Colorado CSFP State Plan 2013
STATE PLAN OF OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE OPERATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS... 1 State Agency Identification and Authority... 1 Name of Agencies & Locations... 2 Eligibility Requirements...3 Certification Standards... 4 Dual Participation... 4 Disqualification... 5 Identification of Elderly/WIC Population... 5 Outreach... 9 Nutrition Education Goals & Objectives... 9 Evaluation of Nutrition Education... 10 Food Issuance & Distribution... 10
OPERATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS STATE AGENCY IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHORITY A. Identification 1. Name of Agency: Colorado Department of Human Services, Food Distribution Programs (Hereinafter called the State Agency) 2. Mailing Address: 1575 Sherman Street, 3 r d Floor Denver, CO 80203-1714 B. Authority 1. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, herein known as CSFP, is administered by the State Agency on the basis of section 26-1-109, of the Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) as amended. C. Purpose And Objective Of The State Plan 1. The State Plan of Operation is to record and incorporate the procedures to be used in certifying persons in need of supplemental foods, in making distribution to certified persons, and in providing an opportunity for a fair hearing to persons who are denied participation in the program or whose request for participation is not acted upon with reasonable promptness. 2. The State Plan will be a part of the agreement between the State Agency and Local Agencies participating in the Program and will be used to monitor State and Local Agency performance to assure Program goals are reached. State and Local Agencies shall enter into written agreements, copies of which shall be kept on file at all agencies. The agreement shall provide assurance that the Local Agencies will comply with the Federal Regulations (7 CFR Part 247), the State Plan of Operation and Administration, and requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (FNS - Instruction 113-1). 3. If the Local Agency cannot comply with any part of the requirements of the above regulations, they shall enter into agreements with another appropriate agency/agencies in order to meet the requirements. The written agreement shall: (1) identify the Program responsibilities; (2) be approved by the State Agency; and (3) provide for copy to be maintained on file at both the State and Local Agency. 4. The agreement between the State Agency and the State Health Department with respect to Dual Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a part of this State Plan. There are no other agreements with any other agencies. 5. The objective of the performance is to reach annual utilization rate of 95% or above. -1
D. Name Of Agencies And Locations 1. Names and locations of the Local Agencies which will be responsible for the certification of individuals eligible for CSFP are as follows: a. Care and Share Food Bank Lynne Telford -President/CEO 2605 Preamble Point Colorado Springs, CO 80915 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) b. Conejos County Nursing Service Connie Edgar - Director P.O. Box 78 19023 State Hwy. 285 South La Jara, CO 81140 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) c. Costilla County Nursing Service Vivian Gallegos - Director P.O. Box99 105 Gasper Street San Luis, CO 81152 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) d. Food Bank of the Rockies Tom Klosowski - Manager of Government Programs 10700 E. 45th Ave. Denver, CO 80239 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) e. Mesa County Health Dept. Michael Heidel - Manager of Government Programs 200 S Spruce Street Grand Junction, CO 81501 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) f. Pueblo County CSFP Mike Trujillo - Program Director c/o Dept. of Housing & Human Services 2631 E. 4th Street Pueblo, CO 81001 (Function: Administration, certification, food distribution, and storage Site) g. Rio Grande County (Sub-Contracts Costilla county for program operation) Jody Kern - Director Department of Social Services 1015 6 th Street Del Norte, CO 81132 (Function: overseeing agency) -2
h. Saguache County Jeannie Norris Director 605 Christy Avenue Saguache, CO 81149 (Function: administration, certification, food distribution, and storage site) i. Weld Food Bank Bob O Connor - Director 1108 H Street Greeley, CO 80631 (Function: Administration, certification, food distribution; and storage site) E Eligibility Requirements: (Also, please refer to URL: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/csfp/csfp_eligibility.htm) 1. To be certified as eligible to receive supplemental foods under the authority of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, each applicant shall meet the following requirements: a. Categorical eligibility as an infant, child (up to 6 years), pregnant, postpartum (up to 12 months after termination of pregnancy) or breastfeeding women, or elderly person 60 years of age or older. b. At certification, the Local Agency shall check the identification of each participant. Identification must be a Secure and Verifiable Identity Document issued by a State or Federal Agency. State and Federal Agency issued identification from other States or Country is acceptable. The Colorado Secure and Verifiable Identity Documents Act of 2003 is applicable to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. For a child participant, an immunization record, birth certificate or other records that the Local Agency personnel consider adequate identification shall be acceptable. When issuing supplemental foods, the distribution agency shall check the identification of the parent, or caretaker through the viewing of the ID card. c. Income (1) The prospective woman, infant, or child participant must be eligible to receive benefits under an existing Federal, State, or local food, health or other program for low income persons which includes the Food Stamp Program, free or reduced price school