PFS-22218-506, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Expedited Processing Procedure for Pending Information from Previous Expedited SNAP Issuance (Published July 18, 2025)
According to Federal regulations, there are two standards for issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits: normal processing and expedited processing. The requirement to provide initial benefits within 30 days applies to households subject to normal processing standards. Households who meet expedited service criteria must be able to get their initial benefits within 5 calendar days.
Expedited service is an important SNAP policy for households who need benefits right away . An expedited service household may not choose to have its application processed in the normal time frame. An eligible applicant household that meets expedited service criteria must receive (and have a reasonable opportunity to use) its first benefit no later than the 5th calendar day after the application filing date .
A household requesting, but not entitled to, expedited service must have its application processed in the normal time frame.
506.11 How Expedited Service Works
The County Assistance Office (CAO) must conduct a preliminary review of every identifiable application on the day it receives the application to see if the household meets one of the criteria for expedited service.
NOTE: An identifiable application is one that contains the applicant’s name, address, and signature.
Every application is subject to a preliminary review, the first result of which should be to determine whether the application is from an applicant or recipient household.
An applicant household- is a one-person or multi-person household which has applied for benefits the household currently does not receive. An applicant household must be screened for expedited SNAP.
A recipient household- is a household currently receiving SNAP and is applying for a different benefit or adding on a new member to the SNAP benefit. A recipient household does not need to be screened for expedited SNAP.
The CAO must include the preliminary review of recipient households in the narrative and include that an Expedited SNAP review was not applicable.
NOTE: There are some instances when an application may be received from an individual who is not receiving SNAP benefits but lives in a household with individuals who are receiving benefits. In these circumstances, the individual who is not receiving benefits may be screened for expedited service eligibility. The individuals who have already received benefits for the month in another household would be added to the budget the first of the following month.
NOTE: An application for benefits may be any form approved by the Department of Human Services ( DHS) for SNAP: the Pennsylvania Application for Benefits (PA 600) or the Pennsylvania Application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (PA 600 FS) or a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services ( COMPASS) online application. If the household submits an application not approved for SNAP or a COMPASS application requesting only Medical Assistance, a second application is required. The effective date for expedited SNAP benefits is the date of the second application.
The CAO must screen every household for expedited service including households that have voluntarily withdrawn their application. A household may not waive this screening
The CAO may combine the preliminary review and the application pre screening only if both can be completed on the day the CAO gets the application for benefits.
If the CAO terminates SNAP benefits during a certification period and the household asks to be reinstated, a review for expedited services is not required. The CAO may reinstate benefits until the end of the original recertification period.
The CAO must narrate how it determines eligibility/ineligibility and benefit levels. The narrative should be sufficiently detailed so that a reviewer can confirm the reasonableness and accuracy of the determination.
Updated March 12, 2026, replacing April 11, 2024