Processing a SNAP Application in BEACON

In-Office Application Interview

During the in-office application interview, you must:

  1. review the SNAP Application for minimal requirements (name, address – if any - and signature)
  2. give in-person applicants the Your Right to Know Brochure, SNAP Program Brochure, and Help For Those in Need: A Resources Brochure, if not already received

    1. Note: Clients who have filed a drop-off, mail-in, fax and Web application will automatically be sent all brochures as part of the FS App Info Notice mailing once the Request for Assistance (RFA) or the Web Workflow has been completed.

  3. select Request for Assistance in the Workflow field of the My Office page or select Web Applications
  4. complete the pages in the RFA workflow. The RFA captures the method of application,  The application in BEACON is the Request For Assistance beginning at the Application page in the Request For Assistance workflow.source of request, date of receipt, basic information on the grantee (including full name(s), marital status, social security number(s), language spoken, race, and ethnicity), address(es), phone number, the program(s)  The Grantee is the Assessed Person who applies for TAFDC, EAEDC, EA, SNAP and Child Care, or is the AP in a one person ESP AU.being applied for, the reason for the application and any special situations

    1. Note: The DTA Assistance Line places automatic outbound calls to clients at their scheduled interview time using the phone number in the case. You must confirm the best number to the reach the client at every client interaction to ensure that the client receives important calls from the Department.

    2. Note: Completion of the RFA establishes the application start date in BEACON and serves as the expedited service screening tool.

  5. click the Household Composition page
  6. click the Query List button to add additional household members
  7. complete all the fields for each household member: last name, first name, date of    birth, gender, relationship, P & P (purchase and prepare) and status in household, and click on Next
  8. on the Apply for Assistance page, select the person and in the Applying field, indicate whether or not the person is applying for assistance. If all household members are applying, check off the Include All Members box below the Applying field and click Next
  9. complete the Assessed Person page and select Name Clearance for each person who is applying for assistance on the Assessed Person page. The data required includes full name, marital status, Social Security number or date of application for a number, primary language spoken, race, and ethnicity.

    1. Important: FNS requires the Department to collect racial and ethnic data for all applicants to ensure that the program is administered in compliance with civil rights laws and in a nondiscriminatory manner. You must ask applicants to identify their race and ethnicity.

  10. complete the Interview page. The user will be unable to wrap-up the case until the Interview Page is completed, even if the recertification interview has been waived for an elderly/disabled household without earnings.
  11. on the Personal Relationships page, select the appropriate item from the Relationship dropdown list to indicate the relationship of the person selected to the person named on the bottom of the page
  12. indicate on the AU Mandatory/Responsible page when a household member is not applying for SNAP benefits by selecting No and the Mandatory Inclusion field for the household member by selecting Yes or No, as appropriate. BEACON automatically prefills this page with information for household members who are applying as indicated on the household composition page
  13. complete the Voter Registration page See Voter Registration Overview
  14. indicate on the AU Mandatory/Responsible page whether or not a household member is applying for SNAP benefits by selecting Yes or No  in the Applying field. If a household member is not applying, complete the Mandatory inclusion field by selecting Yes or No to indicate if the household member who is not applying for benefits is a mandatory member of the SNAP household based on SNAP household composition rules. When the Mandatory Inclusion field is sets to No, the appropriate inclusion reason must be selected from the dropdown list.
  15. click Next on the AU Composition Results page
  16. complete the SNAP Work Rules Screening Page for each household member. Click Next
  17. complete the Employment Status page for each household member named on the bottom of the page. Click Next
  18. complete the Felony, Conviction and Violation page. (Operations Memo 2012-30) Click Next
  19. complete the Shelter Expenses page and be careful to attribute the shelter expenses to the household member responsible for the shelter costs
  20. complete the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) page by indicating whether or not the  household is entitled to one of the three SUAs and if so, select the specific SUA from the Allowance Type dropdown list
  21. check the Match History tab to see if there is any outstanding match information for the household
  22. preview the application and print for signature

    1. Note: If this is a telephone interview subsequent to the receipt of an application, you must not collect a second signature from a SNAP applicant.

  23. review the rights, responsibilities and penalties with the client.
  24. on the Verification Tab, request verifications as necessary including match-related proofs
  25. enter verifications received with the application form, if any:
    1. click the item to be verified and then click on Detail:
    2. select the item used as proof from the Document of Evidence list;
    3. click Save; and
    4. repeat these steps for each item to be verified
  26. click Print. Select Document Type. Select Print Destination.

Application Interview by Telephone

During the application interview (by telephone):

  1. review the information provided on the application
  2. progress through all BEACON pages beginning with the RFA as described above
  3. the applicant will automatically be mailed the Your Right to Know Brochure, SNAP Program Brochure, and the Help For Those in Need: A Resource Brochure as part of the FS App Info Notice mailing once the RFA or the Web Workflow has been completed
  4. follow the instructions for entering verifications and generate a verification checklist
  5. since this is a telephone interview, on the Program Administration page:
    1. print the BEACON Verification Checklist centrally so it can be mailed to the client;
    2. review the Rights and Responsibilities/Penalty Warning pages of the application with the applicant;
    3. print the BEACON SNAP application centrally so a copy of the application can be mailed to the client. You must not ask the client to return a signed BEACON application since the client has already provided a signed SNAP paper application form. Mailing a copy of the application form is a courtesy since the client is being interviewed by telephone.

      1. Reminder: Clients who apply by drop-off, mail-in, fax and web will be automatically sent all brochures as part of the FS App Info Notice mailing once the RFA or the Web Workflow has been completed.

  6. approve or deny the case as instructed above under Approving or Denying the SNAP application.