2500 - REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO THE FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

2510 Categorically Eligible Households - The following households are considered categorically eligible for the Food Assistance Program:

1. Any household in which ALL members receive or are authorized to receive TANF or SSI benefits. Households are considered categorically eligible if all household members have been authorized to receive payment but have not yet received payment, if benefits are recouped to the point that no actual payment is made or if no payment is made because the benefit is less than $10. Once the TANF or SSI closes, categorical eligibility ceases unless the criteria in item 2 that follows is met.
    
2. Any household in which ALL ADULT household members are authorized to receive TransMed per KFMAM 2230, Four-Month Extended Medical per KFMAM 2240, or TANF work program support services per 3410. Also refer to KEESM 3410 for a list of TANF case closure situations that are not entitled to the TANF work program support services, thus not entitled to categorical eligibility.

NOTE: Households in which all adult members receive TransMed or Four-Month Extended Medical are considered categorically eligible as the adults are authorized to receive TANF funded work related support services on an as-needed basis. Households retain their categorical status even if they do not receive any services, because the adults are authorized to receive them if needed. Households consisting of adults who were receiving Caretaker Medical only, and who lost eligibility due to increased earnings and are now receiving TransMed, are NOT categorically eligible for food assistance since these individuals are not eligible for work related support services.

The following households are NOT considered categorically eligible for food assistance:

• Households consisting of 1619b SSI recipients; and
   
• Households consisting of persons authorized to receive Caretaker Medical. (This is because persons authorized to receive Caretaker Medical are not receiving or authorized to receive TANF benefits, including work related support services.)
   
• Residents of public institutions who apply jointly for SSI and food assistance benefits prior to their release from the institution per 1417 who have a finding from SSA of potential SSI eligibility prior to release. (These individuals shall be considered categorically eligible at such time as a final SSI eligibility determination has been made and the individual has been released from the institution.)
   

All provisions of the Food Assistance Program apply to categorically eligible households with the only exceptions listed in 2512. It is particularly important that the food assistance household provisions of 4210 are applied when determining if a group of individuals is categorically eligible. Even though a household is considered categorically eligible, they are still subject to the benefit determination procedures of the Food Assistance Program.

Categorical eligibility is considered a non-financial eligibility factor. Categorical eligibility is based on the household's circumstances as they are anticipated to be in the issuance month.

2511 Potential Categorically Eligible Households - In order to determine if a household will be eligible due to its status as an TANF and/or SSI categorically eligible household, the worker may temporarily delay, within the 30-day processing standard, the food assistance eligibility determination if the household is not entitled to expedited service and appears to be categorically eligible. Once the TANF and/or SSI application is approved, the household is to be considered categorically eligible if it meets all the criteria concerning categorical eligibility described in 2512.

For a household filing a joint application for TANF and/or SSI and food assistance or a household that has an TANF and/or SSI application pending and is denied food assistance but is later determined eligible to receive TANFand/or SSI benefits and is otherwise categorically eligible, the worker shall provide food assistance benefits using the original application and any other pertinent information occurring subsequent to that application. Benefits shall be restored from the beginning of the period for which TANF and/or SSI benefits are paid or the original food assistance application date. The worker shall use any available information to update the application or make face-to-face, mail, or phone contact with the household or authorized representative to determine any changes in circumstances. Any change shall be noted and initialed on the updated application and the application re-signed by the authorized representative or authorized household member. Although an office interview can be requested for this purpose, one cannot be required.

Any household determined TANF and/or SSI eligible which is categorically eligible within the 30-day food assistance processing time shall be provided benefits back to the date of the food assistance application.

Households that file joint applications that are found categorically eligible after being denied food assistance shall have their benefits for the initial month prorated from the date from which TANF and/or SSI benefits are payable or the date of the original food assistance application, whichever is later.

Original applications shall be re-evaluated either at the household's request or when the agency becomes otherwise aware of the household's TANF and/or SSI eligibility. The 30-day processing standard begins from the date of household request or when the agency becomes aware of the TANF and/or SSI eligibility.