16 Del. Admin. Code § 9000-9030
[273.2(e)]
Households must have a face-to-face interview with an eligibility worker at initial certification and at least once every 12 months thereafter, unless the face-to-face interview has been waived.
DSS may not require a household to report for an in-office interview during their certification period although they may request a household to do so.
Interview may be conducted at the food stamp office or other mutually acceptable location, including a household residence. Interviews conducted at the household's residence must be scheduled in advance.
The head of household, spouse, any other responsible member of the household, or an authorized representative may be interviewed. Advise the households of their rights and responsibilities during the interview, including the appropriate processing standard and the responsibility to report changes. The interview will be conducted as an official and confidential discussion of household circumstances and will be limited strictly to facts that relate directly to food stamp eligibility criteria. The applicant's right to privacy will be protected during the interview.
The eligibility worker must explore and resolve with the household any unclear and incomplete information. Households applying for cash assistance must be informed that time limits and other requirements that apply to the cash assistance program do not apply to the receipt of food stamps. Inform households that stop receiving cash assistance due to reaching a time limit, getting a job, or other reasons, that they may still be eligible for food stamp benefits.
Inform applicants that DSS will waive the office interview and conduct a telephone interview on a case-by-case basis because of household hardship situations. Hardship situations include, but are not limited to, age, disability, illness, transportation difficulties, care of a household member, hardships due to residency in a rural area, prolonged severe weather, or work or training hours which prevent the household from participating in an in-office interview. Document the casefile to show when a waiver was granted due to hardship.
Waiver of the face-to-face interview does not exempt the household from the verification requirements. A waiver of the face-to-face interview cannot not affect the length of the household's certification period. Assign households waived the face-to-face interview normal certification periods
However, special verification procedures may be used such as substituting a collateral contact in cases where documentary evidence would normally be required.
Households for whom the office interview is waived will be offered either a telephone interview or a home visit. Home visits will be scheduled in advance with the household.
DSS will schedule an interview for all applicant households who are not interviewed on the day they submit their applications. All interviews will be scheduled as promptly as possible to ensure eligible households receive an opportunity to participate within 30 days after the application is filed.
If the household misses its interview appointment, DSS will notify the household that it missed the interview and that the household is responsible for making another appointment. DSS will not deny the application prior to the 30th day after the application was filed if the household fails to appear for the interview. If the household requests a second interview during the 30-day application processing period and is determined eligible, DSS will prorate benefits from the date of application.
Applicant and participant households which are unable to obtain certification services without missing time from work must be given appointments for such services.
The applicant may bring any person he or she chooses to the interview.
16 Del. Admin. Code § 9000-9030