General Relief Policy - Department of Public Social Services

All applicants, including homeless, who appear
eligible for Food Stamps must use Food Stamps to
meet their emergent food needs. However, in the
following rare situations, a LEADER-generated ABP
295, Meals/Lodging Order and Invoice (Meal
Voucher), may be issued to buy food for the next
business day:
• If the individual is eligible for Food Stamps, but
the number of applications is extremely high and
intake is understaffed, a meal voucher may be
issued. The decision to issue a meal voucher
must be made by the District Director or, in his/her
absence, the Deputy District Director.
• If the homeless applicant is not eligible for Food
Stamps because he/she has no identification, a
meal voucher is issued to cover the period until
the next business day. If a collateral contact
cannot be made, to identify the individual,
additional vouchers may be issued for up to a total
of 14 days. If the collateral contact cannot be
made within the 14 days, no additional voucher
may be issued.
• If the applicant is not eligible for Food Stamps for
reasons other than identification, a meal voucher
may be issued for seven days at a time. Meal
vouchers may be issued until the case is
approved.
Exception: Whenever a meal voucher will
expire on a holiday, the voucher
is extended until the next
business day after the holiday.
• If the applicant is not eligible for Food Stamps and
there is no vendor restaurant facility in the area, a
cash allowance may be issued on-line, following
the meal voucher criteria above.
• If the applicant is eligible for Food Stamps but the
Food Stamp allotment is less than $10 in the
month of application, a meal voucher may be
issued for the remainder of the application month.
GR 44-225.2 Approval
Is the Deputy District Director’s approval needed
for emergency aid for food?
No, the approval for emergency aid for food for the
first 30 calendar days (other than catastrophes) may