WAG 03-02-03-d
Duplicate SNAP Assistance
Except for residents in a shelter for battered persons and children, a person cannot be in more than one SNAP case during any one calendar month.
National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC)
The Interstate Duplicate Participation National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC) System was established by Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to comply with The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill). The purpose of the NAC is to prevent multiple issuances of SNAP benefits to an individual by more than one state agency simultaneously. All states administering SNAP are required to participate in the NAC process by 2027.
A NAC match can only be made with states currently participating in the process. The FCRC will continue to contact states that have not yet joined the NAC process to assist customers applying for benefits in Illinois and need help in verifying benefit closures in the other state.
The NAC is an IES automated process in Illinois.
Nightly NAC Batch Upload
IES checks nightly to see who is receiving SNAP benefits in Illinois for the current calendar month and uploads that information to the NAC database to ensure that other states do not issue benefits to the same individual. When another state initiates the query and has a match with an individual receiving SNAP in Illinois, Notice of SNAP Participation Match in Another State is systematically generated by IES and mailed to the SNAP household's Illinois address or if not systematically sent, a task is generated for a worker to go through the driver flow and send the NAC notice.
NAC Interface
IES retrieves nightly any newly created matches from the NAC website and updates IES systematically.
NAC Clearance
With the exception of expedited service, a NAC clearance is only triggered if the SSN, identity and residency of the individual has been verified. The NAC will run when a request for SNAP benefits is made in Illinois at application, REDE, or when a member is being added to the SNAP EDG. When Illinois initiates the query, NAC is systematically triggered on certain IES screens when the worker goes through the driver flow. Notice of SNAP Participation Match in Another State is systematically generated and mailed to the SNAP household's Illinois address when a match is found.
Action Taken by FCRC
The FCRC must verify if the matched individual is eligible to receive benefits in Illinois and take the appropriate action. No adverse action to deny, cancel or reduce SNAP benefits based only on information received from the NAC can be taken until the information has been verified and the household has been provided notice of the match and an opportunity to respond to the notice.
Notice of Decision
A Notice of Decision is systematically generated and mailed to the SNAP household at application and REDE to when the SNAP household fails to respond to the NAC notice.
NAC and Expedited Benefits
- When identity, residency, and SSN can be verified within the expedited processing timeframe and the NAC query results in a match of an individual in the household currently receiving benefits in another state, the FCRC must take action to resolve the NAC match before issuing expedited benefits.
- When the FCRC is able to verify identity but unable to verify residency and SSN within the expedited processing timeframe, the FCRC must postpone verification and make expedited benefits available to the household no later than the 5th calendar day following the date the application is filed and resolve the NAC match before additional benefits are issued.
- Expedited service standards continue to apply if the individual is considered a vulnerable individual.
Establishment of Duplicate Assistance Claims
- A lack of timely action or in communication between states cannot delay the benefit determination for an individual. The state that fails to meet the timeliness requirement for responding to a NAC match will be considered responsible for any duplicate assistance that occurs. That state is responsible for the establishment and collection of the claim.
See Clearances in PM 02-07-01.