New Jersey Administrative Code

(a) Adjustment is the process whereby a debit or credit transaction is applied to a recipient's Families First NJ SNAP account to correct a system error or to correct an out-of-balance condition that is identified in the settlement process. 1. A system error is defined as an erro…

Any act that constitutes a violation of the Food Stamp Act, NJ SNAP rules, or any State statute for the purpose of acquiring, using, presenting, transferring, receiving, possessing, or trafficking of authorization cards used as part of an automated benefit delivery system is cons…

The Families First system shall expunge Families First cash and NJ SNAP benefits in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:88-4.2. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:88-4.1 Amended by 46 N.J.R. 2156(a), effective 11/3/2014. Amended by 55 N.J.R. 1335(a), effective 7/3/2023

(a) NJ SNAP and cash assistance benefits that are 274 days old or older shall be expunged from the EBT account when the EBT account has been inactive for 274 days. 1. At least 30 days prior to the expungement of NJ SNAP or cash benefits, the Department shall provide a household w…

Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:88-4.3 Amended by 46 N.J.R. 2156(a), effective 11/3/2014. Repealed by 55 N.J.R. 1335(a), effective 7/3/2023

Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:88-4.4 Amended by 46 N.J.R. 2156(a), effective 11/3/2014. Repealed by 55 N.J.R. 1335(a), effective 7/3/2023

Cash and NJ SNAP benefits shall not be replaced once they are posted to a household's Families First account. A credit adjustment may be processed to correct a system error or an out-of-balance condition that is identified in the settlement process, such as an ATM misdispense. No…

(a) Replacement Families First cards shall be made available for pick up or placed in the mail within two business days from the date that the replacement request is made to the CWA. (b) Each Families First payee will be allowed two free replacement cards. A replacement fee of $ …

A recipient who has forgotten his or her PIN or whose PIN is compromised shall not be required to obtain a replacement card, provided his or her card is still in his or her possession and is not damaged. These recipients shall be allowed to select a new PIN at the CWA card issuan…

Funds collected through replacement card fees will be an offset to the administrative cost category of each CWA initially charged to produce the replacement card. The dollar amount will be shown as a credit on Schedule A of the quarterly report, Form WFNJ-618, and the payment wil…

(a) Households shall be allowed to repay recipient claims using Families First benefits. (b) Any payments made using Families First NJ SNAP benefits should be reported on line 15 of the FNS-209, Status of Claims Against Households report. (c) CWAs shall ensure that involuntary cl…

(a) CWAs shall offset Families First cash benefits that have been expunged against outstanding cash claims. (b) Expunged Families First cash benefits shall be credited on the CWA's fiscal reports. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:88-6.3 Amended by 55 N.J.R. 1335(a), effective 7/3/2023…

(a) The CWA shall maintain a supply of Families First card stock in quantity sufficient to meet the demands of initial issuance and replacement. (b) When a shipment of blank Families First cards is received by the CWA, the date of receipt and the primary account number of the fir…

(a) The Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) program has been established to transform the design and purpose of the welfare system in New Jersey. For the first time, one comprehensive program has been created by the Legislature and the Governor to uniformly both inspire and require all …

Information, applications and agency personnel shall be available to assist non-English speaking applicants. Spanish language program material is routinely prepared by the Division and distributed to county and municipal agencies. Program materials in languages other than Spanish…

Information about applicants or recipients shall be used or disclosed only for purposes directly connected with the administration of public assistance and related services which cannot be offered without such information in accordance with the confidentiality provisions at N.J.A…

A person who appears to be eligible for other benefits such as (but not limited to) unemployment insurance benefits; disability benefits, Social Security; Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance; Supplemental Security Income; or Veterans' benefits and such person refuses o…

(a) The client shall be informed periodically (at least once every six months) by the agency of his or her continuing obligation to furnish accurate and timely information to the county or municipal agency concerning changes in income, resources, or other circumstances which may …

(a) When all other means of determining facts and circumstances concerning an application for assistance have been exhausted, the county agency director may, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 44:7-20: 1. Issue a subpoena to a third party in the State who has necessary and relevant info…

An adult applicant for WFNJ shall not be eligible for benefits when the applicant's eligibility is the result of a voluntary cessation of employment, without good cause, including situations in which an applicant has been discharged from employment due to an action or inaction on…

A voluntary assignment or transfer of income or resources within one year prior to the time of application for benefits for the purpose of qualifying for WFNJ benefits shall render the applicant/recipient and the applicant/recipient's assistance unit members ineligible for benefi…

(a) Any person who believes he or she is eligible for WFNJ assistance must be given the opportunity to apply without delay. Applicants shall be informed about the eligibility requirements and their rights and obligations in applying for and receiving assistance. The decision to a…

