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Title 7: SNAP Page 24 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter I: Specific Households and Participants Households with Alien Members Revised February 13, 2026 Using SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification…) Using SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) Legal reference: 7 CFR 272.11; Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), Section 121, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). Iowa Code Section 239.6 Policy: The eligible status of every alien applying for SNAP benefits must be verified through SAVE. SAVE must be used to verify the alien status of every individual claiming to have an eligible alien status at every application and every review. Procedure: Acceptable documentation of alien status must be on file prior to using SAVE to verify the person’s current alien status. See Alien Status Verification Requirements. Obtain acceptable documentation of alien status from every person claiming to have an eligible alien status. When a person claims eligible alien status but does not have documentation, tell them to contact the local USCIS office for help getting the documents. When the alien provides documentation that verifies they’re exempt from the five-year bar, you must still use SAVE for verification of their status. SAVE will verify their immigration status, but it may not be able to provide definitive information about whether they’re exempt from the five-year bar. If this happens, the documents the alien provided that verify they’re exempt from the bar are sufficient verification. Exceptions to using SAVE before approving benefits When a household meets emergency service criteria, but the household is unable to provide acceptable documentation in time to meet emergency processing timelines, postpone immigration status verification and assume the alien is eligible. See 7-B, Emergency Service. When an applicant has presented a document containing the individual’s alien admission number or alien file number and SAVE instructs you to request secondary verification, do not delay, deny, reduce, or cancel the alien’s eligibility for benefits while waiting for the USCIS to provide additional verification. For applications, assume the person is eligible and give benefits until USCIS verification is received. If you find out later from USCIS that the person is an ineligible alien for SNAP purposes, cancel that person’s SNAP benefits.