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MPI_F141
DC Health Link
Department of Human Services
Case Records Management Unit
P.O. Box 91560
Washington, DC 20090
Frankie Myers
1545 ANACOSTIA AVE NE
WASHINGTON, DC 20019
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Notice Date: 09/02/2022
Account ID: 22128451
Person ID: 40078771
Frankie Myers
1545 ANACOSTIA AVE NE
WASHINGTON, DC 20019
Anacostia Service Center
2100 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AVENUE SE
Washington, DC 20020
Phone number: 202-***-****
Fax Number: 202-***-****
Subject: SNAP Mass Change Notice
Dear Frankie Myers,
This notice provides information about changes to your food benefits under the District of Columbia (District) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including:
· What changes may have impacted your SNAP benefit amount?
· What are some examples of changes to SNAP benefits?
· What do I do if I have questions about this notice?
· What should I do if I disagree with the changes to my SNAP benefits? What are the changes that impacted my SNAP benefit amount? 1) The maximum SNAP Benefit Allotment levels for all household sizes will increase starting October 1, 2022. These changes are made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services
(FNS) in accordance with federal regulation 7 C.F.R. § 273.10(e)(4) that addresses adjustments to maximum benefit allotments based on changes in the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan as defined in 7 C.F.R. § 271.2. Current New
Effective:
Oct 1, 2021 -
Sept 30, 2022
Oct 1, 2022 -
Sept 30, 2023
Household Size Maximum Monthly Allotment Maximum Monthly Allotment 1 $250 $281
2 $459 $516
3 $658 $740
4 $835 $939
5 $992 $1,116
6 $1,190 $1,339
7 $1,316 $1,480
8 $1,504 $1,691
Each additional person $188 $211
Minimum Allotment $20 $23
Page 2 of 6
2) Effective October 1, 2022, there are changes in the income limits and deductions for SNAP. Every year, FNS updates income limits and deductions used in calculating SNAP benefits. The income limits are based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) figures from the federal government. The federal regulations that tell FNS to update these numbers are found in Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, §273.9(a)(3) and §273.9(d)(1) and (d)(6)(ii).
SNAP Income Limits
Household
Size
Gross Income Limit
130% of FPL
Gross Income
Limit 200% of FPL*
Net Income Limit
100% of FPL
Current,
through
9/30/2022
New,
Effective
10/1/2022
Current,
through
9/30/2022
New,
Effective
10/1/2022
Current,
through
9/30/2022
New,
Effective
10/1/2022
1 $1,396 $1,473 $2,148 $2,266 $1,074 $1,133
2 $1,888 $1,984 $2,904 $3,052 $1,452 $1,526
3 $2,379 $2,495 $3,660 $3,840 $1,830 $1,920
4 $2,871 $3,007 $4,418 $4,626 $2,209 $2,313
5 $3,363 $3,518 $5,174 $5,412 $2,587 $2,706
6 $3,855 $4,029 $5,930 $6,200 $2,965 $3,100
7 $4,347 $4,541 $6,688 $6,986 $3,344 $3,493
8 $4,839 $5,052 $7,444 $7,772 $3,722 $3,886
Each
additional
person
$492 $512 $758 $788 $379 $394
*200% FPL Gross income standard is used to determine expanded categorical SNAP eligibility. Standard Deduction
Household Size Current, through 9/30/2022 New, Effective 10/1/2022 1 $177 $193
2 $177 $193
3 $177 $193
4 $184 $193
5 $215 $225
6+ $246 $258
Maximum Shelter Deduction*
Current, through 9/30/2022 New, Effective 10/1/2022
$597 $624
*SNAP households with an elderly or disabled member do not have a maximum shelter deduction. 3) Effective October 1, 2022, the District is updating the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) based on changes in utility costs and usage. The SUA is used in determining whether your household is eligible for a deduction due to excess shelter costs. The federal regulation about the SUA is found in Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, §273.9(d)(6)(iii).
