refuses to cooperate with the application process?
(1) When the
assistance group refuses to cooperate with the county agency in completing any
part of the application process, the application shall be denied at the time of
refusal. For a determination of refusal to be made, the assistance group must
be able to cooperate, but clearly demonstrate it will not take the actions
required to complete the application process. For example, to be denied for
refusal to cooperate, an assistance group must refuse to be interviewed, not
merely fail to appear for the interview.
(2) When there is
any question as to whether the assistance group has merely failed to cooperate,
as opposed to refused to cooperate, the assistance group shall not be denied,
and the agency shall provide assistance in obtaining required verification.
(3) The assistance
group shall also be determined ineligible when it refuses to cooperate in any
subsequent review of eligibility, including reviews generated by reported
changes and reapplicationsrecertifications.
(4) Once denied or
terminated for refusal to cooperate, the assistance group may reapply but shall
not be determined eligible until it cooperates with the county agency.
(5) The county
agency shall not determine the assistance group ineligible when a person
outside the assistance group fails to cooperate with a request for
verification. The county agency shall not consider individuals identified as
non-assistance group members under rule 5101:4-2-03 of the Administrative Code
as individuals outside the assistance group.
(I) How are
assistance groups handled when they reapply after refusing to cooperate with a
quality control review?
(1) When the
assistance group refused to cooperate with a state quality control reviewer and
reapplies within one hundred twenty-five days after the annual review period
ended, the assistance group shall cooperate with the quality control reviewer
before being determined eligible.
(2) When the
assistance group refused to cooperate with a state quality control reviewer and
reapplies after one hundred twenty-five days of the annual review period, the
assistance group shall provide verification as required in rule 5101:4-2-09 of
the Administrative Code prior to being determined eligible to participate.
(3) When the
assistance group refused to cooperate with a federal quality control reviewer
and reapplies within nine months after the annual review period, the assistance
group shall cooperate with the quality control reviewer before being determined
eligible.
(4) When the
assistance group refused to cooperate with a federal quality control reviewer
and reapplies after nine months of the annual review period, the assistance
group shall provide verification as mandated in rule 5101:4-2-09 of the
Administrative Code prior to being determined eligible to participate.
(J) What is the
time limit for processing an application?
(1) The assistance
group shall be given an opportunity to participate no later than thirty days
after the JFS 07200application
is filed. Expedited service shall be available to assistance groups in immediate
need in accordance with rule 5101:4-6-09 of the Administrative Code.
(2) The county
agency shall determine the eligibility and benefit amount within the first
thirty days based on the circumstances for the entire month. Even when the
application is filed late in the month, the assistance group's circumstances
for the entire month shall be considered.
(K) How is a
voluntary withdrawal of a JFS 07200an application processed?
An assistance group may voluntarily withdraw the JFS 07200application at
any time before the county agency determines it to be eligible. "Voluntary
withdrawal" means the assistance group, on its own initiative, has
contacted the county agency, either orally or in writing, and requested that
the JFS 07200application
not be processed any further. The county agency shall document in the case file
the reason for withdrawal, if given, and that contact was made with the
assistance group to confirm the withdrawal. The county agency shall advise the
assistance group of its right to reapply at any time and shall notify the
assistance group via a statewide automated eligibility system generated notice
of the denial of benefits due to voluntary withdrawal.
(L) How is an
application for food assistance SNAP processed when the assistance group is applying
for other benefits?
(1) All food assistanceSNAP
applications, regardless of whether they are joint applications or separate
applications, shall be processed in accordance with food
assistanceSNAP procedural timeliness
standards, notice requirements, and fair hearing requirements specified in
Chapters 5101:4-2, 5101:4-5, 5101:4-6, and 5101:6-2 of the Administrative Code.
No assistance group shall have food assistanceSNAP benefits denied solely on the basis that an
application to participate in another program has been denied or benefits under
another program have been terminated without a separate determination that the
assistance group failed to satisfy a food assistanceSNAP eligibility requirement.
(2) An assistance group Assistance
groups that file a joint application for food
assistancesimultaneously requests SNAP and
another program and areis
denied benefits for the other program shall not be required to resubmit another
application for food assistanceSNAP but shall have food assistanceSNAP eligibility determined in accordance with the food assistanceSNAP
processing time frames from the date the joint application was initially
accepted by the county agency.
(3) To facilitate
participation in the program, the county agency shall notify assistance groups
in which members are applying for other types of assistance that they may file
a separate application for food assistanceSNAP benefits independent of the application for
benefits for any other program.
(M) When is an
application considered an inquiry?
An application is considered an inquiry when it is signed by one
assistance group containing multiple potential assistance groups:
(1) And the
individual signing the application is not the authorized representative for all
the assistance groups, and thirty days have passed; or
(2) The potential
assistance group does not complete the interactive interview and thirty days
have passed.
Effective: 9/1/2018
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 8/1/2021
Certification: CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY
Date: 08/20/2018
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 5101.54
Rule Amplifies: 329.04, 329.042, 5101.54
Prior Effective Dates: 06/20/1980, 12/01/1980, 06/18/1981,
02/12/1982, 06/17/1983, 08/16/1985 (Emer.), 11/01/1985 (Emer.), 01/01/1986,
01/16/1987 (Emer.), 04/06/1987, 10/29/1987 (Emer.), 01/01/1988 (Emer.),
02/26/1988, 03/24/1988 (Emer.), 06/18/1988, 01/05/1990 (Emer.), 03/22/1990,
02/03/1992, 07/01/1992, 08/01/1992 (Emer.), 10/30/1992, 07/01/1994, 08/01/1995
(Emer.), 10/13/1995, 09/22/1996 (Emer.), 12/21/1996, 05/02/1998, 07/15/1999,
06/01/2001 (Emer.), 08/27/2001, 03/01/2002 (Emer.), 05/13/2002, 05/02/2005,
07/01/2006, 10/02/2008, 03/01/2011, 07/01/2011, 09/01/2012, 02/01/2013,
05/01/2015, 08/01/2016