FNS Offers Flexibility To Extend Verification Timeline
You’ve most likely heard the saying, “What a difference a day makes.” Well, according to a recent memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), this saying could be adjusted to say something like, “What a difference five days can make,” particularly as it refers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
On April 2, the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a final rule entitled “Medicaid Program; Streamlining the Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, and Basic Health Program Application, Eligibility Determination, Enrollment, and Renewal Processes.” One of the provisions in the final rule is to require state agencies to allow a minimum of 15 days for households to provide required verification for Medicaid.
FNS notes that many households apply to both Medicaid and SNAP simultaneously, and states agencies often operate these programs jointly. Therefore, FNS released a memo last week that will enable state agencies to give households more time to submit verification required for SNAP eligibility and benefit amount determinations.
Although SNAP state agencies currently are required to allow a minimum of 10 days for households to provide required verification, program regulations do offer states some discretion to increase this timeframe. Therefore, state agencies may align the SNAP and Medicaid response period to 15 days. FNS “strongly encourages” state agencies to consider the benefits of aligning processes across federal assistance programs and adjust response times when possible.
Aligning verification timeframes for programs can “minimize clients’ confusion when information is requested for both programs and provides additional time to collect and submit verifications,” according to the FNS memo. “It also streamlines case processing for state agencies with integrated eligibility systems and allows extra time for administrative processes, including mail delivery. Such efficiencies can reduce churn and improve the client experience.” FNS adds that state agencies still must provide eligible households an opportunity to participate within a timely manner following the application date.
FNS also emphasized that as state agencies continue to modernize and integrate programs using system and technology improvements, it encourages them to consider options to streamline customer service and improve program access, consistent with the goals outlined in Executive Order: Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.
We have expressed our support for it earlier and continue to do so now by saying that any efforts to encourage federal program uniformity are always welcome.
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