A household is categorically eligible if all of its members are approved to receive or are receiving AFDC and/or 551. Individuals whose AFDC or SSI benefits are suspended or are being recouped will be considered as recipients of AFDC or SSI for the purpose of this policy. Individuals who are entitled to medicaid but are not receiving or not approved to receive AFDC or SSI will not be considered categorically eligible.

*Categorical eligibility for recipients of General Assistance (GA) benefits is restricted to recipients of GA from programs which have income criteria comparable to, or more restrictive than, the food stamp gross income test. (There is no requirement regarding resources.) The gross income limits of the GA program will be compared without regard to the definition of income in each program. Household receiving GA from programs which provide only one-time emergency payments cannot be categorically eligible.

NOTE:There are no GA program sin the State of Arkansas. This information is provided because occasionally individuals who have been receiving GA will make application for food stamps in Arkansas.

A household will not be considered categorically eligible if any member of that household is disqualified for any reason. These households are subject to all food stamp eligibility and benefit provisions.

An otherwise categorically eligible household will continue to be such when the household has an ineligible alien, an ineligible student, an SSI recipient in a cash-out state, or an individual who is institutionalized in a facility other than those described in FSC: 1800.