The Agency Cert Entry page provides the ability to manually create Agency Certifications for students.
This is useful when information obtained directly from the state or local agency responsible for the administration of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) programs determines students as eligible for free meal benefits. (In place of determining eligibility based on information submitted by the household on an application).
Note! The above agencies may provide information that a student is a member of a household currently certified to receive Food Stamps, or an assistance unit currently certified to receive AFDC benefits. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-> Go To: Eligibility Management > ELIGIBILITY > Agency Certs > Agency Cert Entry
Create an Agency Cert
AGENCY CERT TYPE
| Selecting Agency Cert Entry from the MealTime menu will start the agency cert creation process by presenting you with the following Agency Cert Type selection window: |
| 1. Select an Agency Cert Type. |
Options are: Homeless, Migrant, Runaway, Foster, Head Start, Even Start, Medicaid free, SNAP, SNAP by Letter, TANF, FDPIR, State Funded Pre-K or Medicaid Reduced. See end of article for more information on specific Agency Cert types. |
Selecting a cert type creates a new agency certification that is numbered and tagged with the chosen cert type and entered date:
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ADD CERTIFIED STUDENTS
| 2. Click Add a Student to open the search window and select a certified student: |
2b. Use the standard MealTime Search window to locate the student. Once selected, you may enter a Benefits Case Number in the provided field or leave it blank.
| 2c. With the student selected, click Save Student to save, Cancel to cancel or Remove to remove the student from the agency cert. |
| 2d. If the student has no record in MealTime, click Create a New Student. |
| 2e. Enter the student's information in the required fields and include a Benefits Case Number if possible. |
| 2f. When complete, click Save Student to save or Cancel to cancel. |
FIND HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS / INFO
| Once a student has been added to the Agency Cert, you can use Find Household Members to locate additional household members and/or household address information: |
| 3. Click Find Household Members. You will be prompted to process the certified student(s) prior to viewing household information: |
| 3b. Click Process to process the student and continue or Cancel to cancel. |
| 3d. Select a Certified Student to add to the Agency Cert and/or a Household Contact to add household address information to the Agency Cert. |
| 3e. Click OK to add the information or Cancel to cancel. |
EXTENDED ELIGIBILITY STUDENTS
| Once a student has been added to the Agency Cert, you can extend their eligibility to additional qualifying students or household members. |
| 4. Click Add a Student to locate another student to extend eligibility to or, click Find Household Members to locate household members to extend eligibility to. |
| This process works the same as it does for Add Certified Students, above. |
| 5. Add Household Contact information in the provided fields. |
| Note! Eligibility Letters that are sent out depend on this address information. If sending Letters by email, be sure to include the contact's email address. |
NOTES
| 6. Enter a District Record Number and any notes that apply to the Agency Cert. |
SAVING
| 7. Click Save Progress to save the agency cert but leave it undetermined, otherwise, click Process Agency Cert to determine the cert and queue letters for emailing or printing. |
| -> OR, Click Cancel to cancel the application without saving it. |
LETTERS
| When the Agency Cert has been processed, a letter will be generated to be sent to the family. This letter will be located in the Letter Queue on either the Email or Mail tab, depending on your letter customizations. |
| You can also access letters for this Agency Cert by clicking the Letters tab: |
| 8. To View or Print the letter, click on the name (Agency Cert Direct Cert) to open it. Click Print to print. |
| 8b. To Discard or Re-queue Letters, select the letter(s) in the list and click the appropriate button: |
EDIT / QUEUE NEW LETTERS
To make changes to, or queue a new letter for a processed agency cert, locate the agency cert on the Determined tab of the Agency Cert List and click on it to open it. Select the Agency Cert tab to view the cert and scroll to the bottom.
Click Edit to edit the application or Queue New Letter to generate new letter(s). |
| Note! Using Queue New Letter will remove any currently queued letters for this application from the Letter Queue. |
AGENCY CERT TYPE INFO
| Homeless |
| The term "homeless" means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homeless Child applications are automatically approved with no entry requirements other than an address. The address of the household’s temporary residence should be used. Homeless Child applications are approved with the expiration date set to the default expiration date. Homeless Child applications are not eligible for selection for verification. |
| Migrant |
Children who travel with their families from one temporary residence to another so that one or more family members might secure temporary or seasonal employment are “Migrant Children”. A "Migrant Child Application" is created when the MealTime Applications administrator is notified that a student qualifies. This can be in the form of an application or an import of migrant students into MealTime Applications
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| Runaway |
A runaway child who is receiving assistance from a program under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
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| Foster |
A Foster Child is a child who is living with a household but who remains the legal responsibility of the welfare agency or the court. A Foster Child is considered a household of one.
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| Head Start |
The Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994 amended the National School Lunch Act to make those children enrolled in Head Start who are from families at or below the poverty level automatically eligible for participation in the NSLP, the SB, and/or the CACAO without further application or eligibility determination. Applications must still be completed for children from families above the poverty level for them to be considered for free or reduced, price meals in Head Start.
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| Even Start |
This program offers grants to support local family literacy projects that integrate early childhood education, adult literacy (adult basic and secondary-level education and instruction for English language learners), parenting education, and interactive parent and child literacy activities for low-income families with parents who are eligible for services under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and their children from birth through age 7. Teen parents and their children from birth through age 7 also are eligible.
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