Emergency Memorandum-24048—Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (aka “food stamps”) will no longer be considered when SSA calculates In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM).
• This EM details the instructions that Field Office (FO) and Regional staff will follow when implementing these changes starting Monday.
- Over 60 POMS will be revised shortly.
The EM outlines questions that will no longer be asked:
Eat all meals out?
Buys food separately from household?
And the EM adds in a new question:
Do others within the household pay for or provide you with ALL your meals?
The addition of the word “all” is a crucial change that should be mindfully considered when answering.
If the SSI beneficiary pays for even one meal on their own, there will be no value of the one-third reduction (VTR) for food.
So be on the lookout for these changed questions, and make sure that your local offices are handling these updates appropriately. Any issues should be escalated to a supervisor and then to the Regional Communications Director. In Florida, ours is:
Patti Patterson
Regional Communications Director (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN)
Atlanta Federal Center
61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Ste 23T29
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-562-5500
Fax: 833-928-2398
Email: atl.orc.rpa@ssa.gov
POMS SI 01320.141—Deeming: Public Income Maintenance Payments
• Adds SNAP benefits to the chart of deemed income exclusions.
Of note, remember that today’s EM cites to over 60 POMS that will soon be updated because of the changes that are being implemented on Monday—so be sure to check the POMS Recent Changes page frequently for these updates.