Direct Certification and Verification

1. Direct Certification and Verification Idaho SNA Conference June 18, 2013

2. Direct Certification • Make all expiration dates 30 operating days after the start of school (30 day carryover) • July 15th of every year, run the current Direct Certification list and send letters to all families notifying them that they do not have to send an application • Make sure to use the letter from the state so that it can be returned in the event that household family members should be added.

3. Direct Certification • Several enhancements have been applied to the program • Food Stamp and TAFI have been broken out • Automatic notifications to the e-mail address on record • Better matching algorithms

4. Automatic notification An automatic e-mail is generated and sent to the person listed as a contact for the SFA.

5. Direct Certification Log in to the system

6. Direct Certification

7. Options

8. Direct Certification

9. Direct Certification • The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires each state to establish a system of Direct Certification • The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (PL 111-296) clarified DC requirements (SP 31-2011) • At or around the beginning of the school year • Three months after the initial effort; and • Six months after the initial effort

10. Direct Certification

11. Direct Certification Benchmarks • State Performance Benchmarks • 80% SY2011-12 • 90% for SY2012-13 • 95% for SY2013-14 • If Idaho does not meet the benchmark, a Continuous Improvement plan will be required by USDA

12. Direct Certification comparisons Compare the Verification Report entered with Idaho State Food Stamp Data

13. Direct Certification • As applications are received– make sure they are not on the DC List. • If they are – attach the application to the back of the DC List where the child’s name is found • These applications do not need to be approved • Use this opportunity to see if all children in the family (listed on the application) are also directly certified in the system

14. Foster Children • Foster Children on an application are free • Does not make all children on the application free • Are subject to verification

15. Homeless, Migrant, Even Start Obtain a list from the District Liaison for each of these programs. The List must be signed and dated (or a copy of the e-mail must be attached to the list) Benefit Issuance Lists must be broken out to identify all the different categories of approvals – not just free, reduced, paid and DC.

16. Why does this matter? WELL

17. The New Verification Process October 1: SFAs determine the total number of applications on file for the current school year October 31: SFAs determine the total number of students enrolled for the current SY as of this date (or the last operating date in October) November 15th: SFAs complete verification activities

18. The New Verification Process • All SFAs with schools or RCCIs operating the NSLP and/or SBP must gather their numbers of students as of the last operating day in October. • These are the new categories that must be separated: • Directly Certified based on the DC list indicating Food Stamp benefits • Directly Certified based on the DC system indicating other benefits • Directly Certified based on the household giving you a letter from the Food Stamp Office • Directly Certified based on a Homeless, Migrant, Runaway list from the SFA coordinator (must be signed and dated) • Free Application based on the parent completing with a FS, TAFI, FDPIR number • Free Application based on income • Reduced Price application based on income

19. The New Verification Process Everyone must fill this out

20. Schools and RCCI Reporting

21. Verification

22. Verification – Direct Certification Robert would go into 3-3

23. Line 3-2 Line 3-2 is very important for SNAP direct certification performance rate calculations

24. What if the student had initially been certified in another way? • If the student shows up on the SNAP direct certification list by the last operating day in October (even if initially certified in another way), classify it as a SNAP direct certification and include it in the count of line 3-2 Otherwise… • Do NOT include SNAP “letter method” counts here • Do NOT include SNAP students certified using case numbers written on an application

25. Section 3

26. Section 4 All schools collecting household applications must report this section Report number of applications (A) approved as of October 1st Report number of students (B) as of the last operating day of October

27. Verification – Additional Information

28. Results of Verification

29. Verification for Cause

30. Verification is complete when Household provides adequate documentation of income or categorical eligibility Household requests, verbally or in writing, to be changed to paid and notification is sent Case numbers provided do not match any household member and notification is sent Appeal process does not affect response

31. Responded vs. Not Responded

32. Exercise

33. Answers How many Directly Certified by Food Stamps Are there? 1 How many do you list as DC based on TAFI? 1 How many free directly certified? 1 application with 1 student How many free household income applications? 4 students? 6 How many Reduced income applications? 4 applications with 4 students How many error prone applications are there? 1 How many applications did you verify for cause? 1

34. More information can be found:

35. Questions? Thank you