Department of School and Community Nutrition

What Will be Covered

We will cover the application process in a step-by step approach and will include specific information on where you can locate instructions and letters on our website for the following itemsDirect CertificationFree and Reduced Price Application

CompletionVerification and Direct Verification

What Will be CoveredThis is our website: www.doe.in.gov/foodAll of the links circled in red in today’s

presentation can be found by clicking on School Nutrition Programs

Eligibility Guidance ManualThis manual contains information on Federal

requirements regarding the determination and verification of eligibility for free and reduced price meals

The Eligibility Guidance Manual can be found on our website under Free and Reduced Price Information

Will answer questions that we won’t cover today on topics such as homeless, migrant, adopted, and foster children and how to handle those applications

Have a copy on hand, it is invaluable!!

Direct CertificationAlternative to (replaces) the traditional

paper application for free mealsStudents can be certified eligible for a

FREE lunch (not reduced) without the parent having to complete an application or the school having to approve an application

Based on food stamp/TANF benefits

Direct CertificationRun direct certification in JulyDirect certification how-to manuals can be found on

our websiteClick on Free and Reduced Price

Forms under Free and Reduced Price Information

Click on Direct Certification Manual if you plan to upload your student master list

Click on Direct Certification STN Quick Start if you plan to use your student master list from the previous school year

 

Direct Certification Two methods for Direct Certification

STN Uses enrolled student information available at DOE (Spring data

from the prior school year) Traditional

In this method the school district extracts a more current list of data anticipating fall enrollment from their student database and uploads the data first to the STN Application Center.

After the list is uploaded, this information is used to match against the Food Stamp and TANF rolls. Results are more accurate, but it takes an extra step.

First time users, particularly smaller parochial schools will find the STN Method easier and adequate.

Both are hosted within the Department of Education’s STN (Student Test Number) Application Center at https://ac.doe.state.in.us/

Find out who files the required STN reports for your school, this is the person who will have a User ID and Password for the STN Application Center.

https://ac.doe.state.in.us/

File Upload for Traditional Method

You may not see all these choices, depending on the permissions you have been given.

2. Uploaded data files can be Comma Delimited, Fixed Length (Positional) or XML. This step is OPTIONAL and used only in the “Traditional Method”.

1. Pressing the “browse” button will open a “file open dialogue box” where you will select your master list file

3. Press “Transfer Data”

Request the download of matching dataDirect Certification Download can now be found under the Administration menu tab

If you uploaded a file, request Traditional Match

If you did not upload a file, select STN Match

Most of you will probably select Comma Delimited

The file will probably open up locally on your PC as an Excel Spreadsheet

At the Beginning of the year you’ll want to select “Retrieve all Matches”

New Feature! You can now rerun Direct Certification at any time of the year and if you don’t want to see all the previously reported names, select “Retrieve only new matches”

Once you have selected your Match Type, File Format, and Match Criteria, you must press “Request Match”.

Once you have pressed “Request Match”, scroll to the bottom of the page, and you will see a memorandum of agreement. Read through the agreement and select, “I Agree” at the bottom.

Direct CertificationBe sure to remember that your results will be

contained in two Different file.  The EXACT MATCH file will contain the

majority of your matchesSOUND ALIKE MATCH file will contain a

relatively smaller amount of matches, where the first names were not exact matches, but were very similar.

Direct Certification

After download is performed and you have the list of directly certified students

Send letter to household with notification that children are directly certified for free benefits and an application does not need to be completed

Letter can be found on our websiteunder free and reduced price forms

Under School Meal Benefits,Click on direct certification

 

Direct CertificationYou can now directly certify all siblings within a

household where you have at least one child in a household who has Food Stamp/TANF direct certification match. A household is “a group of related or nonrelated individuals, who are not residents of an institution or boarding house, but who are living as one economic unit.”

Parents/Guardians may decline benefits or request reduced benefitsDocument by sourceInitial and dateMeals are claimed at the status the parents/guardians

requested

Direct CertificationLookup Feature

Where you locate a student with “Lookup”, be sure to print out and save the documentation of eligibility.

Can help you identify individual students in a flexible manner…for instance You need to quickly search when a new child is

admitted to your school at some time other than the first of the year.

Lookup | Direct Certification

Case Number if you know itStudent Information

Guardian Information

Search by:

Click on the “view” icon to display the results…

Print this screen and save a paper copy with your applications.