meals, free or reduced price health care (Medicaid), Colorado Works Program (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), Aid to Needy Disabled (AND), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or a general assistance program. A woman, infant, or child not participating in any such program will meet income eligibility requirements for CSFP participation if the income of the household does not exceed 185% of the poverty level or below. If there is no household income, clients shall sign a document self-declaring that there is no household income. For purposes of income eligibility, a pregnant woman's fetus (es) or embryo(s) in-utero must be counted as household member(s) if the woman and her family would otherwise meet the established income eligibility standards. (2) To determine eligibility for a foster child, a foster child must be living with a household but remains the legal responsibility of the State. Such a child -3
F. Certification Standards is considered a household of one. Because a foster child is considered a household of one, the income of a foster child is considered separately from the income of other members of the foster child's place of residence. A foster child's income includes payments made by a State or from any other source that are intended for the care of the child, for example, for the child's clothing, school fees, or allowance. Any other funds received by the child must be included as income, for example, income a child earns for full-time or regular part-time employment, and money provided by the child's family for personal use. If funds are not specifically identified for the child's personal use, income should be listed as "O". (3) A prospective elderly participant's household income must meet the income criteria of 130 percent of the poverty level or below. (4) Certification agency personnel shall document on the Certification Authorization form or other State Agency approved form in the space provided, which of the above criteria were used to determine eligibility and what source was used to verify the applicant's/caretaker's income, such as viewing paycheck stubs, (count gross pay - gross pay does include amount paid toward Medicare), letter from employer, "award letter" or other eligibility documents or telephone verification from an appropriate official of participation in Federal, State or local food, health or other program for low income persons, or average income over previous 12 months. Copies of items used to document eligibility are no longer required to be kept in the client's certification file. Certifier is required to document on the application that documents were shown and verified d. The prospective participant must reside in the area served by the local CSFP Agency to which the request for certification is made. However, no citizenship or durational residence requirements are to be imposed as a condition of eligibility. e. No nutritional risk requirement shall be imposed on the prospective woman, infant, or child participant as a condition of eligibility, but may be used for a prospective elderly participant at the discretion of the Local Agency with prior approval by the State Agency. 1. The certification is accomplished after the eligibility determination has been made with the use of the Certification Authorization Form or other State Agency approved document, which consists of all the family household information and also serves as a prescription document to be used by the issuance agency. Homebound elderly will be certified through home visits if there are no other means to transport the individual to a certification site. 2. All certification data for each applicant shall be recorded on the Certification Authorization form or other State Agency approved form that shall include the following: a. The person's name and address. b. The date of initial visit to apply for participation and the date of certification. c. The criteria used to determine the person's eligibility and the signature and title of person/s making the eligibility determination. G. Dual Participation -4
1. As part of the certification process of the detection and prevention of dual participation within each Local Agency and between Local Agencies, applicants shall be informed of the illegality of simultaneous participation in The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the CSFP Program, or of simultaneous participation in more than one CSFP Program. A statement of this nature shall appear on the Certification Authorization Form, or other approved Local Agency form/certification screen printout, which the applicant will acknowledge, sign, and date. 2. In areas where a Local Agency serves the same area as a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Agency, an agreement will be made for the detection and prevention of dual participation. Such an agreement is outlined in the Agreements Section of the State Plan of Operation and Administration. 3. Local Agencies shall submit client names, at least quarterly to the local agency WIC office either electronically or manually depending on agency's capabilities and size. Participants found in both programs simultaneously will be terminated from one program immediately and counseled on program rules. When intentional fraud is found, the participant shall be disqualified from the appropriate program(s) and applicable program sanctions will be applied. Participants will be given full opportunity to appeal a termination. H. Disqualification 1. The Local Agency will disqualify applicants and participants from Program participation for up to one year for program violations that involve fraud, unless a serious health risk would result. Participants who commit three violations must be permanently disqualified. The Local Agency must also initiate a claim against the participant to recover the value of the CSFP improperly received for commodities. Claims will be initiated for commodities that exceed $100 in value. 2. Participants may request a fair hearing as described in Section herein to contest the disqualification. 