Subd. 1. Expedited issuance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

For any month an individual receives expedited SNAP benefits, the individual is not eligible for the MFIP food portion of assistance.

Subd. 2. SNAP benefits for household members not in assistance unit.

1. (a) For household members who purchase and prepare food with the MFIP assistance unit but are not part of the assistance unit, the county agency must determine a separate SNAP benefit based on regulations agreed upon with the United States Department of Agriculture.
2. (b) Fair hearing requirements for persons who receive SNAP benefits under this subdivision are governed by section 142A.20, and Code of Federal Regulations, title 7, subtitle B, chapter II, part 273, section 273.15.

Subd. 3. Income disregard: food assistance portion of assistance payment.

The portion of the MFIP assistance payment that is designated by the commissioner as the food assistance portion of the assistance payment must be disregarded as income in the following programs:

1. (1) housing subsidy programs;
2. (2) low-income home energy assistance program;
3. (3) Supplemental Security Income, when determining interim assistance amount; and

4. (4) other programs that do not count SNAP benefits as income.

   For the purposes of this subdivision, the food assistance portion of the assistance payment means a predetermined portion of the MFIP assistance payment that may be received in point-of-purchase sites or as SNAP benefits. The predetermined portion of the assistance payment will vary by family profile, which is based on family size.

Subd. 4. SNAP benefits for persons residing in a battered woman's shelter.

Members of an MFIP assistance unit residing in a battered woman's shelter may receive SNAP benefits or the food portion twice in a month if the unit that initially received the SNAP benefits or food portion included the alleged abuser.