Proving Continuing Eligibility

Produced by Patricia Baker, Laura Gallant, Deborah Harris, Rochelle Hahn Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Reviewed January 2018

Produced by Patricia Baker and Victoria Negus
Reviewed January 2018

When you are approved for SNAP, you are “certified” for a set amount of time. This is called your certification period. Most SNAP households will need to complete an Interim Report and then a Recertification in order to maintain eligibility for SNAP.

First, a certain number of months after your SNAP is approved DTA will send you an Interim Report form to fill out, sign and return. There is no interview. See Question 101.

Then, DTA will send you a Recertification Form before the end of your certification period. This is a longer form that asks more information about your household changes. Some households need to have an interview. See Question 102 and 103.

The timeline for the Interim Report and Recertification depends on your household’s circumstances. See table in Question 98.

In between the application, the Interim Report, and the Recertification, most SNAP households are required to report certain changes to DTA. See Question 98.

A small number of SNAP households will not have an Interim Report and are required to report more changes. See Question 99.

Otherwise, DTA will make changes to the monthly SNAP amount when it gets updated information from certain “verified upon receipt” data sources. See Question 100.