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Addressing SLAM

When a household’s shelter and/or dependent care expenses exceed the household’s income, you must explore how or whether the household is meeting its expenses. This includes asking clarifying questions to determine if:

• the income and expenses on file are correct,
• there is any income that may not be considered income by the client such as someone giving them money to help pay their expenses,
• anyone is paying a portion of their rent or the expenses are split with other people,
• the rent or dependent care is subsidized.

A Verification Checklist (VC-1) may be required based on the client’s response, where the case is at in the certification period, and if the SLAM is new, ongoing or if it has increased.

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SLAM Stages

New SLAM

A SLAM circumstance is considered new when shelter and/or dependent care expenses exceeding income are reported and addressed for the first time. New SLAM must be addressed at Application (including reapplication), Interim Report and Recertification/Reevaluation per procedures below.

Ongoing SLAM

A SLAM circumstance is considered ongoing when shelter and/or dependent care expenses exceeding income were previously identified at the previous reporting period and the client’s reported income and expenses remain unchanged at the current reporting period.

Increased SLAM

A SLAM circumstance is considered increased when shelter and/or dependent care expenses exceeding income were previously identified at the previous reporting period and the gap between the client’s reported income and expenses has widened at the current reporting period due to income that has decreased or ended, expenses that have increased, or both.

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Addressing New SLAM at Application or Recertification/Reevaluation

When a client reports circumstances during the interview that results in a new SLAM circumstance at Application or Recertification/Reevaluation, you must inquire about how or whether the client is meeting their expenses.

Engaging the Client

• Engaging the client includes asking questions such as:
• How are you paying your expenses (shelter or dependent care)?
• Are you receiving money from family/friends?
• Are you receiving assistance from a third-party agency?
• Are you past due on bills?
• Do you have assets you are withdrawing from to pay for expenses? For example: 
  • bank accounts
  • dividends from investments
  • retirement accounts
  • loans
  • any other source

Requesting Verification

Workers must send a VC-1 pertinent to the answer that the client provides:

• If the client reports that they are receiving help from a friend, family member or organization, you must send a mandatory VC-1 for Contribution income.
• If the client reports they are using personal savings or assets, you must take a verbal self-declaration and record it in the narrative.
• If the client reports they are behind on expenses, provides a vague response or reports having no other income:
  • Do NOT send an appointment letter or issue a VC-1 to address SLAM, however you may be sending a VC-1 to verify expenses, if not already verified.
  • Write a detailed Narrative.
  • Address the circumstance at the next reporting period (i.e., IR or Recert).

EDSAP Households

Since EDSAP households are waived from an interview at Recertification, two cold calls must be attempted to engage the client on the new SLAM circumstance. If you connect with the client, it must not be recorded in BEACON as an interview and you must follow the Requesting Verification procedures outlined above.

If the two cold call attempts are not successful, you must write a detailed narrative so the SLAM circumstance can be addressed at their next Recertification. You must NOT schedule an interview or send a VC-1 to address SLAM.

Examples

Example 1: Laura (she/her) reapplies for SNAP five months after her case closed for failure to complete the Interim Report. At the application interview, Laura again reports rent well above their reported income. The worker asks how rent is being paid, and Laura says RAFT is covering their rent.

This must be treated as new SLAM at Application because it is being reported at Application/Reapplication. Since Laura is reporting that she is receiving assistance from RAFT to pay her rent, the worker must send a mandatory VC-1 for Contribution income to confirm that the RAFT assistance is paid directly to the landlord and write a detailed narrative. 

Example 2: Jean-Robert (he/him) is at Recertification. At Interim Report, he had verified $1,500 monthly in wages and $1,400 a month in rent. Now at Recertification, Jean-Robert verifies that his rent has increased to $1,900 a month while his updated paystubs indicate that his monthly earned income remains at $1,500. This gap establishes a SLAM circumstance for the first time. When the worker asks how he is covering the rent, Jean-Robert says he is behind on most of his bills.

Because Jean-Robert had no SLAM circumstances at Interim Report and is now reporting a new SLAM circumstance at Recertification for the first time, it must be treated as new SLAM. Since the client stated they are behind on their expenses and he is not reporting any additional income, the worker must only write a detailed narrative, including that SLAM must be addressed at the next reporting period (IR), per procedures for SLAM at Interim Report (New, Ongoing or Increased).

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Addressing SLAM Circumstances at Interim Report (New, Ongoing or Increased)

If a client reports a change that results in new SLAM at IR or a client has ongoing SLAM that continues or increases at IR, you must attempt two cold calls.