Page 3 of 6
Standard Utility Allowance
Current, through 9/30/2022 New, Effective 10/1/2022
$322 $345
4) Effective October 1, 2022, District SNAP households assigned 24-month certification periods under Standard Reporting must report a change in unearned income of more than $125 monthly from private sources and non-private sources except for income from programs administered by the District. The change must be reported to us within 10 days of the date the household receives the first payment reflecting the change. The federal regulation about the Standard Reporting changes in unearned income threshold is found in Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, §273.12(a)(1)(i)(D). 5) Effective October 1, 2022, many SNAP recipients, but not all, will have an increase in cash benefits income that will affect SNAP benefits. This is because, under District law, cash benefits for most cash assistance programs are increasing by 4.7%. The cash assistance programs affected by this benefit increase include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Program On Work, Employment, and Responsibility
(POWER), Interim Disability Assistance (IDA), General Assistance for Children (GC), and Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA).
a. Income from these cash benefit programs is counted when we calculate SNAP benefits. If you receive any of these types of income, you may see a decrease in your SNAP benefit. Generally, about 30% of cash income is used in determining SNAP benefits.
The federal regulation that says we count these benefits is found in Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
§273.9(b)(2). An increase in income may cause the amount that gets deducted from your gross income for high (“excess”) shelter costs to go down. Your income is used to determine if the household’s shelter costs are high.
What are some examples of changes to SNAP benefits? Example 1: Two-person household receiving SNAP: Jackie Smith receives SNAP for herself and one child. She pays $100 in rent. She has no other income and is currently receiving $459 in SNAP. Effective October 1, 2022, she will start to receive $516 in SNAP.
Here are the calculations:
Page 4 of 6
Current Benefit Allotment
As of September 2022
New Benefit Allotment
As of October 2022
Income
Earned Income $0.00 $0.00
Unearned Income $0.00 $0.00
Total $0.00 $0.00
Deductions
Standard Deduction $177.00 $193.00
Earned Income Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Medical Expense Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Dependent Care Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Court Ordered Child Support
Deduction
$0.00 $0.00
Excess Shelter Cost Deduction $422.00 $445.00
Total Deductions $599.00 $638.00
Net Income $0.00 $0.00
Maximum SNAP Allotment $459.00 $516.00
Minus 30% of Net Income rounded
up
$0.00 $0.00
Monthly SNAP Allotment $459.00 $516.00
Example 2: Five-person household with earnings: Tamika Jackson receives SNAP for herself and four children. She works and earns $3,000 every month. She is buying a home and pays $1,500 in mortgage and home insurance. She pays $400 monthly for childcare. She currently receives $635 in SNAP. Effective October 1, 2022, she will start to receive $770 in SNAP.
Here are the calculations:
Current Benefit Allotment
As of September 2022
New Benefit Allotment
As of October 2022
Income
Earned Income $3,000.00 $3,000.00
Unearned Income $0.00 $0.00
Total $3,000.00 $3,000.00
Deductions
Standard Deduction $215.00 $225.00
Earned Income Deduction $600.00 $600.00
Medical Expense Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Dependent Care Deduction $400.00 $400.00
Court Ordered Child Support
Deduction
$0.00 $0.00
Excess Shelter Cost Deduction $597.00 $624.00
Total Deductions $1,812.00 $1,849.00
Net Income $1,188.00 $1,151.00
Maximum SNAP Allotment $992.00 $1,116.00
Minus 30% of Net Income rounded
up
$357.00 $346.00
Monthly SNAP Allotment $635.00 $770.00
Example 3: Two-person household receiving SNAP and TANF. Household receives $521 per month in TANF,
$459 per month in SNAP, and pays $200 a month in rent. Effective October 1, 2022, the household’s TANF benefit will increase to $545 and SNAP benefits will increase to $516. Here are the calculations:
Page 5 of 6
Current Benefit Allotment
As of September 2022
New Benefit Allotment
As of October 2022
Income
Earned Income $0.00 $0.00
Unearned Income $521.00 $545.00
Total $521.00 $545.00
Deductions
Standard Deduction $177.00 $193.00
Earned Income Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Medical Expense Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Dependent Care Deduction $0.00 $0.00
Court Ordered Child Support
Deduction
$0.00 $0.00
Excess Shelter Cost Deduction $350.00 $369.00
Total Deductions $527.00 $562.00
Net Income $0.00 $0.00
Maximum SNAP Allotment $459.00 $516.00
Minus 30% of Net Income rounded
up
$0.00 $0.00
Monthly SNAP Allotment $459.00 $516.00
Example 4: Two-person household assigned a 24-month certification period because both household members are seniors with no earned income and receiving $500 in monthly retirement benefits. Currently, if the household experiences a change more than $100 in their monthly retirement benefits, they must report the change to us within 10 days of the date that household received the first payment reflecting the change. Effective October 1, 2022, the threshold to report a change in the monthly retirement increases from $100 to $125. What do I do if I have questions about this notice? If you have questions about this notice, please call the Department of Human Services (DHS) Economic Security Administration (ESA) Public Benefits Call Center at 202-***-****, Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:45pm. If you are Hearing Impaired, you may call TTY/TDD 711 855-***-****. What should I do if I disagree with the changes to my SNAP benefits? If you are negatively impacted by these mass changes, your household may request a fair hearing within 90 days of the date of this notice.
