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ESA SNAP Policy Manual 62 5.11.3.1 Verifying Data Match Information Information from a data match that is considered verified upon receipt but is questionable, incomplete, outdated or inconsistent or information from a data match not considered verified upon receipt must be independently verified by ESA. Federal law, regulations and ESA data matching agreements generally stipulate independent verification requirements. 5.11.3.1.1 Independent Verification Requirements of IEVS Information Independent verification of IEVS information can be completed by contacting the household or the agency/entity that is the primary source of the information. If contacting the household to verify, ESA must issue a written notice informing the household of the information it has received and requesting the household to respond within 10 days. If the household fails to respond in a timely manner, ESA will send a Notice of Adverse Action, as specified in Section 16.6, Notice of Adverse Action. When the household or appropriate source provides the independent verification, ESA will properly notify the household of the action it intends to take and provide the household with an opportunity to request a fair hearing (see Chapter 19, Administrative/Fair Hearings) for any adverse action. 5.11.3.1.2 Independent Verification Requirements of SSNs ESA must verify each SNAP household member’s SSN through SSA’s SOLQ/SOLQ-I or SVES. If the SSN of a household member has already been verified by another ESA program participating in IEVS, such as TANF or Medicaid, ESA must accept the SSN verification from the other program. Once an SSN has been verified through SOLQ/SOLQ-I, SVES or another District program participating in IEVS, ESA must make a permanent annotation to the household’s file to prevent the unnecessary reverification of the SSN in the future. ESA should not request applicants or households to provide verification of an SSN. Instead, the household should be provided the opportunity to include each member’s SSN on the application or certification form. Once the application or form is submitted, ESA must use the appropriate SSA interface to verify the reported SSN with the SSA. If an SSN cannot be verified with SSA, ESA must contact the household to ensure the SSN was reported correctly on the application or certification form. 5.11.3.1.3 Independent Verification Requirements of SAVE Information See Section 5.4, Verification of Citizenship/Noncitizenship. 5.11.3.1.4 Independent Verification Requirements for The Work Number The Work Number must be checked for each adult household member at the time of application and at recertification. If The Work Number returns employment and income information that is reasonably consistent with what the household reported on its application or recertification, ESA must consider the information provided by the household verified. Return