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Deleting a Person from a Semi-Annual Reporting Household
Voluntary Mid-Period Changes
A voluntary report of household composition change by the head of household or responsible adult household member is considered VUR for both PACF and NACF and must be acted on. Therefore, if a household voluntarily reports mid-period that a member has left the home, the County must delete the individual and his/her income and specific deductions effective the first of the month following the month when the change was reported. Send a 10-day NOA if the report was made verbally.
Exception: For reports of household composition change by another source, the county must contact the household to verify eligibility.
On March 10, a mom who receives CalWORKs and CalFresh calls and reports one of her children has left the home. The EW deletes the child from CalFresh to reduce the household size effective April 1 and send out a timely notice of action (NOA).
If the individual who has left the home is applying for CalFresh benefits in another case, county or state, then CalFresh benefits MUST be discontinued. Also, if the individual who has left the home contacts the county to request discontinuance, then benefits for the individual must be discontinued regardless of the household’s response.
SAR 7 Report
If a household reports that a member has left the home on their SAR 7 report, take action as per the following chart:
- Delete the individual and his/her income and specific deductions (dependent care, excess medical expenses for the elderly/disabled) effective the first of the SAR Payment Period.
- Send a NOA:
- Ten days in advance if benefits will be decreased or discontinued as a result of deleting the departing member. IF benefits have to be issued in a greater amount then to which the household is entitled due to the 10-day NOA requirement, declare an over-issuance for the first month of the SAR Payment Period.
- By the date of increase if benefits will be increased as a result of deleting the departing member.
NOA Requirements
If the household is requesting discontinuance of an individual, discontinuance action MUST be taken mid-period as follows:
- If the household or the individual’s request is made verbally, a 10-day NOA is required before decreasing benefits.
- If the request is made in writing, decrease benefits at the end of the month with adequate notice. A 10-day NOA is NOT required.
- If benefits increase due to the household member's departure, send a NOA by the date the household receives the increase.
Overissuances
Complete an overissuance claim if a household member was not discontinued the first month of the appropriate SAR Payment Period.
(CalWORKs SAR Period: December through May - CalFresh Change Reporting HH):
A household member moved out on March 4th. The household reported this on the April SAR 7 which was received by the EW on May 6th. The EW sent a 10-day notice to discontinue the household member May 31st and reduce benefits effective June 1st. There is no overissuance because the household fulfilled its reporting responsibility by reporting the change on the April SAR 7 that was submitted timely.
(CalWORKs SAR Period: December through May - CalFresh Change Reporting HH):
A household member moved out on March 4th. The household reported this on the April SAR 7 which was received by the EW on May 26th. It is too late to send a 10-day notice to discontinue the person at the end of May. A 10-day notice to discontinue the household member on June 30th must be sent with benefits reduced effective July 1st. An IHE overissuance must be declared for June. Benefits issued in a greater amount than to which the household is entitled due to the receipt of a late SAR 7 report and the inability to send a 10-day notice are considered an overissuance. [Refer to “Late SAR 7 Eligibility/Status Report,” page 26-12].]
(CalWORKs SAR Period: December through May)
A household member moved out on March 4th. The household does not report this on the April SAR 7 received on May 7th. On July 5th, the EW discovers and verifies that the child has been living with the father since March. If the household had reported this change in a timely manner (on the SAR 7), the EW would have sent a 10-day NOA to discontinue the child effective May 31st and decrease benefits effective June 1st. Now, the child cannot be discontinued until July 31st, and an overissuance claim must be filed for June and July.
SAR Payment Period: December through May
A household member moved out on March 4th. The household reported this on the April SAR 7, which was received by the EW on May 26th. The EW sent a 10-day notice to discontinue the household member June 30th and reduce benefits effective July 1st. There is an overissuance in June because benefits were issued in a greater amount than to which the household was entitled due to the 10-day notice requirement.
New SSI Recipients
When a household member is authorized to receive SSI/SSP, wait until the first SSI check is received to take action. Then follow the steps below.
- Discontinue the SSI recipient during the semi-annual period. A NOA must be sent by the discontinuance date. A 10-day notice is NOT required. (If the client has received an SSI approval notice, but has not yet received the first SSI check, do NOT discontinue CalFresh benefits. Wait until the first SSI check is received.)
- Exempt the SSI/SSP recipient's share of any jointly-owned resource.
- Delete any income of the SSI/SSP recipient from the budget. [Refer to Budgeting and Non-household Members for instructions.]
Note: Periods of suspension or nonreceipt of SSI benefits do not restore CalFresh eligibility because the SSI recipient is still eligible for SSI, but in a non-pay status.
HH Member Moves Between HHs
The regulations and procedures in this chapter apply to a continuing household member who leaves one household and joins another. Discontinue the member who leaves, along with their specific income and deductions immediately (allowing time for a ten-day notice). Add the member to the new household prospectively, following the instructions in this section.
Related Topics
Deleting a Person from a Change Reporting Household
Semi-Annual Reporting (SAR) Households