A qualified certification worker (case worker) must conduct an interview with each food stamp applicant. The applicant may be the head of the household (FSC 1500), his or her spouse, another responsible household member, or the household's authorized representative (FSC 900).

The applicant may bring anyone to the interview. If the applicant (or any accompanying person) becomes physically or verbally abusive to the caseworker during the interview process, the caseworker may terminate the interview and reschedule another time for completion of the interview process. When applicants are under the influence of intoxicants or are mentally impaired to the extent that an interview cannot be conducted, the caseworker may request the interview be h~d with another household member or an authorized representative.

At any time the caseworker finds it necessary to terminate an interview and/or request that someone else complete the interview, all circumstances surrounding the incident will be fully documented in the case record and reported to supervisory personnel in the county office.