3. For purposes of determining disqualification, the definition of fraud is: Anyone knowingly, willfully, and deceitfully with the intent of obtaining benefits to which they are not entitled by: a. Intentionally making false or misleading statements, orally or in writing. b. Withholding information pertaining to eligibility in CSFP c. Selling commodities obtained in the program, or exchanging them for non-food items. d. Physical abuse, or threat of physical abuse, of program staff; or e. Committing dual participation. I. Identification Of Elderly/WIC Population Care and Share: Elderly Population -According to US Census data there are 6,978 total elderly participants who meet the financial guidelines to qualify for the program within the counties that will be covered by Care and Share. These estimates also appear to be conservative based on current agency requests. The warehouse in Colorado Springs is 55,000 sq ft and over 5 stories tall. C&S also has a smaller warehouse in Pueblo. C&S has a fleet of trucks that visit 31 counties 2-3 times per month delivering -5
emergency food, TEFAP, and school lunch product. C&S has 2 full time employees in agency relations, with plans to grow, and a few part time staff in programs. The Care and Share Food Bank distribution network includes close to 400 partner agencies throughout the 31 county areas. Conejos County: Elderly population -520 persons from current Old Age Pension program (Conejos County Department of Social Services). Approximately 346 are receiving commodities from CSFP. Homebound elderly are identified through the County's Optional Long-Term Care (OLTC) program. Presently, the commodity clerk delivers food packages to 15 homebound recipients per month. Proxies are also provided where family members and friends pick up commodities. One other agency staff member has been trained to hand out food packages, allowing the commodities clerk to make deliveries. One other staff member including the commodity clerk is qualified to certify those who are eligible. Those family and friends associated with the recipients of CSFP will sign the necessary paperwork when they come to pick up food packages. And those who we deliver the food packages to will sign the necessary paperwork. Since there are at least 100 other persons who may be eligible for CSFP, the Senior Citizen Center in Antonito, which is approximately 14 miles from the present warehouse, will be used one day a month for delivery and to do certification. The Conejos County CSFP distribution center is presently located in the new Conejos County Public Health and Nursing Service Building, 19023 Highway 285 South, La Jara, CO 81140. The building is a 100 X 50 square feet. Butler metal building with brick trim. 500 square feet are allocated for commodity warehousing. All foods are stored on pallets in an enclosed room with secured entrances. The food needing cold storage is stored in the 80 sq. ft. cooler/freezer. Records are kept in a locked filing cabinet in the warehouse. The computer that is utilized for record keeping is located in the commodity clerk's office, which is 100 square feet. Food is boxed and distributed from behind the counter. The lobby waiting area consists of 120 square feet. The commodity clerk and another staff member can do the certification process. Costilla County Elderly population - 1000 persons from current Old Age Pension rolls and Public Health records. Homebound elderly are identified through the county's options for long-term care. Approximately 359 are receiving commodities from CSFP. Presently, the commodity clerk delivers food packages to 4 homebound recipients per month. The Costilla County CSFP distribution site is located at 105 Gasper Street, San Luis, CO 81152. The building is used for the operations of both CSFP and TEFAP commodities. Food is boxed and picked up by the clients. The certification is accomplished in the commodity clerk's office to allow privacy. Security conventional doors, windows, and locks are in place. Tailgate distributions are done in Ft. Garland, Alamosa, and Garcia. A walk-in cooler and freezer are also on site. Denver County: Food Bank of the Rockies serves the clients in Denver County. Food Bank of the Rockies has been providing food and essential household items to nonprofit hunger-relief programs for 26 years. Homebound elderly are defined as those persons who have no relatives or friends and are unable to pick up their food supplements on a monthly basis on their own. Food Bank of the Rockies will continue delivery to the homebound elderly in addition to working with their member agencies so clients can access food supplements at locations most convenient to them. The Food Bank will also be able to offer -6
additional foods such as produce on a regular basis for all clients. following areas: Training of volunteers will be in the 1) Ability to explain programs, eligibility requirements 2) Review of eligibility and certifications at even numbered periods 247.7(g)(l)(iii) for homebound elderly 3) Knowledge of nutritional needs of seniors 4) Civil Rights The distribution will be accomplished by delegating approximately 5 different certification and distribution sites throughout Denver County to better serve the community. The clients will be designated to a specific distribution site by zip code. Commodities will be distributed out of existing Food Banks that are currently serving the community. Mesa County: Mesa County has shown tremendous population growth over the past several years and has grown by nearly 25% in the past decade. Approximately 25% of the population is CSFP age eligible. Participants are encouraged to pick up their food on designated day. Homebound delivery is available and accomplished by staff. A food list is presented to the homebound participant for signature and initialed by the staff member making the delivery. The Mesa County CSFP distribution site located at 200 S Spruce Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501. The facility consists of warehousing for CSFP and TEFAP commodities and office space for