Sources of Verification 430-05-20-55-15

(Revised 01/01/04 ML2893)

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Acceptable sources of verification include documentary evidence, collateral contacts, home visits and system interfaces.

 

Documentary Evidence

Documentary evidence is written confirmation of a household’s circumstances and must be used as the primary source of verification for all items except residency and household size. If the household cannot obtain documentary evidence, the worker may require collateral contacts or do a scheduled home visit. Residency and household size may be verified through any other source of verification.

Examples:

Wage stubs, rent receipts and utility bills.

 

Acceptable verification is not limited to any single type of document and may be obtained from the household or another source.

 

 

Whenever documentary evidence is insufficient to make a determination of eligibility or benefit level, the worker must pend the application and request sufficient verification from the household.

 

Collateral Contacts

A collateral contact is a verbal confirmation of a household's circumstances by an individual outside the household and are used when documentary evidence is insufficient or incomplete. The collateral contact may be either in person or over the telephone. The worker must rely on the household to provide the name of any collateral contact. The household may request assistance in naming a collateral contact.

 

A collateral contact can be any third-party verification of the household's statements. The worker is responsible for obtaining verification from acceptable collateral contacts, which include but are not limited to:

 

Once the household has supplied the name of a collateral contact or has asked the worker for assistance in locating a collateral contact, the worker must promptly contact the collateral contact or otherwise assist the household in obtaining the necessary verification.

 

When the collateral contact designated by the household is unacceptable, the worker must ask the household to name another collateral contact or substitute a scheduled home visit.

 

The county should only disclose the information that is absolutely necessary to get the information being sought. The county should avoid disclosing that a household has applied for food stamps and should not disclose any information provided by the household. Counties should not suggest that a household is suspected of any wrong doing.

 

Home Visits

Home visits are used on a case-by-case basis when documentary evidence or collateral contacts are insufficient or cannot be obtained. A home visit must be scheduled in advance with the household.

 

System Interfaces

Workers have access to the following interfaces that are acceptable types of verification:

 

Narrative/Documentation

Casefiles must be documented to support eligibility, ineligibility, and benefit level determinations. Documentation must be detailed to permit a reviewer to determine the reasonableness and accuracy of the determination.

 

Where verification was required to resolve questionable information, the worker must document why the information was considered questionable or at a minimum, indicate where the inconsistency exists, and what documentation was used to resolve the questionable information.

 

The worker must document the reason why a collateral contact or home visit was needed.

 

The worker must also document the reason a collateral contact was unacceptable and an alternate requested.

 

Good documentation habits save time. Documentation need not be lengthy and no specific format is required but it must address the following:

  1. Who did the information come from?
  2. What was the information received?
  3. When was it received?
  4. Why is the information pertinent?
  5. How was the information treated?