(a) All applicants for WFNJ shall be evaluated for immediate need at the time of application. If the county or municipal agency determines that immediate need exists, based upon an applicant's written statement signed under oath and subject to the applicant appearing to meet all …

(a) If immediate need is not apparent and a decision of approval or disapproval is not reached within 30 days of application, the county/ municipal agency shall notify the applicant in writing of this fact and the reason for the delay (see N.J.A.C. 10:90-9). When a decision is re…

Persons shall be given the opportunity to comply with the eligibility requirements and apply for WFNJ benefits without delay. Staff of the county or municipal agency shall accept, process, and recommend action on applications for assistance within 30 days. If the applicant is eli…

(a) Applicants and recipients are in all instances the primary source of information about themselves and their families. It is the responsibility of the county or municipal agency to determine eligibility and, as necessary, to secure verification from secondary sources. The appl…

(a) There shall be no discrimination on grounds of race, creed, color, religion, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, marital, parental, familial or birth status, affectional or sexual orientation, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, nationality or han…

There must be strict adherence to Federal and State laws and regulations. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-1.8

Financial assistance for maintenance or other needs shall not be authorized through public assistance when, during the same period, such financial needs are actually being provided by other agencies or organizations, whether public or private, unless such aid/assistance supplemen…

(a) The Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) is a Federally funded program designed to help meet the needs of refugees. (b) Federal financial participation for refugees who are single adults or couples without dependent children under RRP is 100 percent. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10…

(a) A separate record shall be established for each individual or family receiving assistance. For continuing cases, all changes in the status of each case and the dates on which changes occurred shall be recorded. For inactive cases, since RRP is Federally financed, the case rec…

An individual is considered a refugee for purposes of RRP if he or she fled from and cannot return to his or her place of national origin because of fear of persecution on account of race, religion or political opinion. Such an individual may be eligible under RRP if he or she is…

(a) Applicants may be eligible for assistance under the RRP if they have been classified in one of the following INS statuses: 1. A person from any country who has been granted parole status as a refugee or asylee under Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (IN…

(a) Most refugees are resettled by a voluntary agency and will have a sponsor. This sponsor, which may be an individual, church or organization, shares certain responsibilities as a moral commitment with the resettling agency. Such responsibilities include: receiving the refugee,…

For refugee cases no longer eligible for RRP benefits, the suffix "R" is to be deleted from the case numbers. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-10.5

(a) No United States citizen is eligible for RRP and a refugee may be eligible only if he or she meets the appropriate definition and INS status in N.J.A.C. 10:90-10.2 and 10.3. In addition, all refugees whose time limitations have expired will cease to be eligible for cash and m…

(a) Regarding Medical assistance, State eligibility standards for Title XIX shall apply to a refugee's eligibility for medical assistance except: 1. Requirements for categorical relatedness for medical assistance shall not be imposed. Actual receipt of financial assistance for li…

Referral and information about other services available in the community should be offered to refugees regardless of their eligibility for financial assistance. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-10.8

The procedures and provisions for fair hearings in N.J.A.C. 10:90-9 shall apply in RRP. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:90-10.9

(a) Intentional program violation (IPV) is any statement or act by an individual for the purpose of establishing or maintaining the assistance unit's eligibility for WFNJ assistance, for increasing or preventing a reduction in the WFNJ assistance, or to prevent denial or terminat…

(a) In cases where the determination of guilty of IPV is reversed by a court of appropriate jurisdiction, the county or municipal agency shall reinstate the individual in the program if the assistance unit is otherwise eligible for WFNJ benefits. (b) The county or municipal agenc…

(a) IPV disqualification penalties affect only the individual found to have committed IPV; those penalties are not applied against the entire assistance unit. Individuals found to have committed IPV either through an administrative disqualification hearing or by a court of approp…

(a) If the individual is not eligible at the time the disqualification period is to begin, the period shall be postponed and becomes applicable upon reapplication by the individual for WFNJ benefits if the individual is determined eligible for such benefits, or becomes applicable…

(a) The county or municipal agency must conduct an investigation of an allegation that an individual has committed IPV. The county or municipal agency is responsible for determining whether there is a basis in fact for believing that IPV may have been committed so that referral t…

(a) The county or municipal agency shall proceed against any individual member of an WFNJ assistance unit, regardless of WFNJ payment status, who it believes has committed IPV. The county or municipal agency may secure a finding of IPV either through an administrative disqualific…

(a) Referral for an administrative disqualification hearing shall be made: 1. When the facts of the case do not warrant prosecution through the court system; 2. When a case previously referred for prosecution is declined by the appropriate legal authority; or 3. When no action ha…

(a) The accused individual shall have the option of waiving his or her right to an administrative disqualification hearing. The county or municipal agency shall provide written notification of this option to the client only after ensuring that the evidence against the client has …