Application Procedures for Group Living Arrangements
Residents of group living arrangements (not including YPLP - Young Parent Living Programs) may apply and be certified:
on their own behalf,
through an authorized representative of their own choice, or
through an authorized representative who is an employee of the designated facility.
The facility makes the determination on how the client will apply, based on the resident's physical and mental ability to handle their own affairs. If the facility decides to apply on the client’s behalf, you must defer to the facility’s clinical assessment. You are not to request documentation of this clinical assessment.
Residents of a group home do not have to be certified through the same method. Some residents of the group home may use an authorized representative while others may not.
Residents Acting on Their Own Behalf (no Point of Sale (POS) terminal)
When a resident, or group of residents, applies and is certified on their own behalf or use an authorized representative of their own choice, they may:
use the SNAP benefits to purchase meals prepared and served by the facility; or
use any portion of SNAP benefits to purchase and prepare food for their own consumption.
Group Living Arrangement as Authorized Representative
Group home residents may choose to have the group home facility as their authorized representative.
Residents who apply through the facility's authorized representative must have
eligibility determined as one-person households. The facility will:
receive and spend the residents' SNAP benefit allotment for food to be prepared and served to the eligible residents; or
allow the residents to use any portion of their allotments on their own behalf.
Note |
If a resident is residing with their spouse in the same facility, then the couple must apply as a household of two. |
A blind or disabled resident of a group living arrangement who applies through the use of the facility’s authorized representative must be considered to be purchasing food and preparing meals separately, even if they do not do so.
Agency Authorized Representatives
Authorized representatives who are employees of an agency or group home facility are particularly assigned as Agency Authorized Representatives for the client. An Image 10A form will need to be on file for each Agency Authorized Representative.
The client may designate the same employee as their Agency Authorized Representative for Certification and Agency Authorized Representative for EBT Transactions (except if a DDS state-operated group home client).
Image 10As
Administrative Office Address is an included data field on the Image 10As; however, administrative office address is not be assumed as the client’s mailing address. Agency Authorized Representatives for Certification must confirm both the client’s current and mailing addresses with the client’s group home provider.
Exception |
For DDS state -operated group home clients, the noted administrative office address is to be entered as the client’s mailing address in BEACON. There are four DDS administrative regional offices that manage clients based upon group home geographical area. Each DDS region has its own set of staff assigned as Agency Authorized Representatives for Certification and Transactions, and all mail for their state-operated group home clients are received at the regional offices. For DMH state-operated group home clients, their mailing address may be different from the administrative office address. Please refer to the mailing address reported by the client’s Agency Authorized Representative. |
An X may be accepted as a client signature on the Image 10A form. A witness signature is not required to authenticate this mark. An X signature in of itself is not questionable unless you have alternate evidence to say otherwise. This evidence may be documentary or verbal in nature. If you suspect that someone other than the client signed the Image-10A, you are authorized to cold call the client or their legal guardian.
A legal guardian signing on behalf of a DDS or DMH group home client is required to provide a guardianship decree, power of attorney, or court order along with the Image 10A form.
Application Packets
The completed application package from a group home provider (i.e. any group home living arrangement) typically consists of a:
Request for Agency Employee(s) to be my SNAP Authorized Representative (Image-10A);
Other Agency Certification of Shelter Expenses and Utility Costs (FS-ACSE);
Guardianship documentation (if client has legal guardian)
DDS Guardian AR Authorization Form (only if client is residing in a DDS state-operated group home)
Cover letter from a DMH state-operated or DDS state-operated provider (only if client is residing in a DDS state-operated or DMH state-operated group home) listing the current authorized representatives and including a request to remove all formerly listed authorized representatives in BEACON.
Note |
You must review the application for completeness and required signature(s). For DDS state-operated group home clients, a DDS Guardianship AR Authorization Form might also be submitted (if client has legal guardian). Please refer to Processing for DDS State-Operated Group Homes |
Shelter and utility costs may be verified through the Other Agency Certification of Shelter Expenses and Utility Costs (FS-ACSE) form or other acceptable expense verifications.
If the group home verifies the client’s shelter costs and utility expenses through a letter or self-declares these amounts on the SNAP application, you must accept these figures (even if they are not reported on a FS-ACSE form).
The authorized representative for the group home has been instructed to calculate the rent and utility amounts for the residents; however, when conducting the interview with an authorized representative you must review the figures to determine that you have the correct information.
Interview
If an Authorized Representative for Certification is identified on an Image 10A, you must conduct an interview or get clarifications on a client’s case with that person instead of the client. If they also serve that role for other clients, you may discuss those cases during the same interaction, with an Action created for each case.
Shelter Expenses
Group home residents are required to use a portion of their monthly income to pay for food, shelter and care. Agency Authorized Representatives for Certification must determine which portion of these charges for care are allocated for separate shelter and utility costs.
