Before the household's eligibility can be determined, it must cooperate by:

1.Completing and signing the application (the county office is to provide assistance in completing the application if such assistance is requested by the household); and

2.Cooperating in the interview process; and

*3.Verifying certain information on the form.

Refusal to cooperate with any of these processes will result in denial of the application at the time of the refusal.

Refusal to declare and/or verify a Social Security number (SSN) for any household member as specified in FSC 2200 will result in the disqualification of that member at the time of the refusal.

A household which is able to cooperate but clearly demonstrates that it will not take the actions required to complete the processing of its application for food stamps is considered to have refused to cooperate.

Example 1 -A household which refuses to sign the EMS-220, Food Stamp Application, would be denied immediately for refusal to cooperate.

If there is any question about whether the household has refused to cooperate or simply failed to cooperate, the application will not be denied.

Example 2 -A household which fails to appear for an interview is not clearly demonstrating that it is refusing to cooperate. Therefore, the application will not be denied until the end of the normal processing period.

No household will be denied food stamp benefits solely because someone outside the household failed to cooperate with a request for verification. The term "outside the household" will not apply to ineligible students, ineligible aliens, or to individuals disqualified for one of the following reasons: a) intentional program violation; b) failure to provide a Social Security number; c) non-compliance with the work registration requirements; or d) non-compliance with the workfare requirements.

Households which are denied for refusal to cooperate may reapply but eligibility cannot be determined until the needed cooperation is provided.