10 Colo. Code Regs. § 2506-1-4.504
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 22, November 25, 2024
Section 10 CCR 2506-1-4.504 - Sources of VerificationThe local office shall accept any pertinent documentary evidence provided by the household and shall be primarily concerned with how adequately the verification proves the statements on the application, during recertification, in the PRF, or in any reported changes. Local offices shall accept the minimum verification requirements outlined throughout this document, unless questionable. If written verification cannot be obtained, the eligibility technician shall substitute an acceptable collateral contact.
4.504.1Documentary EvidenceDocumentary evidence consists of written confirmation of a household's circumstances. Households may supply documentary evidence in person, through the mail, by facsimile or other electronic device, or through an authorized representative. The local office shall not require the household to present verification in person at the office.
4.504.2Collateral ContactsA. A collateral contact is a verbal confirmation of a household's circumstances by a person outside the household, made either in person, in writing, or by telephone. Acceptable collateral contacts include, but are not limited to: employers, landlords, social/migrant service agencies, and neighbors of the household who can be expected to provide accurate third-party verification. The name of the individual contacted, the individual's contact information, and the information provided shall be documented in the case record.B. Confidentiality shall be maintained when talking with collateral contacts. The local office shall disclose only the information that is necessary to get information being sought. When talking with collateral contacts, the local office must not state that an individual or household has applied for SNAP.C. If the household fails to provide a collateral contact or provides a contact that is unacceptable to the eligibility technician, the technician may select a collateral contact that can provide information that is needed.D. The local office shall not determine the household to be ineligible when a person outside the household fails to cooperate with a request for verification. Household members who are disqualified or in an ineligible status shall not be considered individuals outside the household.E. In cases in which the information from another source contradicts statements made by the household, the household shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to resolve the discrepancy prior to an eligibility determination.4.504.3Home VisitsFor the purposes of determining eligibility, home visits shall be used as verification only if documentary evidence cannot be obtained and the visit is scheduled in advance with the household. Home visits are to be used on a case-by-case basis where the supplied documentation or verification is insufficient.
4.504.4Systematic Alien Verification Entitlement (SAVE)The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) system will verify the alien status of applicant non-citizens. The use of SAVE shall be documented in the case record. The record will contain the date the primary or secondary request was submitted, along with a copy of the Form G-845 when applicable, and any response to the request for verification.
4.504.5Colorado Income Eligibility Verification System (IEVS)A. The Colorado Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) provides for the exchange of information on SNAP clients with the Social Security Administration (SSA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).B. At initial certification and recertification, all applicants for SNAP shall be notified through a written statement provided on or with the application form that contains the following information:1. Information available through the IEVS will be requested and verified through collateral sources when discrepancies are found by the local office.2. Information available through the IEVS shall be used and that such information will be used and may affect the household's eligibility and level of benefits.C. With respect to all household members, including any excluded household members for whom a Social Security Number (SSN) is available, the agency shall be responsible for requesting verification through the IEVS or directly from locally accessed automated information. All such information shall be requested at the first available opportunity after the date of application.D. The local office shall at a minimum, prior to approval of benefits at initial application, recertification, and periodic report, verify potential earnings or unemployment benefits through the DOLE for all applicants.E. Determination of a household's eligibility and benefit level shall not be delayed past the application processing time standards if verification of information is not available nor shall determination be delayed awaiting verification from the IEVS.F. The local office is required to act upon information received from IEVS within forty-five (45) calendar days of the receipt of that information, except for UIB information received from the DOLE, which must be acted upon in accordance with Section 4.604.G. Some information received through the IEVS is not considered verified and is subject to independent verification by the local office. Benefits shall not be delayed pending receipt of verification from a collateral source, such as an employer, when independently verifying information received from the IEVS. Such verification of IEVS information may include contacting the household in writing informing them of the information received from the IEVS data source and requesting a response within ten (10) calendar days, or by appropriate collateral contact. The following Information received through the IEVS shall be treated as not verified and subject to independent verification by the local office: 1. Wage data from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.2. Internal Revenue Service unearned income information.H. Through the IEVS, participant SSNs will be matched with source agency records on a regular basis to identify potential earned and unearned income and resources and assets from the following sources: 1. Social Security Administration (SSA) Information received from the Social Security Administration includes:
a. Wages, payments of retirement income, Title II Social Security benefits, Title XVI Social Security benefits, pensions, and federal employee earnings maintained by the SSA.b. Federal retirement, survivors disability, SSI, and related information available from SSA through BENDEX (Beneficiary Data Exchange) and SDX (State Data Exchange).2. State Data Exchange (SDX) and Beneficiary Data Exchange (BENDEX) Death information, SSI benefit amounts, and social security benefit information may be obtained verified through SDX AND BENDEX. See Section 4.504.6, E, for what information from SSA is considered verified upon receipt.3. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)a. Information received from the DOLE includes wage and unemployment insurance benefits (UIB). Wage data received from the DOLE shall not be considered as verified upon receipt and shall be subject to independent verification. Unemployment information reported through the IEVS shall be verified through the DOLE or by the household. Verification of unemployment compensation insurance benefits, including beginning dates, duration of payments and amount of payments can be obtained from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.b. The local office shall at a minimum, prior to approval of benefits at initial application, recertification, and periodic report, verify potential earnings or unemployment benefits through the DOLE for all applicants, including ineligible and disqualified members' SSNs. With respect to all members of a participant household, the local office shall use UIB information received through the Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS). Participant SSNs will be matched at least monthly with the DOLE, UIB records.4. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Unearned income information received from the IRS includes, but is not limited to, interest on checking and savings accounts, dividends, royalties, winnings from betting establishments, and capital gains. Unearned income information from the IRS that is reported through the IEVS shall not be considered as verified upon receipt and shall be subject to independent verification.