Client Answers Cold Call

If the client reports they are receiving help from a friend, family member or organization, you must send a mandatory VC-1 for Contribution Income

• If the client reports they are using personal savings or assets, you must take a verbal self-declaration and record it in the narrative.
• If the client reports they are behind on expenses, provides a vague response or reports having no other income:
  • Do NOT issue a VC-1 to address SLAM;
  • Process the IR without delay
  • Write a detailed Narrative, including that SLAM must be addressed at Recertification/Reevaluation

If the Client Does NOT Answer Cold Call

• Do NOT issue a VC-1 to address SLAM;
• Process the IR without delay
• Write a detailed Narrative, including that SLAM must be addressed at Recertification/Reevaluation

Note: If an IR is reinstated, the rules for SLAM at IR still apply.

Example:

Yvonne (she/her) is at Interim Report. At application, she had verified $1,500 a month in wages and $1,200 a month in rent. She now submits her IR with an employment termination letter, indicating that she was laid off from her job a month ago. She also verified that her rent remains at $1,200 a month. The worker attempts a cold call to discuss the new SLAM circumstance and Yvonne answers the call. When the worker asks how the rent is being paid, Yvonne gives a vague answer. The worker proceeds to respectfully ask follow-up questions but Yvonne’s answers remain inconclusive.

Because this is the first time Yvonne is reporting a change in income that creates SLAM circumstances, it is treated as new SLAM. Since the client was successfully contacted via cold call and provided a vague answer, the worker must only write a detailed narrative noting that SLAM must be addressed at Recertification, per procedures for Ongoing/Increased SLAM at Recertification.

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Addressing SLAM Circumstances at Case Maintenance

SLAM-related verifications are not required outside of required reporting periods (Application, Interim Report, and Recertification/Reevaluation). If a client provides verification of new or increased expenses that results in new, ongoing or increased SLAM at case maintenance, you must update the case record and note the SLAM circumstance and stage in the case narrative.

The SLAM stage identified during case maintenance carries forward to the next reporting period and must be addressed. In other words, if circumstance reported during case maintenance results in new SLAM being identified and it remains unresolved, the SLAM would be considered new at the next reporting period. Or if SLAM increased during Case Maintenance, it would be considered increased at the next reporting period.

The SLAM circumstance must be addressed at the next reporting period following the specific procedures for the stage of the SLAM (New or Ongoing/Increased) and the certification stage of the case (Application, Interim Report and Recertification). If the next reporting period is IR, you must follow Addressing SLAM Circumstances at Interim Report (New, Ongoing or Increased). If the next reporting period is Recertification/Reevaluation, you must follow either Addressing  New SLAM at Recertification/Reevaluation or Addressing Ongoing or Increased SLAM at Recertification/Reevaluation.

While you are not addressing SLAM during case maintenance you must explore Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action if the new information appears to reduce the household’s net income to $0.

Examples:

Example 1: Sandra (she/her) completed her Interim Report in March. In May, she submits verification that her rent increased from $1,200 to $2,000. She did not report any changes to her wages, which were last verified at $1,500 a month.

Although this creates a potential new SLAM circumstance, the change reported by the client does not require any action regarding SLAM since it is being reported at case maintenance. The worker must update the case record, process the case and write a detailed narrative indicating that SLAM must be assessed at Recertification. Even if circumstances remain unchanged or increased at Recertification, SLAM must be treated as new SLAM at Recertification.

Example 2: Paul (he/him) completed his Application in April. In June, he submits an employment termination letter showing he was laid off from a job that paid him $2,000 a month. He does not report any changes to his rent expense, which had been verified at application at $1,800 a month.

Although this creates a potential new SLAM circumstance, an action regarding SLAM is not required since it is being reported at Case Maintenance. The worker must remove the income from the case record, process the case and write a detailed narrative indicating that new SLAM must be assessed at IR. Even if SLAM circumstances remain unchanged or increased at IR, SLAM must be treated as new SLAM.

Removing his wages reduces his net income to zero in BEACON. Because the client’s net income appears to be reduced to $0, the worker must determine if a related benefit is owed by following procedures outlined in Department Responsibility to Take Timely Action.

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Addressing Ongoing or Increased SLAM at Recertification/Reevaluation

You must address ongoing or increased SLAM circumstances during the Recertification/ Reevaluation interview. Since EDSAP households are not required to have an interview at Recertification, EDSAP households with ongoing or increased SLAM must be contacted through two cold call attempts.

