New Mexico Register / Volume XXXI, Issue 4 / February 25, 2020

This is an amendment to 8.106.610 NMAC, Section 10 effective 3/1/2020.

8.106.610.10 [STALE BENEFIT ACCOUNTS: Stale benefit accounts are those cash assistance benefit accounts that have not been accessed for 90 days from the most recent date of withdrawal.

A. Offline accounts: EBT accounts which have not been accessed by the recipient in the last 90 days are considered a stale account. HSD may store stale benefits offline after notification to the household of this action.

(1) Notification: The department shall notify the household of this action before storing the benefits in an offline account and provide the necessary steps to reactivate the account.

(2) Reinstatement: The participant may contact the department or the HSD EBT help desk, the contractor customer service help desk, or the caseworker and request reinstatement of their EBT account anytime within 180 days from the initial date of benefit activity. Requests from the participant to reinstate any benefit must be received prior to the date of expungement.

B. Expungement: Cash assistance benefits which have had no activity for an excess of 180 days will be expunged. All benefits older than 180 days in the account will no longer be accessible to the household. The household loses all rights to all expunged benefits.

(1) Notification: The department shall notify the household no less than 45 days prior to the expungement of the cash assistance benefits.

(2) Payment of claims against household. The contractor shall notify the department no less than five days prior to expungement of the cash assistance benefits and any cash assistance claims against the household shall be removed from the account and applied to the claims upon expungement.] [RESERVED]

[8.106.610.10 NMAC - Rp, 8.106.610.9 NMAC, 12/01/2009; Repealed, 3/1/2020]