Online FNS and SNAP Recertifications

ePASS users with enhanced accounts now can submit an online SNAP recertification. To submit an online recertification through ePASS, an FNS beneficiary must meet the following criteria:

• You have an active or suspended FNS case, and
• Your case is up for renewal (you should have received the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Notice of Expiration and Interview Recertification Form (Form DSS-2435) in the mail or to your online account if you’ve opted in to receive eNotices the month before the expiration of your current certification), and
• You currently do not have an in-progress recertification, and
• You have an enhanced and linked ePASS account (see How do I enhance and link my ePASS account?), and
• The current date is on or after the first day of the certification period end month. For instance, if your certification period ends October 31, 2023, the current date must be on or after October 1, 2023. 

Enhancing and linking your ePASS account is a two-part process. You must first enhance your account. An enhanced account lets you report changes and view case details online in addition to submitting applications and recertifications (see Where can I find more information about enhancing my ePASS account?).  

IF YOU RECEIVE FNS, BUT NOT MEDICAID, please contact your caseworker to enhance and link your account. Visit ncdhhs.gov/localDSS to find the address and contact information of your local DSS office. 

IF YOU RECEIVE BOTH FNS AND MEDICAID, follow the steps below to enhance and link your account:

• If you do not have an existing ePASS account, you will be asked to enhance your account when you sign up for an ePASS account for the first time:

1. Visit epass.nc.gov from a computer or mobile device and click ‘Sign up’
2. Create your NCID account, username, and password (Note: you must have a working email address). Please write down your username and password so you can find it later and secure it in a safe place.
3. Use your username and password to login to ePASS and get started!

• If you have an existing ePASS account, login to your ePASS account:

1. Under ‘Your account,’ click ‘Dashboard’
2. Click the blue arrow under ‘Enhance your ePASS account’
3. ‘How do I enhance my ePASS account?’ will show. Click ‘Next’
4. Select the address you want to use, then click ‘Next’
5. Enter your information on the ‘Information about you’ page, then click ‘Next’
6. Once your information has been verified, you will be asked to set up a primary (main) way to receive confirmation codes, also called two-factor authentication. This can either be a text or email message. Two-factor authentication helps make sure your personal information is secure and only you can view and change your information. 

After you set up your primary choice to get confirmation codes, you will be asked to pick how you’d like to receive your confirmation code (text or email).

Important: If you do not have a social security number, you will not be able to complete this step and will need to go to your local DSS with documents that verify your identity. After your identity is verified your DSS caseworker will be able to link your enhanced account. 

Visit epass.nc.gov/nfridp/qa for more information about enhancing your ePASS account, including:

• How long it takes to enhance your account
• Identity verification when enhancing your account
• Tips for success when enhancing your account
• Impact of an enhanced account on your credit 

Before submitting a FNS recertification application, you should update the following information as needed:

• Demographic information for yourself and household members, including date of birth and current address
• Housing expenses
• Dependent care expenses
• Child support expenses
• Utility expenses
• Unearned income information
• Employment status (including self-employment)
• Liquid resources (cash on hand/checking or savings account)
• Medical expenses
• Disability information
• Work non-participation information
• Veteran/military status
• Education status
• Volunteering/work training information
• Criminal history
• Immigration information
• Scholarships
• Pregnancy Adoption/foster care payment information

Important: Updates to your recertification application will not automatically be saved and submitted to your caseworker unless you complete all required steps and click ‘Submit.’ 

If you or a household member has stopped working within the last 6 months, scroll down to the ‘Stopped work’ section and click ‘Add.’ Select the household member who stopped working and use the two drop-down boxes to enter the name of the employer where you or household used to work and the reason for stopping work, then click ‘Next.’ 

Scroll down to the ‘Utility expense information’ section and select the household member from the drop-down box that you’d like to report a new utility expense for. Once the household member has been selected, answer all questions including the type of utility and expense total, then click ‘Next.’ 

Depending on the type of income information you’d like to add or update, navigate to one of the following three sections:

1. ‘Job information’
2. ‘Self-employment information’
3. ‘Unearned income information’ 

Click ‘Add’ or ‘Change’ to update the income information. Examples of information you may need to update include employer name, income amount, and hours worked per pay period. Once updates are made, click ‘Next.’

Note: If your income has changed, but you had not previously reported it, click ‘Add’ to enter the required information. 

Under the ‘Information about other household members’ section, click ‘Add’ and enter the new household member, including their demographic information, citizenship status, relationship to head of household, and other basic information. 

To remove a household member, select ‘Remove’ next to the name of the household member you’d like to delete. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm that the household member should be removed from the case.

Once finished, click ‘Next.’ 

