By Darling Garcia, Director of Community Services
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has approved the Michigan Combined Application Project (MiCAP). MiCAP is a Food Assistance demonstration project which provides a series of waivers that allows Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to issue Food Assistance Program (FAP) benefits to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) individuals who qualify for this program. MiCAP is administered by the centrally located MiCAP unit. Eligibility determination and redeterminations for MiCAP are the responsibility of the MiCAP unit.
The MiCAP program is intended to serve individuals who are in a FAP case by themselves and receive SSI as their income in a more streamlined process. Eligible individuals for MiCAP have a three-year certification program and receive a standard FAP benefits based on the following:
- Having less than $1,000 in monthly shelter costs = $171 FAP benefit a month
- Having more than $1,000 in monthly shelter costs = $185 FAP benefit a month
Effective1/1/19, however, the new benefit amounts will be:
- Having less than $1,000 in monthly shelter costs = $100 FAP benefit a month
- Having more than $1,000 in monthly shelter costs = $190 FAP benefit a month
Notices have been sent to Individuals affected by this change. If you have been affected by the policy change you should take the following steps:
- Reach out to the MiCAP caseworker for clarification. (MiCAP is administered by the centrally located MiCAP unit. Eligibility determination and redeterminations for MiCAP are the responsibility of the MiCAP unit.)
- File a hearing if you believe your benefits were calculated incorrectly.
For additional information please see BEM 618 and the website for MiCAP.