Non-Discrimination
“In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Under the Food
Stamp Act and USDA policy, discrimination is prohibited also on the basis of religion or political beliefs.
“To file a complaint of discrimination, contact USDA or HHS. Write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 ( TTY). Write HHS, Director, Office for Civil Rights,
Room 506-F, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 or call (202) 619-0403 (voice) or
(202) 619-3257 (TTY). USDA and HHS are equal opportunity providers and employers.”
Your Rights
Anyone whose application for assistance has been denied, n
ot acted on within a reasonable time frame, or whose benefits have been reduced
or terminated, may request a conference or hearing. You may request a conference or hearing by writing your local district DWSS office or
the administration office. For SNAP, you may request a hearing by calling your local district DWSS office. You may also request a hearing
for assistance programs such as SNAP or Medicaid within 90 days of the notice date. For Social Service programs, you must request a
hearing within 13 days from the notice date.
You will be notified in writing 10 days prior to the hearing date, the time and location of the hearing. You may be represented at a
conference/hearing by anyone you have given written authorization to which must be given to the DWSS office prior to the
conference/hearing. You may request information on the various legal services which may be available in your community at no cost, please
contact us for information. If you are dissatisfied with the hearing decision, you may appeal your case to your local District Court of the
State of Nevada.
Your Responsibilities
If you are applying for Medicaid:
You must report changes in your mailing address immediately. Additional changes must be reported immediately after you apply and before
you are approved benefits. Once your benefits are approved you must report the following changes and the change must be reported by the
5
th
of the following month. You must report changes such as your physical address, living expenses, subsidized housing value, marital status,
employment status, any money you receive or income from any source, assets/resources, absent parent’s address, number of people in the
home, birth of a child in your home, school attendance, absence of any household member even if it is temporary (if more than 30 days), and
any other change which may affect your household benefits.
If you are applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP):
You are required to report all changes in your household from the date you submit your application to the day of your interview. Once
SNAP benefits are approved, you must report required changes within 10 days from the date the change happened based on your household’s
specific reporting requirements. You will receive a notice informing you of your specific requirement.
If your household is designated as a Change Status Reporting Household you will be required to report the same changes listed under the
request for TANF and Medicaid.
If your household is designated as a Simplified Reporting Household you will only need to report if you move out of state or your
household’s income exceeds 130% of the federal poverty level for your household size.
Your caseworker may request additional proof of the change. You will be required to provide the proof by a certain date in order to continue
your eligibility or to avoid an overpayment or underpayment of benefits.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allows certain household expenses like rent, mortgage, property taxes, homeowner’s
insurance, utility expenses, child/dependent care and child support paid by the household as a deduction to determine the amount of SNAP
benefits your household is eligible for as long as the expense is reported and verified. Medical expenses over $35.00 are allowed if there is
an elderly or disabled person applying for benefits. If you do not report or verify any of the expenses listed on the application, it may be
considered that you do not want to receive a deduction for the unreported or unverified expense.
Utilizing TANF funds, DWSS through the Nevada Public Health Foundation (NPHF), has developed a class to target pregnant and parenting
teens receiving TANF cash assistance. Teen parents receiving TANF benefits and services are known as STARS (Supporting Teens
Achieving Real-life Success) participants. This class has been expanded to include other pregnant and parenting teens receiving other forms
of assistance such as SNAP and Child Welfare. This one-day class places emphasis on employment, success in the workplace, decision-
making, money management and health, such as birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.
In addition, Community Action Teams, an entity of the Nevada Public Health Foundation, conduct community assessments of teen
pregnancy and its prevention and identify potential methods for reducing teen pregnancy through abstinence-based programs. Youths,
parents, business, churches, health care providers, law enforcement, schools and other organizations are encouraged to serve on the
Community Action Teams. Men of all ages are also encouraged to serve as positive role models, reinforcing the postponement of sexual
involvement message.
After you submit your application you may call our Voice Response Unit (VRU) system to find out if your case has been approved,
denied, terminated or is still pending. The VRU system will also let you know when your benefits have been issued and the amount.
For Southern Nevada, call (702) 486-1646; Northern Nevada, call (775) 684-7200; Rural Nevada, call (800) 992-0900, extension
47200. Your Personal Identification Number (PIN) for the VRU system is ___________________.
You may contact your caseworker _____________________at _________________between the hours of ________ to ________.
Visit our website at http://dwss.nv.gov/
This is Your Copy, Keep This Page for Your Records
2920 – EM/A (10/09)
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