If the client explains that they are still behind on expenses:

• Send an optional VC-1 for Past Due Housing Costs or Past Due Dependent Care Costs.
  • For Past Due Housing Costs, you must:
    • End the existing Shelter expense record
    • send a VC-1 by using the User-Entered Verification section. You must select Past Due Housing Care Costs in the Element section and click Save. Once saved, the verification item will be completed and ready to be generated into the VC-1.
  • For Past Due Dependent Care Costs, you must:
    • End the existing Dependent Care record
    • Go to the Verification tab
    • Click on + New
    • The User Entered Verification page will appear
    • In the Element section, select Additional Verification
    • In the Detail(s) section, enter Past Due Dependent Care Costs. This will appear in the Value section of the Verifications tab to help identify the verification requested.
    • In the Program(s) section, select Optional for each DTA program (if applicable)
    • In the Document(s) of evidence section, select + Add Row.  Enter the following description:
      "Please provide verification of how much Dependent Care expenses you owe:
      a statement or letter from the child or adult care provider showing the amount that you owe.”
    • Click Save. Once saved, the verification item will be completed and ready to be generated into the VC-1.

Reminder: At Recertification households must verify their expenses even if they previously verified the expense (at application, IR or their last recertification). Therefore, when a client is reporting that they still incur the expense, and they are still behind on this expense, you must not only send a VC-1 for the past due expense but also request verification of the optional expense, if not already provided. For more information, see Simplified Reporting – Recertification.

If the client reports, they are using personal savings and/or assets:

• If the client reports they are using personal savings or assets, you must send a user-entered mandatory VC-1 pertinent to the specific source (e.g. Bank Account, Cash on Hand, Pension and Retirements accts, Stocks and Bonds, Trust Fund, etc.) that they indicated they are using to meet these expenses.

If the client provides vague or inconclusive response:

• Send a mandatory VC-1 for Living Above Means
• The case must not be processed until verification is received

If an EDSAP Household doesn't answer cold calls:

• Send a mandatory VC-1 for Living Above Means
• Do NOT schedule an interview
• The case must not be processed until verification is received,

Note: If a client with ongoing or increased SLAM at Recertification/Reevaluation is reinstated, the rules for addressing ongoing or increased SLAM at Recertification/Reevaluation apply

If a TAFDC Client Explains That They Are Still Behind On Expenses:

• Leave the shelter expense active in the BEACON Shelter Expense page
• Update the shelter amount to $0
• Send an optional VC-1 for Past Due Housing Costs
• Verify the shelter amount of $0 on the verification tab and
• Wrap up and authorize the TAFDC reevaluation if all other eligibility requirements have been met.

Once completed, the case manager must enter a detailed narrative explaining why the shelter expenses have been changed to $0.

If verification of the shelter expenses is later received, the case manager must update the Shelter Expense window and case record accordingly.

A TAFDC family living in private, non-subsidized housing with a rent obligation may be eligible for the $40 Rent Allowance.  Because the amount of rent does not impact TAFDC eligibility or benefit amount, and only the type of housing is needed for TAFDC purposes. By entering $0 in the shelter expense field, when the rent amount has not yet been verified for SNAP purposes, allows the family to receive the TAFDC Rent Allowance.

For examples on how to treat a case with ongoing/increased SLAM at Recertification or Reevaluation, please see SLAM Examples.

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Important SLAM Considerations for Households Receiving SNAP and Cash Assistance (Combo Cases)

• For households receiving multiple programs (e.g., SNAP and TAFDC or EAEDC), SLAM must be evaluated holistically while applying program-specific rules. You must follow SNAP SLAM procedures, including engagement and narrative requirements, while also assessing whether any reported contributions or resources impact eligibility or benefit calculation for TAFDC or EAEDC.
• If a TAFDC or EAEDC client indicates they are receiving help meeting household expenses (such as rent or utilities), staff must send a VC-1 to verify the contribution, as it may affect cash assistance eligibility or the grant calculation.

Depending on the circumstances, contribution income for TAFDC and EAEDC may be evaluated using either the actual amount received or the standard contribution values outlined in the Contribution Chart. Staff must review the specific contribution circumstances and follow the applicable TAFDC or EAEDC contribution income rules. See Noncountable Income – TAFDC and Noncountable Income – EAEDC.

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SLAM Reference Guide

A SLAM Reference Guide has been created to assist staff identify the correct SLAM procedures that need to be applied for each reporting period.

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When to Complete a Fraud Referral

If all options have been explored with the client to clarify their SLAM circumstance and fraud is suspected, a fraud referral must be completed.

Suspected fraud includes:

• inconsistent or contradictory information concerning household circumstances that cannot be resolved through additional verifications or collateral contacts, or
• receipt of information from data sources, other agency matches or outside parties that indicates potential fraud.

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Last Update: July 9, 2026

 

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