44:10-101 County welfare agencies, departments to assist partnering providers.

7. a. The county welfare agencies, under the oversight of the department, shall assist partnering providers by:

(1) collaborating with partnering providers, the department, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to conduct outreach to potential project participants and to refer potential project participants to the partnering providers;

(2) collaborating with partnering providers to develop processes and materials that inform eligible participants regarding: the availability of project activities within each county, in accordance with each partnering provider's service area; the option for eligible participants to participate in project activities; the applicability and appropriateness of specific activities to the eligible participant's case; and the means by which eligible participants may contact partnering providers regarding project participation;

(3) determining potential project participants' SNAP eligibility and providing the results of eligibility determinations to partnering providers;

(4) developing and implementing a process to verify that potential project participants are receiving SNAP benefits and not receiving Work First New Jersey TANF benefits and ensuring that this verification process adheres to all applicable federal laws and regulations restricting the unauthorized disclosure of information concerning applicants for, and recipients of, SNAP or TANF benefits;

(5) determining each potential project participant's status as a voluntary SNAP ETP participant or a mandatory SNAP ETP participant, in coordination with partnering providers;

(6) confirming each project participant's SNAP eligibility on a monthly basis; and

(7) collaborating with partnering providers to develop criteria and procedures for terminating the participation of eligible participants in a partnering provider's project activities including, but not limited to: eligible participants who are not appropriately matched to a partnering provider's project activities; and any mandatory SNAP ETP participants who are not cooperating with, or participating in, assigned services or work, as applicable to mandatory SNAP ETP participants who elect to participate in the project.

b. The department shall, in consultation with the county welfare agencies and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development:

(1) assist partnering providers with understanding the administrative requirements, work requirements, employment and training requirements, and other requirements for project participants to maintain SNAP eligibility;

(2) assist partnering providers with understanding the requirements for non-federal resources and program expenditures to generate federal SNAP ETP reimbursements;

(3) submit requests for federal SNAP ETP reimbursements and fulfill all reporting and other SNAP ETP administrative responsibilities required by the Food and Nutrition Service in the United States Department of Agriculture;

(4) distribute federal SNAP ETP reimbursements received by the State under this project to the partnering providers whose non-federal resources and program expenditures generated the federal reimbursements, in accordance with the provisions of section 8 of P.L.2013, c.45 (C.44:10-102);

(5) collect data concerning partnering providers and project participants, activities, and outcomes; and

(6) audit partnering providers on a routine basis to ensure fiscal and program integrity.

L.2013, c.45, s.7; amended 2019, c.253, s.7.