Note |
When DTA processes a group home case, the maximum SNAP allotment for a household of one must be subtracted from whatever shelter amount is listed on the FS-ACSE or other acceptable expense verification. The current SNAP COLA maximum benefit amount for a household of one must be used when you subtract from the reported shelter amount. |
You must not recalculate the shelter amount reported by the group home to match previously used pricing models. You must confirm the shelter expense amount and utility obligation with the Agency Authorized Representative for Certification during the application interview.
Some group home residents may have rental subsidies. Agency Authorized Representatives for Certification must subtract these subsidies from the client’s shelter charge before reporting this cost on the FS-ACSE or other acceptable expense verification. Certain group homes are required to pay for utilities and do not charge the client for utility costs. In these circumstances the Heating/Cooling or Non-Heating SUA is not allowed. Credit for this expense must be based on the utilities selected on the appropriate form. However, if a group home resident is paying for a phone bill separately, a telephone SUA is allowed.
Group Homes in BEACON
There are five address types related to group living arrangements. All processing staff must confirm or update the Current Residence Type with the applicable dropdown for any clients they come across reporting to live in a group living arrangement (e.g. via an interview or Section B of the FS-ACSE form).
The five Current Residence Type dropdown options are:
DDS State Operated
DDS Vendor Operated
DMH State Operated
DMH Vendor Operated
DPH Drug/Alcohol Treatment Program
By selecting one of the group home Current Residence Types will this will allow for the respective address resource inventory to be updated in BEACON. For DDS state-operated group homes clients specifically, indicating their address type as DDS state-operated will ensure that actions related to their case get correctly routed to the Group Homes Business Group.
Important |
With the five address type dropdowns added, Residential Facility should no longer be chosen as the address type for group home clients. Further, after a group home address type is chosen, the client’s Residential Facility page will be automatically populated with the corresponding data. When processing new group home cases, staff must visit the Residential Facility page to click on the info button to pre-populate the fields and enter in the client’s facility entry date. |
Certification Period and Type
Group home residents will be assigned to EDSAP Reporting for a period of 36-months, unless the resident has earnings, in which case Simplified Reporting-12 Months will be assigned.
Important |
Group home clients are not eligible for Bay State CAP. You must assign an accurate group home Current Residence Type in BEACON on a client’s Address page to ensure that group home cases are excluded from automatic Bay State CAP conversions. |
Recertification
A new Image-10A is not required at recertification for group home clients if there is no change in authorized representatives. Agency Authorized Representative roles are valid until revoked by the client either verbally or in writing, or if group living arrangement indicates that client has left facility.
If no change to shelter and utility expenses are reported at recertification, a new FS-ACSE form is not required; however, FAWs are to update the maximum benefit amount subtracted from the shelter amount if maximum benefit levels have changed since the prior certification.
Reminder |
Cases must not be denied or closed due to a missing updated Image-10A or FS-ACSE form, if otherwise eligible. |
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
The Authorized Representative will usually conduct food purchasing activities for the resident. Agency Authorized Representatives for Transactions will receive agency EBT cards for all residents in their care and can use the same PIN code for all of these EBT cards.
Unlike a primary EBT card, which can be requested online or by calling the DTA Assistance Line, an agency EBT card cannot be centrally printed and may only be requested at a local office by the designated Agency Authorized Representative(s) for EBT Transactions indicated on the Image-10A form.
Before an agency EBT card can be printed locally, front-end staff must:
Verify the Agency Authorized Representative’s identity(for example an employee ID or a letter from the group home facility the client is residing in); and
ensure that a signed Image-10A is available in the ECF or a physical copy has been provided by the Agency Authorized Representative upon their arrival at the local office.
Example: Moona (she/her) is a DMH Group Home case manager assigned as an Agency Authorized Representative for Katie, a DTA client. Moona comes into a TAO on 9/20 to request an agency EBT card on behalf of Katie. She provides the TAO clerk with her Group Home employment badge. The clerk then confirms that a signed Image-10A form had been previously uploaded to Katie’s ECF, which assigned Moona as her Agency Authorized Representative for EBT Transactions. An agency EBT card is then printed for Moona to conduct food purchases for Katie.
BEACON Tips to Distinguish DDS State Operated Group Home Clients
The following are some quick ways to confirm if you have pulled an Action specifically for a DDS State-Operated group home client:
Check the Address Page to see if the client’s mailing address is listed as one of the four DDS regional offices listed below. If the client’s mailing address is one of the addresses below, you must change the client’s address type in BEACON to DDS state-operated. This will ensure that future actions are directly routed to the Group Homes Business Group.
DDS Southeast Region: 151 Campanelli Dr, Ste B, Middleboro, MA 02346
DDS Metro Region: 465 Waverly Oaks Rd, Ste 120, Waltham, MA 02452
DDS Central West Region: 1 Federal St, Bldg 111-2, Springfield, MA 01105
DDS Northeast Region: DDS Northeast Region P.O. Box A, Hathorne, MA 01937
Scan the ECF for previously submitted FS-ACSE forms or Image-10As
Check the Narratives tab. Past notes may identify the client as a DDS state-operated group home resident.
Confer with your local/regional Group Home Liaison
Group Home Policy and Procedures