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SNAPCERTIFICATION MANUAL –SECTION 6000 6500 Medical Deduction 6552 Verification of Child Support Payments Documents used to verify the household’s legal obligation to pay child support will not be acceptable verification of the household’s actual payment. Acceptable verification of amounts paid include canceled checks, wage withholding statements, verification of withholding from unemployment compensation, and statements from the custodial parent regarding direct payments, or payments that the non-custodial parent pays or expects to pay on behalf of the custodial parent. Payments made through the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) may be verified through OCSE screens. Payments for child support arrearages must be verified. Both the legal obligation to pay arrearages and the amount of payment must be verified. Arrearages can be verified through the person receiving the child support, through each person’s attorney, through OCSE, through private collection agencies, or through any other documentary evidence, such as court orders. At each recertification, and when a semi-annual report is processed, the amount of child support paid must be verified. The obligation to pay child support must be verified again only if the household reports a change in the obligated amount. If the household reports a change in the obligation to pay child support, both the obligation and the amount of child support paid must be verified. An initial application or an application for recertification will not be held beyond the time allowed for normal processing solely to obtain required verification of deductible child support payments, if the household is otherwise eligible. The household will be notified that its case was processed without the child support deduction and that verification of child support may be supplied later. When the household does provide verification of the child support payment, the expense will be deducted, and the SNAP benefit amount will be adjusted according to the timeliness standards for a change reported outside of the reporting period. See SNAP 11410.