COMPANION CODING

Companion coding is used to connect two or more cases belonging to members of the same household. 

An advantage of companion coding is that it reduces the number of tabs that need to be coded for any case action that affects both cases.  For example Mark receives SNAP in his son Kevin's case, Mark's case is companion coded to Kevin's.  If Mark has a change in his Social Security Income we will need to update the income Tab and make a Change on the Financial section in his case. The companion coding will send the income change to Kevin's case reducing the number of tabs we have to update. Kevin's case will only need a change to the SNAP section. Skipping this step would prevent the income coded in Mark's case from "mapping over" correctly to Kevin's case.

In this video you will learn: How to determine Primary and Secondary cases, and How to code companion cases for SNAP.

The first step of companion coding is to determine the Primary and Secondary cases. There can only be one Primary Case, but there can be several secondary cases. The Primary Case is the SNAP payee's case.  The Secondary Case (or cases) is the case in which another SNAP household member receives State Supplemental Payment (SSP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid or Child Care. This household member's personal information and income is entered and updated on this case instead of the Primary case. There is never a reason to create a companion case for a one-person household.  In addition, there is never a need to set up a case to issue SNAP in which there are no household members added to the benefits on the SNAP case. 

Let's go over a flowchart, that will help you determine whether or not it is necessary to have a companion case and also how to determine the Primary and secondary cases. When a client applies for SNAP you must first determine the SNAP payee according to policy. Next, determine if the payee already receives SSP or TANF on an open case. This is a decision point, if yes, the case in which the payee receives SSP or TANF is the primary case and should include all household members who do not receive SSP or TANF on another case.  If no, determine if the Payee has an existing A, B, C, H or D case. This is another decision point; if yes use this case as the Primary case; if no, you will need to create a new case. This will be the primary SNAP case.  

Now that you have determined the Primary case, determine if any other household member receives SSP, TANF, Medicaid or Child Care in another case. This is a decision point; if yes, this will be a Secondary Case. If 'no', there will be no Secondary Case and there is no need for companioning.  The entire household will be included on the Primary case.

Let's go over an example using the flowchart. Karen Lock applied for SNAP benefits on April 27th. Karen is considered the SNAP payee. She does not receive SSP or TANF. She does have an existing H case- this will be the Primary SNAP case. Karen's mother, Mary Teel, lives with her and they purchase and prepare food together. Mary receives SSP and Medicaid on a  D case. Mary's case will be a Secondary case. 

Now let's walk through an example of companion coding using these 2 cases. Remember, we always code the secondary case first so we will start with Mary's case. Open Mary's case in FACS. In the Interview notebook on the Case Info tab at the bottom right you will see a black rectangle around the blocks pertaining to companion cases. Under "Case Number" in the first blank field enter the Primary Case number. The Primary case in this example is Karen's SNAP case "H029380". In the "Indicator" field select "SNAP companion case."  If there were other secondary cases, you would enter those case numbers and the appropriate indicators.

Next, go to the household tab. In this example, we will add Mary to the Food Benefits. If the household member has not been added to food benefits previously, we will need to insert a new row by clicking the insert button on the keyboard.  In the "Benefit" field use the drop down menu to select "FOOD BENFITS", in the "status" field select "receives food benefits in companion case". No entry is needed in the "Reason" field. Enter the effective date; this will be either the certification date for the SNAP section on the primary case, or the next effective date. In this example we will enter the SNAP certification date of 04/27/2015. Next, click on the ABAWD tab. In the "ABAWD Work Requirement" field use the drop down menu to select the client's ABAWD status. In our example we will select "AGE EXEMPTION-YOUNGER THAN 18 OR 50 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER". In the "ABAWD Registration Date" field enter the date of the client's ABAWD status. In this example we will enter 04/27/2015. Now we will click on the Eligibility Notebook icon on the FACS toolbar, and click on the FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE tab to make a change.In the field labeled "FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE-TYPE ACTION TAKEN", click on the drop-down menu and choose "CHANGE OF INFORMATION WHICH DOES NOT AFFECT SECTION STATUS," If this selection is already there, you will need to re-send this information.We are now ready to save the case by clicking on the Save the Case icon on the FACS toolbar and check for edits. If you had any other secondary cases you would repeat this entire process before coding the primary case.  

We are now ready to code the Primary Case.  Open Karen's SNAP case in FACS. In the Interview notebook on the Case Info tab, locate the box for companion cases. In the first blank field under "Case Number" enter the Secondary case number, in this example we will enter Mary's D case number "D001880".  In the "Indicator" field select "SNAP companion case." Next, go to the Household Tab. 
Update the food benefit status for each household member. It is not necessary to add household members who receive SSP or TANF on a secondary case to the primary case, as their information will cross over from the companion case.  However, if they are already listed on the primary case, make sure they are 'removed' from SNAP benefit. In this example Mary is not listed in Karen's case. Companion coding will allow her information to cross over from her D case.  After you have coded all necessary tabs and fields in the interview notebook, click on the eligibility notebook icon and click on the SNAP tab. You can now certify, renew, or change the SNAP benefits on the primary case using normal processing procedures. In this example, Karen's case has been certified. Finally, make sure the elderly/disabled indicator is appropriately coded for individuals from both cases. In this example the elderly/ disabled indicator will be "some household members are elderly or disabled but at least one or more adult is neither".  We are now ready to save the case by clicking on the Save the Case icon on the FACS toolbar and check for edits. At this point check the GC screen on the Primary case to ensure that the correct number of household members and income is showing. 

Remember when managing companion cases any change in the secondary case will require you to make a change on the primary case. If managed properly, companion cases can help prevent SNAP QC errors.

Today you have learned: How to determine Primary and Secondary cases, and How to code companion cases.	

We hope it was helpful. 

This video was presented by the MET Unit and approved by the SNAP Unit and the Training Unit.