A-2320, Eligibility Dates and Benefit Amounts | Texas Health and Human Services

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Revision 08-1; Effective January 1, 2008

A—2321 Date Eligibility Begins

Revision 22-3; Effective July 1, 2022

TANF

TANF financial eligibility begins the earlier of the:

certification date; or
30th day after the file date.

The certification date is the date staff dispose the TANF EDG. An applicant must receive benefits for the month that falls within 30 days of the file date, unless benefits prorate to less than $10.

Timeliness standards are the same for one-time payments. Proration does not apply to one-time payments.

The following examples show possible beginning dates for eligibility:

Example 1: A family applies on April 9. The certification date is April 21. Benefits are prorated from April 21.

Example 2: A family applies on April 30. The certification date is May 29, and because of proration, benefits for May are less than $10. The grant effective date is June 1.

Example 3: A family applies on April 9, but there is a delay in certification until May 15. Benefits are prorated from May 9 (30th day from the file date).

SNAP

SNAP eligibility begins on the day HHSC receives a valid application, unless:

the application is received outside of business hours, such as after hours, weekends or holidays. In these instances, SNAP eligibility begins on the next business day;
benefits prorate to less than $10;
the household already received benefits that month; or
the household is not eligible for the month of application but eligible for ongoing months.

Medicaid Programs

See related policy for dates Medicaid eligibility begins.

A—2322 Benefits

Revision 22-3; Effective July 1, 2022

TANF

Staff must:

base the benefit amount on household size and net income;
issue benefits for less than $10 only for:
- supplemental payments; and
- payments made after recoupment is processed;
issue One-Time TANF (OTTANF) benefits for $1,000 to eligible households, regardless of household size or income; and
issue One-Time TANF for Relatives payments of $1,000 to eligible households, regardless of the household size or income.

SNAP

Staff must:

base the household allotment on household size and net income. Exception: Different rules apply to SNAP Combined Application Project (SNAP-CAP) participants;
not issue an initial month's prorated benefits for less than $10;
issue a prorated initial month's allotment and the following month's allotment at the same time for households who apply after the 15th of the month. This is a combined allotment; and
deny the EDG if net income results in zero allotment for the initial and ongoing months.

A—2323 Proration

Revision 22-3; Effective July 1, 2022

TANF and SNAP

Do not issue prorated benefits of less than $10.

TANF

To calculate the prorated amount:

determine the household's whole monthly benefit based on household size and net income;
determine the earlier of the certification date or the 30th day after the file date; and
follow additional instructions in the related policy section which describes how to prorate TANF grants.

Note: Do not prorate OTTANF or One-Time TANF for Relatives payments.

Related Policy

How to Prorate TANF Grants, C-112

SNAP

Base proration on the number of days between the file date and the end of the month. To calculate the prorated amount, determine the:

household's whole monthly benefit based on household size and net income; and
prorated allotment from the Proration Multiplier Chart table using the whole monthly allotment and date of application.

Note: Never prorate benefits for any month after the application month.

To calculate prorations over $300:

Subtract the date of application from 31.
Multiply the difference by the amount of the whole monthly allotment.
Divide that amount by 30.
Drop all cents.

If the date of application is the 30th or 31st, divide the whole allotment by 30.

Example: A household applies June 17. The household's whole monthly allotment is $395.

31 - 17 = 14
$395 × 14 = $5,530
$5,530 ÷ 30 = $184.33
Round to $184. The household's prorated allotment for June is $184.

Do not prorate benefits if the household includes a member who meets both of the following criteria:

is a seasonal or migrant farm worker (in or out of the workstream); and
was certified for SNAP, in Texas or another state, the month before the household applied.

A—2324 Length of Certification

Revision 22-3; Effective July 1, 2022

TANF

TANF does not have a certification period. The EDG remains open until denied.

The Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System (TIERS) calculates the TANF periodic review due date from the date staff dispose the EDG as follows:

Applications:
- 11 months for payee EDGs with income of less than $3; or
- five months for other EDGs.
Reviews:
- 12 months for payee cases with income of less than $3; or
- six months for other cases.

One-Time Payments

OTTANF EDGs are not subject to periodic reviews. Applicants must reapply for subsequent benefits after the ineligibility period. One-Time TANF for Relatives EDGs do not require further action.

Related Policy

One Time Payments, A-2400

SNAP

Non-Public Assistance (NPA) Households

Assign households the longest certification period possible based on their eligibility and the predictability of their circumstances, according to the following table:

If the household ...	then certify the household for ...
meets the streamlined reporting (SR) criteria	six months. Exception: Certify SNAP for four or five months, if necessary, so the new SNAP certification period ends one month before the end of the Children’s Medicaid certification period. This allows state office to mail only one redetermination packet for both programs.
consists entirely of unemployable or elderly persons with stable circumstances and the household does not meet the SR criteria,	six to 12 months. Example: Households whose members receive Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance (RSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), retirement pensions or disability payments may be certified up to 12 months if other household circumstances are expected to remain stable. Exception: Texas Simplified Application Project (TSAP) and SNAP-Combined Application Project (SNAP-CAP) participants receive a 36-month certification period.
does not meet the SR criteria and circumstances are unstable (including households with an able-bodied adult without dependents [ABAWD]),	three to six months.
is likely to become ineligible in the next two months due to an expected change and the household does not meet the SR criteria,	one or two months. Example: The household does not meet SR criteria and the person indicates during the interview that someone in the household will start a new job, begin receiving unemployment benefits or move out of (or into) the household. Exception: If the household is certified for one or two months and the certification occurs after the 15th day in the last month of certification, extend the certification to the following month (unless the household is ineligible based on a change known at certification).

Notes:

If a household meets the SR criteria, ensure that TIERS designates the EDG as SR and assigns a six-month certification period. This includes households with self-employment income.
Staff must give the person Form H1010, Texas Works Application for Assistance — Your Texas Benefits, and Form H1830-R, Texas Works Renewal Notice, at recertification when assigning a:
- one- or two-month certification period, or
- three-month certification period and the case is certified after cutoff in the first benefit month.

Public Assistance (PA) Households

Most SNAP EDGs with associated TANF EDGs meet the SR criteria.

For non-SR households, assign a certification period that meets the requirements listed above for Non-PA households and corresponds to the redetermination due date of the associated TANF EDG.

For SR households, assign a six-month certification period regardless of whether the certification period corresponds to the redetermination due date of the associated TANF EDG.

TP 08

TP 08 has a 12-month non-continuous eligibility certification period. Calculate the estimated eligibility end date as follows:

Applications — application month plus 11 months, and
Redeterminations — 12 months from the last review date.

TP 43, TP 44 and TP 48

The certification period for a child is the earliest of:

12 months, or
through the month of the child’s 19th birthday.

For these Types of Assistance (TOAs), the first six-month period is a continuous eligibility period and the second six-month period is a non-continuous eligibility period. Calculate the estimated eligibility end date as follows:

Applications — application month plus 11 months, and
Redeterminations — 12 months from the last review date.

Emergency Medicaid

Emergency Medicaid ends the earlier of either the end date of the emergency condition or the last day of the application month.

TP 40

The end date is the last day of the second month following the expected delivery date. Review Medicaid termination policy for information on pregnancies that terminate early or late.

Related Policy

Medicaid Termination, A-825
What to Report, B-621
Actions on Changes, B-631

TP 45

TIERS calculates an end date that is 12 months from the child's birth date. A newborn is continuously eligible for TP 45 through the month of the child's first birthday, as long as the child lives in Texas.