Free/Reduced Price ApplicationsSend an application and parent letter/instructions to each household

either by mail or insert into enrollment packetEvery student should get one, but do not send to households that are

directly certifiedThe application and parent

letter/instructions can be foundon our website under Free andReduced Price Information, Free and Reduced Price Forms

Then click on Application for Meals and Parent Letter/Instructions – Meals under School Meal Benefits

Free/Reduced Price Applications

As you receive applications, cross check with your direct certification list and disregard any applications for households that have been directly certified

Applications must be processed within 10 days of receipt

Applications from the prior year are only valid for the first 30 operating days of the school year (beginning with the first day of school)

Free/Reduced Price ApplicationsMake sure each application is complete and

includes the following:EACH child’s name and school they attendFood stamp number written in for EACH child if

applicable (food stamp number begins with 10 and is 10 digits long)

List ALL family members and income for each or check box if no income

Select frequency of pay, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, annual (bi-monthly is not a selection so if you are unsure of frequency, contact the household to verify)

Adult signatureSocial security number for income eligible

applications or check box if no social security number

Date signed

Free/Reduced Price ApplicationsUse the income guidelines to calculate the benefitThe income guidelines can be

found on our website under Free and Reduced Price Information

If frequencies of pay differ, calculate annual payWeekly gross income X 52Every two weeks gross income X 26Twice a month (bi-monthly) gross income X 24

If a household reports zero income temporarily approve the application for no more than 45 days and flag it for follow-up

Complete the eligibility determination on the back of the application and sign

File your applications by building

WithdrawalsWhen a student withdraws, pull the

application, document the withdrawal date and file in a “withdrawn” file

VerificationAt the beginning of October, pull your sample for

verificationDo a confirmation review to determine that the

original eligibility was correctly determinedThis step must be performed by someone other than the

original approving officialException: requirement waived if the LEA uses a “technology

based solution” that makes accurate eligibility determinations

If the initial determination is incorrect, the LEA must:Correct the household’s eligibility statusNotify the household of the change and explain

changes; andAllow households to reapply and provide documentationSelect another application to verify

Make copies of the application(s) selected for verification and place the originals in a separate file labeled “verification”

VerificationThree types of verification

Standard – select 3% of error prone applications Error prone applications are those that are within $100 of the

monthly amount or $1200 of the yearly amount on the income eligibility guidelines

Flag your error-prone applications when processing in August Alternate/Random – randomly select 3% of applications

This method may only be used if you had less than 20% non-responders last year on verification

Alternate/Focused – Calculate 1% of all approved applications. Select these from ‘error prone’ income applications PLUS .5% of all categorical apps

This method may only be used if you had less than 20% non-responders last year on verification

Categorical apps are those approved with a food stamp number

VerificationVerification for cause

In addition to your sample size you are required to verify any suspect applications.

Applications with inconsistencies or questions about required information

Must be denied unless questions are resolved

May be verified for cause anytime during the school year

Direct VerificationAfter selecting your sample applications for

verification perform direct verification by using the Lookup feature in the STN database to determine if any of the applications selected are eligible based on food stamp , TANF, or Medicaid benefits

• If you find a household listed and the information confirms the status of the application, print the information and attach to the application, that application is now verified and can be filed in your verification folder (you only need to verify one student on a multi-student family application to consider the application verified)

• If you do not find the household listed, a verification letter must be sent to the household

Select Direct Verification

Unlike direct certification which matches against the most current Food Stamp and TANF data, Direct Verification searches back 180 days from the date of application, therefore, the date the parent/guardian signed the application is important.

Case Number if you know it

Student Information

Guardian Information

Search by:

Click on the “view” icon to display the results…

Print this page and attach to the original application

Complete the verification section on the back of the application

Refile the application in your verification file

Verification

Verification instructions can be found on our website under Free and Reduced Price Information

Click on verification information

Under Verification Questions, AnswersInformation andPolicies, click on Verification – How To

Verification

Verification notification letters can be found on our website under Free and Reduced Price Information

Click on Verification Information, then click on We Must Check Your Application under Verification--Meals

VerificationWhen you receive verification of income,

calculate benefit based on the income If the household benefits change from F-R or

are terminated you must notify the household and change the benefit after 10 days of notification

If the household benefits change from R-F, you must notify the household in 3 days and change the benefit immediately

In the event that a household does not respond, follow up with a phone call If the household still doesn’t respond or is

uncooperative, they must be removed from the program

Verification

After verification is complete, households must be notified if benefits stay the same, change, or are terminatedThe letter notifying a household of their benefit

after verification can be found onour website under Free and Reduced Information

Click on We Have Checked Your Application underVerification -- Meals

Verification must be complete by November 15

The verification summary must be submitted to our office by December 15

The verification summary will not beavailable to you until after you file your October claim.

It will be found on the CNPweb under Claims/AFR.

Verification

In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 800-795-3272 or 202-720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

It is the policy of the Indiana Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability, in its programs, activities, or employment policies as required by the Indiana Civil Rights Laws (I.C. 22-9-1), Title VI and VII (Civil Rights Act of 1964), the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (Educational Amendments), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USCS § 12101,et.seq.).

Inquiries regarding compliance by the Indiana Department of Education with Title IX and other civil rights laws may be directed to the Human Resources Director, Indiana Department of Education, 151 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, or by telephone to 317-232-6610, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 111 North Canal Street, Suite 1053, Chicago, IL 60606-7204 -Dr. Tony Bennett, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.