certifications. One walk-in cooler available on-site. Security is provided by the local police department. All doors are secured with locks. The distribution area is arranged in "grocery store" fashion. The Mesa County CSFP also serves Montrose, Delta, Garfield and Ouray County. Pueblo County: Pueblo County has a large elderly population. The population that is 60 years of age and older stands at, 28,132 persons, which is 18.6% of the total Pueblo County population. Of the 60+ population 5,789 persons, or 21%, is considered Low-Income. In terms of Old Age Pension recipients, Pueblo County has a large number of elderly persons enrolled, as compared to the rest of the State. Approximately 3,000 persons were enrolled on OAP. Approximately 2,980 individuals are enrolled in CSFP, of which 4% are women, infants, & children and 96% are seniors. This is primarily due to the large number of persons on Old Age Pension in Pueblo County and the fact that there is an existing WIC program in the county. The Department of Housing & Human Services holds 12 distributions annually. The Program serves approximately 1,500 Pueblo residents monthly, among those served also included are 8 senior complexes. Pueblo County also sponsors a tailgating program which serves El Paso County & Huerfano County between these 2 counties we serve approximately 500 additional clients. -7
Rio Grande County: Out of eight apartment complexes for the elderly, and statistics from the nonprofit housing authority, there are approximately 950 eligible recipients for this program. Approximately 540 individuals are enrolled in CSFP. Currently Rrio Grande county subcontracts CSFP to Costilla County for program operation. Saguache County: Saguache County is looking to expand the number of clients being served as the county begins to advertise the program more to the elderly population. When the program was started in August by Saguache County Department of Social Services there were 146 clients however the county is certain that the elderly population is much more than that and are looking at ways to advertise the program throughout the County. Distribution is held at three different sites in Saguache County which is the Moffat School in Moffat, Colorado; the First Assembly of God Church in Center, Colorado and either at the storage unit or if the weather is bad at the Community Building in Saguache, Colorado. If there becomes a need for homeward bound delivery it will be available to the clients and will be accomplished by the staff assigned. Distribution is accomplished by Saguache County Department of Social Services Distribution Supervisor, employees of the Saguache County Department of Social Services and also by numerous volunteers in the different areas as well as the help of Trustees from the local Sheriff's Department when available. Clients received pre-packed boxes and a list of the food distributed is given to each individual for their signature and also the initials of the staff member helping with the distribution. All food is stored at a storage unit located in Saguache, Colorado. There are currently three freezers and two units that can be either a freezer or refrigerator for storage. All records are kept at the Department of Social Services Office in Saguache. Weld Food Bank: Identification and documentation of need for the elderly population in Weld County is accomplished through the Area Agencies Older Americans Act programs, Weld County Rural Senior Aide Coordinator program, and Weld County Long Term Care Coordinator Committee agencies. Certification is accomplished at the current CSFP site, and agreements are set up with designated home health care agencies and home delivered meals programs for referrals. Volunteers and agency representatives are designated to pick up and deliver to certified homebound. The Weld County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is integrated with the current Supplemental Food Program to provide information, outreach, certification, and food distribution. AAA is currently providing all other available services to the elderly in Weld County. Supplemental foods are arranged in "grocery store" fashion. The distribution center in Greeley is approximately 32 feet by 27 feet with a tile floor. Security is provided by the Greeley Police Department, who check the building on a regular route. Days and hours of operation at the Greeley site are: Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00-11:45 A.M. and 1:00-4:45 P.M.; and Wednesday from 8:00-11:45 A.M. and 1:00-3:00 P.M. Certification begins at 9:00 A.M. on those days. The facility closes on the last working day of the month for staff to conduct inventory counts. The distribution center in Fort Lupton is a storefront at 220 Denver Avenue. Weld County also has a tailgate distribution in New Raymer, 63 miles from Greeley. Distribution is every 3rc1 Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon in the fire hall. In the afternoon there is a tailgate distribution in Grover from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M. Weld County CSFP has expanded into several more areas, providing "grocery store" distributions for seniors and 5 year olds, including Larimer County. The Food Bank for Larimer County, -8
