605-5          JOINT SSISupplemental Security Income / FS PRERELEASE APPLICATIONS

Persons who are soon to be released from public institutions will be given the opportunity to apply for SNAP jointly with their SSISupplemental Security Income application prior to their release.  This procedure is to help prevent homelessness when individuals are released into a community.

The Social Security Administration and FNSFood and Nutrition Service are working on a joint application because the law requires that the individual only complete a single application for both the SSISupplemental Security Income and SNAP.

To date, the joint application has not been released.  Therefore, if an institutionalized person who is soon to be released wants to complete an application for SNAP at the same time he/she completes one for SSISupplemental Security Income , the SSASocial Security Administration staff is responsible for taking the application and forwarding it within one working day to the nearest district office for processing.  It will have Prerelease written across the front of the application.  The application will also have a release date from the institution attached.

If the household is eligible, benefits will be calculated from the date of release.  Remember, households do not need to have a place of residence; they just need to be residing in the State.  See MS 606-1A(2) about insuring that eligible households with special needs get their SNAP benefits.