A person who is away from the home for extended periods during the month, but who returns to the home for part of each month, may be considered a member of the food benefit household.  This would include persons who are away working, attending school, and similar situations.

• (1) A person who attends a boarding school, including the state schools for the deaf and blind, is not considered institutionalized as long as he or she returns home on weekends and holidays.
• (2) A child who lives with a parent on weekends and occasionally at other times may be claimed as part of the parent's food benefit household as long as the child is not included in another active food benefit household.  In instances where both the father and mother of the child participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the same month, the parent who has the child the majority of the time would be authorized to include the child in his or her SNAP household.  See Family Support Services Division Memo 2002-01