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CAPS Policy – Eligibility Requirements No.: CAPS/00-6 Effective Date: 10/01/2016 Revised: 07/01/2025 Revision Effective: 07/01/2025

CAPS Policy Manual

Page 31 of 109 • The child must be 17 years of age or younger • The child must be currently residing permanently in the U.S. in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent • The child must be a lawful permanent resident • If adopted, the child must meet the requirements applicable to adopted children under immigration law

6.5.5 Acquiring citizenship automatically means that there is no need to apply for citizenship. A child, who was 17 years of age or younger and had already met all of the above requirements as of February 27, 2001, automatically acquired citizenship on that date. Children who did not meet all of the above requirements on that date will acquire citizenship automatically on the date the child meets all of the above requirements.

Refer to Appendix B for the SAVE Verification Process, which is an inter-governmental information service initiative which verifies the immigration status of benefit applicants.

6.5.6 CAPS can verify the citizenship for all children needing care using one of the following: • Birth Certificate • Certificate of Citizenship • Naturalization Certificate • Vital records • Report of Birth from Abroad of a U.S. Citizen • U.S. Citizen I.D. card • U.S. Passport • Consoler’s report of birth • American Indian Card (first issued by USCIS in 1983) • Court records of parentage, juvenile proceedings, or child support indicating place of birth • Religious record of birth recorded in the U.S. or its territories within three months of birth o The document must show either the date of birth or the individual’s age at the time the record was made. • Any document that establishes place of birth or U.S. citizenship, such as, records from Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, local government agencies, hospitals, or clinic’s record of birth or parentage • Early school records showing the date of admission to the school, the child’s date and place of birth, and the names and place of birth of the parents • Census record showing the name, U.S. citizenship, or a U.S. place of birth and date of birth or age of the individual • Adoption finalization papers showing the child’s name and place of birth in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. Territory.

6.5.7 If one of the above documents cannot be obtained, the following verification pertaining to the child’s parent may be accepted: • Documents/records verifying a parent’s US citizenship status • Evidence of civil service employment by the U.S. government before 06-01-76 • Northern Marianna Primary I.D. Card (issued prior to 1986 and to applicants born prior to 11-03-86 by Immigration and Naturalization Service)

6.5.8 If a parent cannot provide at least one of the documents listed above to prove U.S. citizenship or legal alien status of the child, the child is not eligible for CAPS subsidies. A non-immigrant or undocumented alien child is not eligible for CAPS subsidies.