A resident of a GLA who is blind or disabled may be eligible for SNAP benefits and can be a separate household from others with whom they live. Residents must meet disability or blindness criteria as defined under 7 CFR 271.2 and may receive benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security (RSDI), VA or Railroad Retirement.
7CFR §§ 271.2 and 273.1(b)(7)(vi)
To be considered a GLA, a facility must serve more than 50 percent of three meals daily, must not be authorized to accept SNAP, and must be certified by DHS as meeting all of the following requirements:
Serve no more than 16 residents.
Be in a residential setting. (This means it must be a small, free-standing, community-based living unit not on the grounds of or next to a large institution. An apartment building could contain several GLAs.)
Be a nonprofit organization, as shown by proof from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Be certified by DHS as meeting the requirements of Section 1616(e) of the Social Security Act. (See Appendix B for information about meeting this requirement.)
The center must periodically give the CAO a list of participating residents. An official from the center must sign a statement that the list is accurate. The CAO may make random on site visits to the center to make sure the list is accurate.
Personal care boarding homes (PCBHs) meet the definition of a group living arrangement only if they are nonprofit and serve no more than 16 residents.
Community residential rehabilitation (CRR) facilities do not usually serve meals and, therefore, cannot be considered an institution or a GLA. Those few CRR facilities that do serve meals must meet the definition of a GLA.
Community living arrangements (CLAs) almost always serve meals. Residents who are blind or disabled and receiving disability benefits may be eligible if the CLA meets the definition of a GLA.
Domiciliary care facilities usually serve meals. Residents who are blind or disabled and receiving disability benefits may be eligible if the domiciliary care facility meets the definition of a GLA. If the facility is operated for profit, it does not meet the GLA definition and residents are not eligible for SNAP benefits.
NOTE: If a facility does not meet the definition of a GLA, residents must meet eligibility requirements on the same basis as any other applicant.
Residents of GLAs who receive disability benefits such as SSI or RSDI, VA or railroad retirement and who are blind or disabled may be eligible for SNAP benefits and can be a separate household from others with whom they live.
This includes residents who:
receive SSI or RSDI because of blindness or disability;
receive SSI or RSDI because of age and are blind or disabled (as proven by a doctor’s statement);
receive VA disability benefits;
have a permanent disability and are a veteran’s surviving spouse or child entitled to non-service-connected death benefits;
receive a Railroad Retirement annuity and have applied for disability benefits.
GLA residents who are not blind or disabled recipients receiving aged or disability benefits listed in this section are not eligible for SNAP. They are not considered household members if they live with an eligible GLA resident.
A SNAP household may be either of the following:
One-person
A group of residents who buy and make meals together
See Chapter 510 to determine who must be in one household.
A resident or group of residents may apply for themselves, through an AR of their choice, or through an AR employed and chosen by the GLA.
The GLA must decide whether residents may apply for themselves on the basis of the residents' physical and mental ability to handle their own affairs.
Residents who apply for themselves may use their SNAP benefits to buy their own food or to buy meals from the center. They may also give their benefits to the center to buy food for meals provided to the household.
Residents who apply using an AR who is employed and chosen by the facility are considered to be one-person households, no matter who is in the group.
If the center is the AR, it may receive and use the PA EBT ACCESS card to pay for the resident's meals. The center may also allow the eligible resident to use the PA EBT ACCESS card.
If the USDA Food and Nutrition Service suspends the GLA’s AR status, residents may apply for SNAP on their own behalf.
Households in a GLA must meet the same income, resource, and eligibility requirements as any other household.
Certain agencies make per diem payments to the center for services provided to the residents. Per diem payments made directly to the center are not counted as income.
Residents of a GLA have the same rights to notices of adverse action, fair hearings, and entitlement to restored benefits as all other households.
Residents of a GLA are not considered boarders for SNAP purposes, even if the service contract between the resident and the center refers to a “room and board payment." The case record must show that the resident is not a boarder.
Residents are entitled to a shelter expense if the facility's contract with the resident separates the charge for rent and utilities from the charge for food.
If the contract does not separate the charge for rent and utilities from the charge for food, the household is entitled only to the shelter expense above the maximum benefit amount for the number of individuals in the household.
Example: A resident of a GLA is a one-person household. The contract between the resident and the center shows a single charge of $290 for rent, utilities, and meals. The shelter expense is $290 minus the maximum benefit amount for the one-person household.
Room and medical costs that can be identified separately are allowable shelter and medical expenses. This applies to GLA residents who have a single or combined payment for room, meals, and medical expenses.
If an employee of the GLA is an AR, the center must report changes in the household's income and circumstances and notify the CAO when the resident leaves the center.
When a resident leaves the GLA, the center must do the following:
Give the resident a SNAP Change Report Form (PA 239-SP).
Tell the resident to report a new address and changes in circumstances to the CAO within 10 days.
Give the resident the PA EBT ACCESS Card, if it was in the center's control,.
Give the resident any unused benefits, or
Return to DHS by the end of each month any EBT cards with a benefit amount not used by a resident who has left the GLA, if the GLA was unable to return the card to the resident.
If the GLA used the PA EBT ACCESS card, it must do one of the following:
Give the resident the full SNAP benefit if no benefits were spent on his or her behalf.
Give the resident one-half of the SNAP benefit if benefits were spent and the resident leaves the GLA before the 16th of the month.
Give the resident no benefits if benefits were spent and the resident leaves the GLA on or after the 16th of the month.
When the resident leaves, the GLA may no longer be the household's AR. The GLA must return to DHS benefits not given to the resident.
Reissued April 6, 2016 , replacing March 1, 2012