If you or a household member pays court-ordered support (including payments for court-mandated health insurance) for children who do not live in your home, you can add or change that information in the ‘Child support expense information’ section.

IMPORTANT: You must complete the steps below for each child who is receiving child support from the household member.

Under “How often does [household member’s name] pay the child support expense?” select the option from the drop-down box that best represents the frequency of the child support payment. Then, add the dollar amount of each payment and when the payments started.

Under the “Child support recipient information” add the first and last name of who receives the child support payment. For example, this may be the name of the child’s legal guardian. Then, add the first and last name of the child who the payment is for. 

Click ‘Next’ once finished. If there are multiple children associated with the household member’s child support expense, repeat the steps above for each child.

Under the ‘Medical expense information’ section, click ‘Change’ next to the household member’s name that requires updates or click ‘Add’ to report medical expense information for a household member not listed. Select the type of medical expense for the household member and complete all required fields, then click ‘Next.’ 

Liquid resources are cash and other assets that can easily be exchanged for cash. Examples of liquid resources include cash, checking and savings and other bank accounts, and lottery and gambling winnings. All of your liquid resources must be reported on your recertification application.

Under the ‘Liquid resources information’ section, click ‘Add’ if you need to report a new liquid resource or click ‘Change’ to modify an existing one. Update the type of liquid resource, its cash value, and when the household member got the liquid resource. Then, click ‘Next.’ 

There are work requirements some individuals must meet to be eligible for FNS. Work non-participation is when you are required to meet a work requirement and not currently employed because of one or more reasons that limit your ability to work. Examples of work non-participation that should be reported on your recertification application include:

• Being physically or mentally incapable of engaging in gainful employment
• Caring for an incapacitated person
• Being unable to work due to alcohol or drug addiction
• Participating in a drug and/or alcohol program 

If any of these reasons apply to you or a household member, navigate to the ‘Work non-participation’ section on your online recertification application. Use the drop-down to select you or your household member’s reason for work non-participation and the date on which the work non-participation started. Then, click ‘Next.’ 

If your application requires additional documentation, a message will pop-up on the ‘Your Application’ page that says, “You have documents that are needed to process your application or case.” 

Click ‘Continue’ to see which documents are needed. You can submit documents in one of two ways:

1. Upload documents online through your ePASS account (see How do I upload additional documentation through my ePASS account?), or
2. Mail, fax, or bring documents to your local county Department of Social Services (DSS) office. Find the address and contact information of your local DSS office at ncdhhs.gov/localDSS.  

You will be able to upload multiple files for each item requiring verification, such as multiple check stubs to verify income for a date range. Click the ‘Upload documents’ link to add a file from your device for each item. The following types of files are allowed: PDF, JPG (photo), TIF, and BMP. The maximum file size is 30MB.

Uploaded documents can be viewed or deleted. To remove a document, click ‘View/delete documents’ then click the ‘X’ next to a file to delete the document. Once all documents have been uploaded, click ‘Submit Documents’ to send the documents to your caseworker for review. 

If a submitted document meets all requirements, your caseworker will mark the document as ‘Accepted’ and the outstanding verification will no longer appear on the ‘Upload Documents’ page in ePASS. 

Documents that do not meet requirements will be marked as ‘Rejected’ and those requiring additional information will be marked as ‘Partially Rejected.’ The verification will remain outstanding in ePASS until all requirements are met. 

If your recertification requires an interview, your caseworker will contact you to schedule an interview appointment. If an interview is required as part of your recertification, you must be interviewed before benefits can be issued.

Failure to attend an interview may result in denial or delay of benefits. You are responsible for rescheduling a missed interview. 

No.

Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect the amount of assistance that you will be provided by this agency. 

If you would like help in filling out the voter registration application form, we will help you. The decision whether to seek or accept help is yours. You may fill out the application form in private. 

If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with the North Carolina Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement.

If you require assistance with voter registration, you can call the North Carolina Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement at 1-866-522-4723. 

Before submitting the application, you must check all required boxes and type your name to electronically sign. Then, click ‘Submit.’ You should see a new page that says, ‘Your renewal has been submitted’ and includes your recertification reference number. Please save this number so you can find it later. 

At the top of the ‘Dashboard’ page, click ‘Your applications’ to view submitted applications and download a copy.  

You will not see an option to submit an online recertification on the ‘Dashboard’ page for the following reasons:

1. You already submitted a recertification application. To view completed applications, click ‘Your applications’ at the top of the ‘Dashboard’ page. 
2. Your caseworker manually created a recertification record.
3. Your FNS case status has been updated to ‘Closed.’ 

Free language assistance and/or other aids and services are available upon request. To receive free interpreter services, call 1-866-719-0141 or your local DSS office. If you have a disability and need communication assistance, call 1-866-719-0141 or Relay Services at 711.