When a household applies for AFDC for all of its members, the household will be allowed to apply for food stamps at the same time. If the applicant wishes to apply for food stamps, a food stamp application will be completed by the household and processed in accordance with the same standards applied to all other households. If the household is entitled to expedited processing as specified in FSC 9200, the expedited processing standards in FSC 9400 will apply.

While only one interview will be conducted (See FSC 8240), the food stamp and AFDC applications may be processed by separate workers. If the AFDC applicant does not wish to apply for food stamps or if the applicant is already participating in the Food Stamp Program, this information must be documented on the EMS-95 (AFDC Application).

If the food stamp application is approved before the AFDC application has been processed, a certification period will be assigned in conformance with FSC 8720. However, the caseworker will be responsible for insuring that the food stamp case reflects any subsequent action on the AFDC application.

If the caseworker knows the date of approval, the amount of the grant, and the date on which the grant will be received, a variable allotment will be calculated. See FSC 14323 for an explanation of these procedures.

If the caseworker cannot determine the status of the AFDC application, a manual EMS-i will be issued to the household. In addition to the minimum elements for an approval notice (See FSC 8810), the notice will advise the household that if its AFDC application is approved, its allotment will decrease without further notice. If the household's AFDC application is subsequently denied, the caseworker will shorten the household's certification period as instructed in FSC 11320.