4.504.6Information Considered Verified Upon ReceiptA. Verified upon receipt (VUR) is a term given to a state-prescribed list of specific information that comes directly from the primary source of the information and is free from question.B. Information that is considered VUR shall be acted upon for all households. Information considered VUR shall be acted on at the time of application, recertification, periodic report, and during a household's certification period if the information causes a change in the SNAP benefit amount. A household shall not be convicted of fraud for not reporting a change in the information it is not required to report.C. Information considered VUR shall be considered verified unless the office has reason to believe that the information may be inaccurate. Advance notice of adverse action shall be given when acting on information that is considered VUR, except as noted in Section 4.608.1.D. The local office shall consider only the following information as VUR: 1. Social Security and SSI benefit amounts obtained from SSA. SSI and benefit amounts obtained from the SSA are considered reported and verified on the day the information is first known to the agency, either through the IEVS, SDX, BENDEX or another automated interface of information, whichever is sooner.
2. Death information received from the Burial Assistance program. Death information received from the Burial Assistance program is considered reported and verified on the day the information is first known to the agency.
3. Unemployment insurance benefits (UIB) that are reported through the IEVS and obtained through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The UIB information shall be considered reported and verified on the date of the IEVS notification. Advance notice of adverse action shall be given when acting on the change in information.
4. PA benefit amounts (Colorado Works, Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND) program consisting of AND-State Only (AND-SO) and AND-Colorado Supplement (AND-CS), Home Care Allowance (HCA), and Old Age Pension (OAP), obtained from the State Department.5. Information that is reported and verified to a PA program which results in a change to the PA benefit amount and that meets SNAP verification requirements. Such information shall be considered reported and verified on the day the PA program processes the change and authorizes the new PA benefit amount.
6. Child support income and expense amounts obtained through the ACSES. Such information is considered reported and verified on the day the information is reported through an automated interface with ACSES.
7. Non-compliance information obtained from EF agencies of the failure of an ABAWD to meet work requirements.9. Information obtained from the SAVE system regarding non-citizen status.10. Changes in household composition that are reported and verified and result in one (1) or more members being removed from one (1) SNAP household and added to a new or existing SNAP household. Duplicate benefits shall not be issued for a particular individual when removing that individual from one SNAP household and adding them to a new SNAP household.
11. Changes in household composition that are reported and verified by child welfare agencies and result in a child being removed from one SNAP household and added to a new or existing SNAP household.12. The disqualification of a household member who is determined to be a fleeing felon.4.504.61Information Not Considered Verified Upon Receipt (VUR)A. Some information received from sources other than the household are not considered VUR. Such information shall be subject to independent verification prior to taking adverse action against a household's SNAP benefits during the certification period.B. The following sources of information shall not be considered as VUR: 1. Death information received from a source other than the Burial Assistance program.2. Veterans Assistance (VA) benefit amounts obtained through the IEVS.3. Wage data obtained through the IEVS and the DOLE.4. IRS income and asset information obtained through the IEVS.5. Information regarding railroad retirement benefits obtained through the IEVS.6. Information received from the Public Assistance Reporting and Information System (PARIS).7. Prisoner information received during the certification period.8. Information received from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH).9. Social Security benefit amounts reported via an award letter given by the household.10. IPV/disqualification data from another state as reported through the disqualified recipient database.37 CR 15, August 10, 2014, effective 9/1/201437 CR 21, November 10,2014, effective 12/1/201438 CR 23, December 10, 2015, effective 1/1/201639 CR 01, January 10, 2016, effective 2/1/201639 CR 05, March 10, 2016, effective 4/1/201639 CR 07, April 10, 2016, effective 5/1/201639 CR 15, August 10, 2016, effective 9/1/201639 CR 17, September 10, 2016, effective 10/1/201639 CR 19, October 10, 2016, effective 11/1/201639 CR 23, December 10, 2016, effective 1/1/201740 CR 11, June 10, 2017, effective 7/1/201740 CR 17, September 10, 2017, effective 10/1/201741 CR 15, August 10, 2018, effective 9/1/201840 CR 23, December 10, 2017, effective 12/30/201842 CR 01, January 10, 2019, effective 2/1/201942 CR 03, February 10, 2019, effective 3/15/201942 CR 17, September 10, 2019, effective 10/1/201942 CR 18, October 10, 2019, effective 10/1/201942 CR 23, December 10, 2019, effective 12/30/201943 CR 01, January 10, 2020, effective 1/30/202043 CR 05, March 10, 2020, effective 2/7/202043 CR 07, April 10, 2020, effective 4/30/202043 CR 21, November 10, 2020, effective 11/30/202044 CR 21, November 10, 2021, effective 11/30/202145 CR 05, March 10, 2022, effective 3/30/202245 CR 19, October 10, 2022, effective 10/1/202245 CR 19, October 10, 2022, effective 11/1/202245 CR 21, November 10, 2022, effective 11/30/202246 CR 17, September 10, 2023, effective 9/30/2023