OUTREACH located at 1301 Blue Spruce, #1, is the distribution site for CSFP on every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 A.M. to 12:00 Noon. In Loveland, a distribution is held every 4th Friday of the month except during the holiday season. Instead of every 4th Friday in November and December, distribution is on the 3rd Friday. The location is the Presbyterian Church, 2500 North Garfield. The time is 12:30 to 2:00 P.M. and is in conjunction with the Brown Bag program. Local Agencies shall strive to increase participation through regular outreach efforts until the yearly statewide maximum caseload levels have been reached. Outreach includes: Publishing advertisements and notices about the CSFP program in local newspapers and magazines Utilizing free public service announcements in the local media Distributing flyers and promotional materials in community health centers, county health departments, day-care centers, and other public places Via mail-outs or other avenues the State or Local Agencies deem appropriate. All notices I advertisements I mailings shall include a brief description of the program, eligibility criteria, a listing of the documentation required for certification, and the non-discrimination statement. NUTRITION EDUCATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES To provide both immediate and long term improvement in the health status of participants, the Local Agency shall make nutrition education available to all adult participants and, where possible, to the children themselves at the time of certification or recertification. This nutrition education shall be thoroughly integrated into program operations and shall have the dual purpose of ensuring the CSFP foods are used properly and of providing knowledge that encourages continued selection and consumption of nutritious foods necessary to good health. Ongoing goals of each Local Agency's nutrition education program are: 1. To demonstrate and emphasize the relationship between proper nutrition and good health, with special emphasis on the nutritional needs of pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to six years of age, and elderly persons 60 years of age or older. 2. To effect a positive change in eating habits through maximum use of the supplemental foods within the context of ethnic, cultural and geographical preferences. The State Agency shall ensure that the Local Agency fully performs the nutrition education responsibilities as prescribed by this Plan of Operation and Administration via the following: The Local Agency shall submit to the State Agency a plan for implementation of nutrition education for CSFP participants. Such plan shall be kept on file in both the State and Local Agency. If the Local Agency makes significant changes to the Nutrition Education Plan during a given year, the agency shall submit such changes or updates to the State Agency to be included with their Plan. The local agency must provide nutrition education that can be easily understood by participants and is related to their nutritional needs and household situations. The local agency must provide nutrition education that includes the following information, which should account for specific ethnic and cultural characteristics whenever possible: (1) The nutritional value of CSFP foods, and their relationship to the overall dietary needs of the population groups served; -9
(2) Nutritious ways to use CSFP foods; (3) Special nutritional needs of participants and how these needs may be met; (4) For pregnant and postpartum women, the benefits of breastfeeding; (5) The importance of health care, and the role nutrition plays in maintaining good health; and (6) The importance of the use of the foods by the participant to whom they are distributed, and not by another person. The minimum nutrition education may be provided on an individual interview basis or instructed nutrition education classes. Most participants are involved in a nutritional assessment at the initial visit. The frequency of formal nutrition education classes depends upon the agency's financial ability to provide this service. Whichever method is used, nutrition education is to be provided on an ongoing basis. The professional expertise to provide nutrition education may include a Registered Dietitian, Public Health Nutritionist, Registered Nurse, Physician or a supervised paraprofessional. The paraprofessional could be supervised by the County Health Department or CSU Extension Service. Local Agencies must include in their Nutrition Education Plans, the classification and number of staff providing nutrition education. EVALUATION NUTRITION EDUCATION All Local Agencies shall annually evaluate the effectiveness of their nutrition education programs. This shall be accomplished by participant input, such as via questionnaires or "client surveys," concerning basic nutrition and the use of supplemental foods. Homebound elderly should also be included in the evaluation process. Information provided by the completed questionnaires or other evaluation methods shall be considered in formulating future plans, goals and objectives for the Local Agency's nutrition education program. Copies of participant survey results shall be kept on file at the Local Agency and made available to State Agency staff during the yearly Agency Review. FOOD ISSUANCE & DISTRIBUTION Participants shall be issued supplemental foods based on the "Maximum Monthly Distribution Rates," i.e., "Food Packages," by personnel designated by the Local Agency. The Local Agency may issue foods to participants either monthly or every-other-month, as follows: For Monthly Issuance: participants receive a one-month's supply of food based on their indicated food package. Participation figures shall be reflected accordingly on the monthly 153 Report. For Every-Other-Month Issuance: participants receive a two-months' supply of food based on their indicated food package. Local Agencies' computerized databases account for double issuances and participation figures in the affected months and these figures are reflected accordingly on the monthly 153 Report. When the recipients pick up their food, they must present their Identification Card, showing ID number, recipient's name, recipient's signature, proxy, proxy's signature, signature of authority, effective date and expiration date. Homebound elderly may designate a proxy to pick up their commodities. If no proxy is available, the Local Agency will deliver foods to homebound elderly recipients. All recipients of commodities (including proxies) must acknowledge their receipt by signing for and dating Form FDP-4 "Supplemental Foods Authorization and Receipt", or other Local Agency approved food issuance record for the month in which they receive commodities. The food issuance record shall be kept in the recipient's file for inspection by State staff during the annual Agency Review. -10