Certain EAEDC elderly recipients (age 65 or older) may now be eligible and must reapply for SSI benefits because of a change in their noncitizen status or more up-to-date information on their work history. They were initially denied SSI because of their noncitizen status. Some of these recipients may also be disabled with a disability expected to last 12 months or more. In addition to reducing Department costs, encouraging applicants/recipients to apply for and follow through with the SSI process ensures a greater cash benefit for the recipient once the SSI is approved.

The Work Requirements window did not allow AU Managers to enter Work Program Required = Yes for Noncitizen Assessed Persons (AP) who are nonexempt and have a legal obligation to support their dependents and are ineligible for TAFDC for themselves because of their INS status.

The Department and the Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) have worked together to address the issue of assisting current noncitizen EAEDC recipients with the citizenship process for becoming U.S. naturalized citizens.

Consistent with the Agency’s mission to serve all clients with dignity and respect, the Department of Transitional Assistance reviewed its procedures for processing TAFDC and FS applications, particularly applications from households with noncitizens.

The Department and the Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) continue working together to address the issue of assisting current noncitizen EAEDC recipients with the citizenship process for becoming U.S. naturalized citizens.

There are three types of “Alternative” SSN identifiers used by the Department to identify recipients who cannot be identified with valid SSNs. The first two numbers of these “Alternative” SSNs are always “99.”

The Department is issuing a current listing of agencies which help our noncitizen clients become citizens. These agencies are grouped by region.

• Expansion of Office for Refugee and Immigrants (ORI) ESP Openings for TAFDC Clients
• T-A34/36 Form andPregnant Women

Reminder to case workers that 1) they must tell applicants that even if they are not personally eligible for benefits a family member may be, 2) once a person indicates an unwillingness to provide verification of immigratin status or social security number, the case worker must stop asking for such verification, and 3) case workers must not report any applicant or recipient to ICE except in the rare situation where the person gives the case worker a copy of a deportation order.

Refugees participating at least half time in a recognized refugee training program are exempt from Food Stamp work requirements. Students enrolled half time in a recognized training program are also exempt.

Reminds case workers that they must tell all immigrant applicants that even if they are not eligible for benefits their family members may be, that case workers must not press reluctant applicants to provide immigration status or SSN, and that case workers are not to report any immigrant's status to ICE except in the rare case that an immigrant provides a copy of an actual letter of deportation.

SSN matches; no need for SS card for verification.

FS: How to count escrowed tax payments for homeowners' shelter deduction; FS: Methods of determining whether a job meets the work requirement; FS: Coding of undocumented immigrants.

Student financial aid verification forms; FS anf TAFDC: Aliens with DV code admitted through diversity lottery; FS: excess income of institutionalized child; FS: residents of battered women's shelters eligible for FS even if shelter provides meals; FS: timeframe for inputting addition of new family member to raise benefits; FS: handling of FS cases for refugees not receiving TAFDC.

Treatment of earned income of undocumented and documented immigrants not on grant in FS and TAFDC programs;  pre-paid calling card not a utility for FS SUA purposes.

EBT card issues, including regarding change from dummy SSN to real SSN.

TAFDC: failure to verify Learnfare school attendance results in child being removed from grant, not termination of whole family's grant;  Busiral benefits: counting of assets; FS: Refugee training programs that count toward exemption from work requirement; TAFDC: child support for child on SSI not countable; EA: pregnant woman is eligible at any time during pregnancy.

Attached is an 11/14/08 memo from Art Foley of USDA instructing the mid-Atlantic region (and rest of the country) that they should accept as verification of income the paystubs of an immigrant working under the name and SSN of another individual. USDA instructs states that income verification used to verify income need not match with documents used to verify identity, and that if a household has a reasonable explanation for the discrepancy in the workers name on the earnings records, the verification and that explanation should be accepted. USDA further instructs that states should not report or disclose the fact of a name and SSN of another being used by another to anyone outside of the state agency (e.g. law enforcement or immigration). This is terrific guidance and hopefully will address those few situations where households have earnings but are reluctant to report the information.