People who are not Minnesota residents are ineligible for ALL programs EXCEPT SNAP. See 0004 (Emergencies).

People establish Minnesota residence by being physically present in the state and residing here voluntarily. See specific program provisions for additional ways people can establish residence. See also 0011.06.09 (State Residence - 30 Day Requirement).

People lose Minnesota residence when they physically leave the state with the intention of living elsewhere. EXCEPT as noted below, temporary absences from the state do not result in loss of residency. To determine temporary absence, see 0014.09 (Assistance Units - Temporary Absence).

For information on verifying state residence, see 0010.18.08 (Verifying State Residence - Cash).

For coding procedures for a client with whereabouts unknown, see TEMP Manual TE02.08.011 (Returned Mail Processing - Cash), TE02.08.012 (Returned Mail Processing - SNAP).


MFIP:
For some people, there is no minimum time they have to be in the state to gain Minnesota residence. See 0011.06.09 (State Residence - 30-Day Requirement). A person living in temporary housing (such as a vehicle or shelter) meets state residence requirements.

Also consider people to be residents if they came to Minnesota with a job commitment or to seek employment. Current employment or intent to remain in Minnesota are not requirements for these people, and they can establish state residence even if they maintain a home in another state.

To gain Minnesota residence, people must intend to stay in Minnesota. Migrants meet the intent to remain requirement due to the nature of their work.

People lose Minnesota residence when:

●	They leave the state with the intention of living elsewhere. Clients who leave Minnesota for less than 30 days with the intention of returning, do not lose their Minnesota residence.
●	They leave Minnesota for more than 1 month, unless they meet a temporary absence condition. See 0014.09 (Assistance Units - Temporary Absence).
●	They claim residence in another state to get assistance there.

Do not deny an application or addendum solely because the client does not meet state residency criteria. Leave the case pending until the client meets the residency requirements or until you can establish eligibility or ineligibility.


SNAP:
People who are present in the state for reasons other than vacation and who are not receiving SNAP elsewhere are eligible if they meet all other eligibility requirements. A verbal client statement indicating Minnesota residency is acceptable. See 0010.18.02 (Mandatory Verifications – SNAP). People experiencing homelessness are not required to have a physical address to establish residency in Minnesota.

Residents of domestic violence shelters in Minnesota are eligible even if they participated elsewhere in the month they entered the shelter.

People maintain Minnesota residence while they are temporarily out of state as long as they intend to return to Minnesota, do not receive benefits in the other place and maintain their residence in Minnesota. There is no set time limit for how long they are temporarily out of the state. Have a conversation with the client to determine if their time outside of Minnesota is temporary and to learn more about their situation. If you are unsure if the client’s situation meets the state residency guidance submit a PQ.

In situations where clients have a home outside of Minnesota as well as Minnesota and live part of the year in the other place and part of the year in Minnesota, they remain eligible for SNAP in Minnesota as long as they do not apply for and receive SNAP benefits in the other place and all other SNAP eligibility criteria are met.


MSA, HSP:
People do not lose state residence during a period of temporary absence from the state. People who are outside the United States for an entire calendar month are ineligible for that month.

Verify intent to remain in Minnesota ONLY if questionable. See 0010.18.08 (Verifying State Residence - Cash).


GA:
A person must be a state resident to be eligible. A state resident is a person who has lived in Minnesota for at least 30 days with the intent of making Minnesota his/her home. There are certain EXCEPTIONS to this requirement. See 0011.06.09 (State Residence - 30-Day Requirement).

Do not deny an application or addendum solely because the client does not meet state residency criteria. Leave the case pending until the client meets the residency requirements or until you can establish eligibility or ineligibility.

A client who indicates an out-of-state residence or who lives in an excluded time facility is not a state resident if she/he indicates intent to leave Minnesota within 30 days from the date of application. See 0011.06.03 (State Residence - Excluded Time) for EXCEPTION for residents of domestic violence shelters.

Verify intent to remain in Minnesota ONLY if questionable. See 0010.18.08 (Verifying State Residence - Cash).