SNAP Applications for Individuals Being Released from IDOC - Expanded to Kewanee and Illinois River

Healthcare and Family Services LogoIllinois Department of Human Services Logo

04/21/2021

Policy Memo

Summary

  • Effective 04/01/2021, individuals in the Illinois River Correctional Center in Fulton County, and Kewanee Correctional Center in Henry County will now be able to apply for SNAP benefits 5-10 days prior to their release date.
  • Due to a waiver approval from Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), this policy memo provides an expansion to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) Pilot Program.  Logan County Correctional Center was approved for the initial pilot.  See Policy Memo, SNAP Applications for Individuals Being Released from Logan Correctional Center - PILOT, dated 08/05/2020
  • This is an effort to aid in providing assistance to individuals to obtain access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits upon the date of their release.
  • This expansion allows the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to accept SNAP applications submitted by individuals from the Kewanee Correctional Center in Henry County and the Illinois River Correctional Center in Fulton County within 5-10 days prior to their release date and define the application date as the date the individual is released from the facility.
  • When the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) receives the application from the facility, the HSC may conduct an interview with the individual by telephone.
  • If the individual is eligible, the application will be held by the Family and Community Resource Center (FCRC) until the individual has been released.
  • This policy does not apply to individuals being released and added to an existing SNAP household.
  • This policy does not waive the interview requirement such as published in Adjustment to SNAP Interview Requirement Waived for Initial and Redetermination Applications for April 2021, May 2021, and June 2021.

Food and Nutritional Services (FNS) has expanded a waiver approval of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) Pilot Program for individuals to gain access to SNAP benefits upon their release date. Effective 04/01/2021, the waiver approval has now been expanded to two additional correctional centers: Kewanee Correctional Center and Illinois River Correctional Center.

SNAP Applications for Kewanee and Illinois River Correctional Centers

Effective 04/01/2021, individuals may now apply for SNAP benefits 5-10 days prior to their discharge date from both the Kewanee and Illinois River Correctional Center. Corrections staff may assist the individual with the application process via ABE, mail-in, or fax. The HSC will conduct an interview with the individual via telephone. The application must be screened for expedited benefits. Once the interview has been completed, the application will be held until the individual is discharged and the application will then be processed. The HSC processing may use the release date as the SNAP application date. This SNAP application process is not intended for individuals that will be released and added to another existing active SNAP household. The waiver allows individual with a pending release date to have access to SNAP benefits during a vulnerable time where they might not have the food resources available when they are released.

IES Application Procedure:

An application can be received from a correctional center via ABE, mail-in, or fax 5-10 days prior to the individual's release date. The application must include the individual's IDOC Identification Number in the address field labeled "Attn/Care of". If this information is not provided, a delay in correspondence may occur if notices are sent to the individual at the correctional center.  Applications must be registered and the FCRC must conduct the interview. The HSC will then initiate data collection and run eligibility, however, the case cannot be certified until the actual release date for the individual is entered. If the individual is eligible, Form 360C Notice of Decision, will be mailed to the customer at the mailing address provided at the time of application unless the customer provides a different preferred mailing address upon discharge.  If they do not have an address on the application, the address of the FCRC may be used. Do not process a new application for an individual that has been added to an existing SNAP Household as a member add.  If the individual does not have identification upon release, a copy of the IDOC release papers should be accepted and uploaded to the ECR in IES.

FCRC Actions to Take:

IES Process When an individual in Kewanee and Illinois River Correctional Centers are Applying for Medical and SNAP

Kewanee or Illinois River Correctional Center staff submit the application to the FCRC via ABE, fax, or in-person on behalf of the applicant 5-10 days prior to date of discharge.

Note: An individual may be approved for medical coverage, however, medical benefits are not available until the day of release.

  • Application Registration:
    1. register application.
    2. Review Living Arrangements to determine if applicant is incarcerated at Kewanee or Illinois River Correctional Centers. 
    3. HSC determines if the applicant will be discharged 5-10 days of receipt of the application.
    4. HSC schedules/conducts interview, and updates information, as necessary.
  • Initiate Data Collection
    1. Follow driver flow according to application information
  • Eligibility Summary
    1. Run Eligibility,
    2. Continue to Run eligibility and do not certify before discharge date.
    3. HSC will navigate to:
  • Individual Information - Program Request Summary - Program Request Details.
    1. Withdraw SNAP request using Application Withdrawn and suppress the notice.
    2. Run Eligibility and certify the medical EDG.
    3. On the date customer is discharged, Initiate Data Collection - Continue Previous Action.
    4. Navigate to:
  • Individual Information - Program Request.
    1. Add SNAP with the customer's discharge date as the date of application.
    2. Run Eligibility and Certify.

Note: IES system will not allow future dates. Do not attempt to use a future date for application registration. Follow the above steps for IES processing.

Process When Individuals at the Kewanee and Illinois River Correctional Centers are Applying for SNAP Only

Kewanee and Illinois River Correctional Center staff submit the application to the FCRC via ABE, fax, or in-person on behalf of the applicant  5-10 days prior to the date of discharge.

  • Application Registration
    1. register application
  • Living Arrangements
    1. Review Living Arrangements to determine if applicant is incarcerated at Kewanee or Illinois River Correctional Center.
    2. HSC determines if applicant will be discharged 5-10 days of receipt of application.
    3. HSC schedules/conducts interview, and updates information, as necessary.
  • Initiate Data Collection
    1. Follow driver flow according to application information
  • Eligibility Summary
    1. Run Eligibility, and do not certify before the discharge date.
    2. On the date customer is discharged, navigate to Individual Information - Program Request Summary - Program Request Details
    3. Change the SNAP application date to the date of discharge.
    4. Run Eligibility and Certify.
    5. If discharge date is not 5-10 days of receipt of application, update Living Arrangement/Domicile-Details to reflect "Illinois State Prison" and complete Living Arrangement Details using information about the customer and use the correct discharge date.
    6. Run Eligibility and Certify to deny the SNAP.

Note: IES system will not allow future dates. Do not attempt to use a future date for application registration. Follow the above steps for IES processing.

[signed copy on file]

Grace B. Hou

Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services

Theresa Eagleson

Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Forms Reference:

  • 2378B
  • 360C