In general, you can appeal any action taken by the agency on your public benefits case that you disagree with or any inaction that affects your receipt, amount, conditions, termination, or kind of public benefits. But, you are not necessarily entitled to appeal that your public benefits changed as a result of a change in the law. A household which requests a fair hearing due to a mass change shall be entitled to continued benefits at its previous level only if:
(i) The household does not specifically waive its right to a continuation of benefits;
(ii) The household requests a fair hearing in accordance with 7 CFR §273.13(a)(1); and
(iii) The household's fair hearing is based upon improper computation of SNAP eligibility or benefits, or upon misapplication or misinterpretation of Federal law or regulation. Page 6 of 6
Reminder: SNAP Emergency Allotments
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all District of Columbia (District) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households receive additional temporary SNAP benefits each month. These additional temporary benefits are called Emergency Allotments. The District can provide Emergency Allotments if the Federal government has an active public health emergency due to COVID-19. The public health emergency due to COVID-19 is active through October 2022. The Federal government may or may not extend the public health emergency. If the Federal government does not extend the public health emergency, Emergency Allotments will end in the month that follows the month when the public health emergency ends. The District will send your household a notice when we are no longer able to issue Emergency Allotments once the public health emergency ends. In the meantime, SNAP households will continue to receive Emergency Allotments.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
District of Columbia Department of Human Services
Appeal Rights
If you do not agree with our decision about your benefits, you have the right to ask for a fair hearing. In general, you can appeal any action taken by the agency on your public benefits case that you disagree with or any inaction that affects your receipt, amount, conditions, termination, or kind of public benefits. But, you are not necessarily entitled to appeal that your public benefits changed as a result of a change in the law.
Once you appeal, you can go before an Administrative Law Judge and explain why you do not agree with our decision.
You have 90 days following the postmark of the notice informing you of the eligibility decision, denial, termination or change to appeal the decision stated in the notice you received. If you do not appeal within 90 days, you may lose your right to appeal. How to Request an Appeal
You may appeal through any of the following methods:
· Calling the ESA Call Center 202-***-****
· Completing a Request for Hearing form and fax it to 202-***-****, or e-mail to **.****@**.***
· Go to any Department of Human Services Service Center to fill out a Request for Hearing. o The Service Center Locations are found on the Service Center Address sheet attached.
· Go to the Office of Administrative Hearings Resource Center, located at 441 4th Street NW, Suite 450-North, Washington, DC 20001 and fill out a Request for Hearing form.
· By having a representative request a hearing on your behalf so long as you submit a written authorization, designating that person as your representative within 10 days of the hearing request.
Your Eligibility during Your Appeal
If you ask for a hearing before an action on your benefits takes place, your benefits will continue until:
· you withdraw your request for the hearing,
· a change affecting your public benefits occurs while the hearing is pending and you fail to request a hearing after notice of the change,
· a determination is made at the hearing that the sole issue is one of law and not of incorrect grant computation, or
· a hearing decision upholds the agency action to alter the amount or conditions of the public benefit.
· If you have requested a continuation of IDA benefits while a hearing is pending, IDA benefits may not be continued after a final federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility determination has been made.
