The initial certification period for PA CAP participants is 36 months. An SSI redetermination
of continuing eligibility serves as the recertification for PA CAP. If SSA completes
a redetermination of a recipient's SSI eligibility during the 36-month certification
period, the PA DHS considers the recipient recertified for PA CAP for another 36 months.
If SSA does not conduct a redetermination within 36 months after initial entitlement
for PA CAP or within 36 months from the last recertification date, it is Pennsylvania's
DHS's responsibility to contact the individual for the SNAP recertification process.
If an SSI recipient is not receiving SNAP, the SSI redetermination can serve as the
initial application for PA CAP. Follow the instructions in SI PHI01801.306D.1.a. for answering questions on the SNAP screen in CCE.
When conducting a redetermination of SSI eligibility, review the FS coding in the
RCRD segment of the SSR to determine if the individual is currently receiving PA CAP.
The RCRD segment contains the following SNAP fields:
FSD:MM/YY FS1:X FS2:X FS3:X
The presence of the FS3 field indicates that the SSI recipient is receiving PA CAP;
if the FS3 field is not present, the SSI recipient is not receiving PA CAP. For those
recipients receiving PA CAP, a 'Y' in the FS3 field indicates that the individual's
shelter expenses are at or above $196; an 'N' in the FS3 field indicates that the
individual's shelter costs are less than $196.
During the redetermination, determine if the individual is still eligible for SNAP
through PA CAP. Ask the recipient if they still purchase their food separately from
other members of the household, and determine shelter costs.
Always answer “Yes” to the question “Recertification notice received
within past 30 days” for recipients receiving food assistance through PA CAP. This will update the SNAP “date” on the SSR (which will also update the information on SDX that is sent to PA DHS.)
If the recipient remains eligible for PA CAP:
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Answer 'Yes' to the question “May I take your SNAP application today?”
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SHOW THE CURRENT DATE in “Last SNAP Application or Recertification Date”
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Answer the question, “Shelter cost at or above State standard” under “COMBINED APPLICATION PROJECT DATA” as follows;
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Enter “Yes” if the individual's shelter costs are $196 or more a month, or
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Enter “No” if the individual's shelter costs are less than $196 a month.
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Do not answer the question “Subsidized Housing with Heat Included
in Rent.” This information has no relevance to PA CAP.
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Enter the interview date in the receipt field in the SNAP issue on the Development
Worksheet Page.
For a non-MSSICS case, annotate the shelter costs in the Remarks section of the SSA-8203.
Code the 450S/1719B FS Q1 and Q2 fields as described above in SI
PHI01801.306D.2 and SM 01301.855.
If the recipient is no longer eligible for PA CAP , delete the answer to the “SHELTER
COST AT OR ABOVE STATE STANDARD” question on the SNAP screen to terminate PA CAP eligibility. For a non-MSSICS case,
code the 450S/1719B FS Q1 and Q2 field as described above in SI
PHI01801.306D.2. Do not enter anything in the Q2 field. If the recipient is no longer eligible for
PA CAP, but lives in a pure SSI household, follow the instructions in SI PHI1801.306C.1
on offering to take an application for regular SNAP.
If the SSI recipient does not meet the eligibility criteria for PA CAP or prefers
to apply for regular SNAP, and lives in a pure SSI household, offer them the opportunity
to file for regular SNAP.