Bay State CAP - Recertification

SSA recertifies Bay State Cap households for SNAP when a redetermination of eligibility for SSI happens by the 34th month of the 36-month certification period. If SSA does not redetermine eligibility for SSI by the 34th month, DTA is responsible to recertify the SNAP case. Bay State CAP Recertifications are handled through the FAW model.

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DTA Responsibilities and Processing for Bay State CAP Recertifications

BEACON automatically recertifies a Bay State CAP case if SDX indicates that an SSI redetermination has been completed. BEACON sets a new 36-month certification period and sends a recertification notice to the recertified Bay State CAP case. There is no interruption of Bay State CAP benefits if the SSI redetermination occurs within the 36-month certification period.

If SSA does not recertify the Bay State CAP case, a pre-filled recertification form with information known to the Department, as verified in BEACON, will be mailed to the household. The signed and completed form must be returned to DTA by the Apply-by-Date for Bay State CAP benefits to continue uninterrupted.

A Bay State CAP household can also recertify telephonically. If you receive a call from a Bay State CAP household and, while reviewing the case, realize that the household is within 45 days of their reevaluation end date and that they have yet to submit the recertification form, you must follow the procedures outlined in the Obtaining a Telephonic Signature and Telephonic Signature Procedures for Recertifications/Reevaluations sections of Telephonic Signature.

Bay State CAP households, based on their living arrangement, will receive either the:

• FS-BSC-RC/AAform for individuals who are coded for SSI purposes in State Living Arrangement A (living alone); or
• FS-BSC-RC/ABform for individuals who are coded for SSI purposes in State Living Arrangement B (living with others).

Once the Bay State CAP Recertification form is complete, the case will remain on Bay State CAP.

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Processing a Bay State CAP Recertification in BEACON

1. enter the Reevaluation workflow and go to the Reevaluation Initiate/Reinitiate page
2. click Initiate to begin the Bay State CAP recertification
3. go to the Shelter Expense page to indicate whether the client has a high ($481 or greater) or low (less than $481) CAP
4. go to the Verifications tab and use Bay State CAP Recertification Form to verify the shelter expense
5. go to the Reevaluation Submit page and click on the Submit checkbox
6. go to the Interview Wrapup page
7. click Selection
8. click the applicable checkboxes pertaining to the reevaluation
9. click Finish
10. click EBC Results
11. click Calculate
12. highlight and select the record in the page for the case being reevaluated on the Updates Tab
13. click Save
14. click Finish

If the returned Bay State CAP Recertification form is incomplete or has additional information that makes the client ineligible for Bay State CAP (e.g. a written statement that meals are no longer purchased/prepared separately), contact the household by phone to discuss continued Bay State CAP eligibility.

If the client remains eligible for Bay State CAP, follow the Bay State CAP recertification instructions above.

If the client is no longer eligible for Bay State CAP, go to the Reevaluation page to select the proper SNAP reevaluation type and extend the certification period two additional months so that a regular SNAP recertification notice can be mailed.

If the Bay State CAP Recertification form is not returned, the case will close as part of the Timely Case Closing process without another notice being sent to the client. You may reinstate the case as a Bay State CAP case if the completed form is returned within 30 days of the closing date.

Note: Proration does not apply in this circumstance.

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Interim SSI Determination

If SSA updates the redetermination field on the State Data Exchange (SDX) system after the Bay State CAP Recertification form has been mailed to the client, BEACON will automatically recertify the case and extend the certification period for three years. If the client returns the Recertification form that was mailed, you must disposition the scanned document as Not Entered and write a detailed narrative.

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Reinstatement of Bay State CAP Certification

In specified circumstances, designated Bay State CAP Reinstators may reopen a closed Bay State CAP case or former Bay State CAP case that switched to regular SNAP.

A closed or former Bay State CAP case may be reopened as a Bay State CAP case by a Bay State CAP Reinstator if the case:

• closed for failure to cooperate with a QC review and subsequently cooperated
• closed in error by the Disqualification unit
• closed or switched to regular SNAP due to DTA local office staff administrative error

Bay State CAP Reinstators may reestablish the case as a Bay State CAP case by:

1. opening the Bay State CAP request page from the Workflow tab in the Electronic Case Folder (ECF)
2. clicking on the Initiate checkbox
3. clicking the high ($481or greater) or low (less than $481) CAP shelter radio button
4. choosing the appropriate reason for reopening the Bay State CAP case from the drop down box: Administrative Error; ADU Error; Appeal Decision; or Cooperated with QC Review
5. clicking finish
   1. If the case is currently in receipt of SSI benefits, the Bay State CAP Reinstator will receive an edit stating: “The request has been submitted for batch processing.”
   2. If the case is not currently in receipt of SSI benefits, the Bay State CAP Reinstator will receive an edit stating: “The request cannot be saved because the latest SDX data does not indicate current payment status.”

Important: Once submitted for batch processing, BEACON will determine if it meets Bay State CAP criteria.  The next day the case will either be approved or denied based on SDX information. If approved, BEACON will automatically enter the type of recertification (CAP AU) and the new three-year certification period.  

Once reinstated, if any supplemental benefits are owed to the Bay State CAP household, the benefits must be calculated and issued. 

Important: Bay State CAP clients have the right to opt-out of Bay State CAP at any time. Please click the link for more information regarding opting-out of Bay State CAP.