Over the weekend MIS adjusted the Heating/Cooling Standard Utility Allowance (HCSUA). The HCSUA was increased from $534 to $551, effective February 1st. Benefits have been recalculated to affect March food Stamp benefits. Additionally, if appropriate, retroactive benefits for February have been issued.

DTA's instructions to the field announcing the new H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program criteria including which current FS households will get the benefit, and how it will affect the calculation of food stamp benefits by using the Heating/Cooling SUA.

DTA restores the Heating/Cooling SUA to approximately 1,100 households who received H-Eat benefits in June 2007.

In 2007, approximately 54,000 FS households received increased food stamp benefits and a $1.00 fuel assistance benefit as a result of the H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program. On April 24, 2008, approximately 46,000 FS households were selected for 2008 H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program benefits. Approximately 16,000 are newly eligible H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program households. For these households, May 2008 FS benefits will be recalculated using the Heating/Cooling SUA as anticipated recipients of the H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program. DHCD will enroll all households in the 2008 H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program and make $1.00 H-EAT fuel assistance benefits available.

Totals and breakdowns of Food Stamp households that received increased Food Stamps as a result of the H-EAT Fuel Assistance Program.

Questions and answers from FNS regarding the effects of receipt of LIHEAA fuel assistance on getting the SUA. Basically any FS recipient who is approved for LIHEAA is eligible for the full SUA, even if they are not billed separately for heat. This is especially important for elders and disabled recipients who have uncapped SUA's.

Issues that arise in Food Stamp cases of recipients who live in group homes, including deduction of Food Stamp amount from net rent and notation of whether part of rent is attributed to heating expenses.

While the landlord verificaiton and shared housing verification forms are the preferred form of verirication of housing expenses, case workers cannot limit applicants or recipients to one form of verificaiton and must accept alternate verifications.

At application, redetermination, or recertification, case workers must inform peopel that LIHEA is a form of fuel assistance and that if they receive or reasonably anticipate receiving LIHEA they get the heating SUA.

It is only at application, redetermination, or recertification that an unverified expense must be zeroed out. The FYI provides details.

Treatment of teenage student's earnings from employment for TAFDC and FS programs; FS cooling SUA information.

Food Stamps and heating/cooling allowances: change of address spurring inquiry about new utility arrangements; H/EAT receipt entitles household to SUA for entire year even if they move and no longer pay utility costs.

FS heating and cooling allowances, FS and LiHEAP.

TAFDC and Food Stamps: reverse mortgages not countable as income; Food Stamps: claiming shelter expenses for a vacated home when person intends to return.

How it affects FS and TAFDC benefits when someone other than the recipient pays part or all of the recipient's rent.

Affect on Food Stamps when a LIHEAP or H/EAT recipient moves or becomes homeless.

Food Stamp verification issues: no verifications needed if no changes reported at recertification and nothing questionable; procedure for requesting verification of increased rent and for zeroing expenses if not verifiied; alternate verifications for housing expenses and caseworker obligation to assist with obtaining (collateral contaact); birth certificates not required.

Crib and layette payments; Food Stamp work requirement exemptions for 16 and 17 year-olds; Food Stamp shelter deduction for mortgage payments in home that is temporarily vacated.

FS: Quality Control and most frequent errors; missing pay stubs; DTA must act on notification of changed circumstances within 10 days; CIP's; preventing shelter and utility deduction errors; medical expense deduction and family health insurance plan.

FS: Heating SUA and LIHEAA issues.

EA 12 month rule;  FS: cell phone is allowable utility deduction but not prepaid calling card; TAFDC child support cooperation.

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.

FS Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs).

FS Heating SUA and LIHEAA issues.

FS: no rent allowance when rent is paid in entirety by someone not in household; full unheated SUA even if bills are low; residents of dv shelters eligible for FS even if shelter provide meals;  calculation of FS for sanctioned teen; how to calculate period of ineligibility due to voluntary quit prior to application; EA: receipt of shelter in another state does not count as receipt of EA in past 12 months; TAFDC: time limit is counted in terms of calendar months not cyclical months.

FS: shelter costs determined by amount of mortgage required to be paid not including any extra the family pays each month; old AFDC case issues and old computer system issues.

TAFDC: exclusion of teen parent's baby from assistance unit of teen parent's mother (so the baby can keep child support); FS: mortgage payments beyond what is required are not deductible; TAFDC: recipient living in development with federal subsidy entitle to rent allowance if no Section 8 or MRVP in use; TAFDC: ineligible immigrants with children on TAFDC and proration of shelter costs (none if parent has no  income).

If a reported address change is expected to increase SNAP benefits (due to increased shelter and/or utility costs), case worker must enter the change right away. If it is not expected to result in increased SNAP benefits, case worker should wait for verification of new address and expenses to enter information.

Where household could be split into two Food Stamp households due to disability of recipient's mother, and thereby get more Food Stamps, case worker has obligation to inform recipient. In such cases, shelter and utility deductions sometimes must be prorated. When a recipient's job ends, case worker must determine whether a supplemental Food Stamp payment should issue for the month in which the change is reported.

Case workers must increase rent amount in Food Stamp case when rent increase is reported on TAFDC Monthly Report.

When one Food Stamp household is split into two assistance units, there must be a review of shelter expenses so that shelter and utility deductions are appropriately applied.

If a TAFDC reports a rent change on her Monthly Report form, this change must be entered for her Food Stamp case.

If recipient marks changes in shelter or household composition on Monthly Report, caseworker is obligated to enter into Food Stamps fields on Beacon.

Extra charge paid to housing authority for having an air conditioner count as a cooling expense entitling household to Heating/Cooling SUA.

Actual utility costs should only be used if the exceed the SUA; otherwise the SUA must be allowed if the person pays the utility. Immigrants who get TAFDC disability exemptions are eligible for federal Food Stamps if DES finds that their disability meets or equals SSI criteria.