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Food Stamp Eligibility for Non-Citizen
Children
Effective October 1, 2003 noncitizen children under age
18 are eligible for food stamps regardless of when they arrived in the U.S. (whether
before or after 8/22/96) so long as they are QUALIFIED ALIENS. There is no five year bar for these children, nor is there a 40 covered quarters
requirement any more. If your clients have children who are now eligible, send them to DCF
as soon as you can so the kids can be added to the food stamp grant.
Additionally, these children are exempt from having the income of their sponsors deemed to them. For a list of qualified aliens, see 8 USC 1641(b) or the Department of Children and Families on-line policy manual in the section on the Technical Requirements for food stamps (and temporary cash assistance) at Chapter 1400. Link to http://www5.myflorida.com/cf_web/myflorida2/healthhuman/publications/esspolicymanual/ DCF intends to apply this policy to application and re-certification interviews conducted on or after October 1, 2003. However, DCF should act to add the eligible child to the food stamp household as soon as the client asks for this change. If clients with existing open cases write, come in, or call to ask for this change prior to the normal re-certification date, DCF has to add the child to the existing case. No face-to-face interview should be required for this sort of partial eligibility review (see Policy Transmittal P03-02-0004 dated 2/13/03) nor should a new CAF be needed (although the client may need to sign a new RFA). See Policy Transmittal P03-09-0026 dated 9/15/03.
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