A valid address is a requirement for SNAP, TANF, and Medical programs. It is required to send notices, letters, EBT cards and other important documents to households. Therefore, it is important to check the address on the application to ensure it is correctly added to the case.
“Homeless” is not a valid address. If a household enters their address as Homeless, it is the responsibility of the eligibility worker to obtain a valid mailing address and update the case.
“General Delivery” may be valid as a temporary address but only as a last resort. Unacceptable/Invalid forms of address include General Mail, General Delivery Drive, or General Homeless and cannot be used. The address must be entered into the system as General Delivery and must also include the correct city, state, and zip code of the post office where the household receives mail.
The OKDHS office address should NOT be used as a client’s address.
General Delivery Rules
An individual or household must sign up at their local post office for General Delivery. This is typically only a 30-day designation/approval. The individual or household must be informed this requires an application at the post office and is not a permanent solution for mail.
Undeliverable Mail
Mail cannot be delivered if there is no valid address – undeliverable mail costs our agency hundreds of dollars every week in postage. This also affects the delivery of EBT cards and timely notices which can be a case error.
Centralized Mail Process
The Mail Center will no longer accept correspondence without a valid address (i.e. Homeless) since it cannot be delivered. This could cause delays in mail service.
Finding vs. Mailing Address
The mailing address on a case may not be where the household resides. This could be due to having an authorized representative who handles the mail or an alternate address where mail can be received. However, if it is not the place of residence, a finding address must also be entered to show the location of residence (for example, PO Boxes or authorized representative addresses).
For homeless individuals or households, the finding address may also be the place to enter “Homeless”, but it should never be in the mailing address information.
For more information regarding the centralized mail procedure, please review this link: Mail Center
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