VERIFICATION OF EXPENSES

A. Verification of Dependent Care Verification of dependent and child care expenses is required to grant a deduction. B. Verification of Shelter and Utility Costs 1. A household’s declaration of its responsibility to pay shelter and utility costs, as well as the amount the household is responsible to pay, shall be considered an acceptable source of verification, unless questionable, to grant the household a deduction for the amount the household declares it is responsible for paying. 2. Households that wish to claim shelter costs for a home that is unoccupied because of employment or training away from the home, illness or abandonment caused by a natural disaster or casualty loss must provide verification of actual utility costs if the costs would result in a deduction. These households are also responsible for providing verification of any other shelter costs if the cost is questionable and it would result in a deduction. The local office is not required to assist households in obtaining verification of this expense if the verification needs to be obtained from a source outside the county. 3. If shelter expense is questionable and verification cannot be verified within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of application, the local office shall determine the household's eligibility and benefit level without providing a deduction for the unverified expense. 4. If the household subsequently provides the missing verification for questionable shelter costs, the information will be handled as a reported change. The household shall be entitled to restoration of any lost benefits as a result of the disallowance of the expense which could not be verified within the thirty (30) day period, only if the client was not given at least ten (10) calendar days to provide verification or less than ten (10) calendar days if a necessary second interview could only be scheduled between the twentieth (20th) and thirtieth (30th) day of the processing period. C. Verification of Medical Expenses 1. The amount of medical bills and the portion that is reimbursable shall be verified prior to initial certification. At recertification, total medical expenses shall be verified if the source has changed or the total amount has changed more than twenty-five dollars ($25) since the last time they were verified, or the information is incomplete, inaccurate, inconsistent, or outdated. 2. The household's monthly medical deduction for the certification period shall be based on the information reported and verified by the household, any anticipated changes in the household's medical expenses that can be reasonably expected to occur during the certification period based on available information about the recipient's medical condition public or private insurance coverage and current verified medical expenses. If the change cannot be reasonably anticipated, the household shall have the non-reimbursable portion of the medical expense considered at the time the amount of the expense or reimbursement is reported and verified. 3. If the household reports a change in its medical expenses, the local office shall verify the change and act on the change during the certification period if it will result in an increase to the household’s benefit allotment. The household shall not be contacted to verify a change discovered through another source. 4. Households certified for twenty-four (24) months that incurred a one-time medical expense during the first twelve (12) months shall have the option of deducting the expense for one month, averaging the expense over the remainder of the first twelve (12) months of the certification period, or averaging the expense over the remainder of the certification period. One-time expenses reported after the twelfth (12th) month of the certification period will be deducted as a one-time monthly expense or averaged over the remaining months in the certification period, at the household's option. D. Verification of Child Support Expenses 1. The local office shall accept any document that verifies the household's legal obligation to pay child support, such as a court or administrative order or legally enforceable separation agreement. 2. The local office shall accept documentation verifying a household's actual payment of child support including, but not limited to, cancelled checks, wage withholding statements, verification of withholding from unemployment compensation and statements from the custodial parent regarding direct payments or third party payments that the noncustodial parent pays or expects to pay on behalf of the custodial parent. 3. Documents that are accepted as verification of the household's legal obligation to pay child support shall not be accepted as verification of the household's actual monthly child support payments. 4. In addition to requiring verification from the household, the local office shall be responsible for obtaining verification of the household's child support payments if the payments are made to the child support services agency. The local office shall give the household an opportunity to resolve any discrepancy between household verification and the verification received from the child support services agency. 5. At recertification or periodic report, the local office shall require the household to re-verify the amount of legally obligated child support that a household member pays to a non- household member and the actual monthly child support payments made.