· SNAP benefits may not be continued after the certification period expires unless you apply for and receive benefits for a new certification period. You may request your TANF, POWER, or GC benefits to remain at the level received prior to receiving this notice. For SNAP, benefits will be continued automatically until the end of your certification period unless you specifically waive continuation of SNAP benefits on your hearing request form. If the hearing decision says the agency's proposed action to change or terminate your benefits was correct, you will have to repay up to the difference in the funds received. If you are requesting an appeal of a denial of a domestic violence waiver in the TANF program, if you appeal the decision within 15 days, the waiver request shall be considered pending for the duration of the appeal.
If the agency took action without giving you timely notice when timely notice is required by law, your public benefits will be reinstated if you request a hearing within 10 days of the postmark of the written notice of the action.
What Happens When You Appeal
Administrative Review - Once your appeal is received, you will be scheduled for an Administrative Review Conference at the Office of Administrative Review and Appeals (OARA). This is a voluntary meeting with a Hearing Examiner from the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS) to identify and discuss your concerns. This meeting will not delay or replace the Fair Hearing process. You can bring your own representative if you choose to have one. Your representative may, but does not have to be, an attorney. Your representative may not be an employee of the District. At the meeting, your representative shall serve only in an advisory capacity. Please bring documents related to your case to the conference. This will help the DHS Hearing Examiner identify and understand your concerns. After the conference, the DHS Hearing Examiner will review your case and try to resolve your issues. You will receive a written decision from the DHS Hearing Examiner regarding the issues of your case, including a summary of facts. If you agree with the written decision and write a statement that you wish to withdraw your hearing request, your request for a Fair Hearing will be considered formally withdrawn. If you do not agree with the DHS Hearing Examiner's written decision, your appeal still continues to a Fair Hearing. If you decide not to attend the DHS Administrative Review, the conference will not occur and your case will continue on to a Fair Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge who is not an employee of DHS. The Fair Hearing will take place at the DC Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) at 441 4th Street NW, Suite 450-North, Washington, DC 20001.
OAH will contact you and tell you when and where your Fair Hearing will take place. OAH will send you a scheduling notice. That notice will tell you when your Fair Hearing will take place. At the Fair Hearing, you can testify, have others testify for you, and submit documents. At the hearing, DC agency representatives will also be able to ask questions of you or other people who testify. The DC agency representatives will be permitted to present testimony and documents. You will be able to ask questions of the DC agency representative if you want. Finally, the Administrative Law Judge will make a decision in writing, a final order, after the completion of the Fair Hearing, and will send it to you. That decision will also tell you what you can do if you do not agree with the final order. Any decisions by OARA or OAH about your eligibility for benefits might also change the eligibility of other people in your household.
Reasonable expenses related to the hearing, such as transportation costs for the claimant and his or her witnesses, may be paid by DHS.
Getting Representation
You have the right to represent yourself or have a lawyer, family member, or friend represent you at the Administrative Review and at the Fair Hearing. Your representative may not be an employee of the District.
If you would like to talk to a lawyer who will represent you for free, you can call any of the following places to see if they can help you. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get legal help. Even if you do not get legal help, there will still be a Fair Hearing held and a decision made. Bread for the City Legal Clinic
1525 Seventh Street, NW
Bread for the City Legal Clinic
1640 Good Hope Road, SE
Neighborhood Legal Services
1213 Good Hope Road
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
1331 H St. NW Suite 350
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
2041 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Suite LL-1
Legal Counsel for the Elderly
(for people age 60 and older)
Building A, 4th Floor
601 E St. NW
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
Friendship Baptist Church,
900 Delaware Ave., SW
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
1200 U Street, NW
Ending Your Appeal Early
You may withdraw your request for a Fair Hearing at any time before the Administrative Law Judge makes a final written decision. You may withdraw through any of the methods available for requesting an appeal (described above). If you withdraw your request for a Fair Hearing because of the meeting with the Office of Administrative Review and Appeals, or because the agency has promised to change its decision, we will make a new decision and it will be based on the changes agreed to by the agency.
If you stop your appeal before the agency has changed its decision, the denial, termination, or change will be implemented as it is written in the notice you first received before you filed your appeal.
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