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■ TANF TANF TANF TANF TANF TANF TANF TANF SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP Citizenship 400 CITIZENSHIP (toc) All individuals applying for TANF or SNAP must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. non-citizen national or a “qualified” non-citizen to receive benefits. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT (toc) 410 Each household member’s citizenship or non-citizenship status must be determined and the appropriate documentation/verification requirements evaluated. The head of household must sign a statement attesting all members requesting assistance are: ● U.S. citizens, ● U.S. nationals or ● have legal immigration status. The head of household may sign the declaration of citizenship on behalf of the entire household/assistance unit. All names do not need to be written down; the one signature is sufficient and can be done on the one-page application or on the signature page of an application form or on a separate statement. Absence of this statement does not cause ineligibility unless the person(s) assisted is an ineligible non-citizen. Once signed, the citizenship declaration is valid for all subsequent applications unless the claim of citizenship or non-citizen status is questionable. The head of household must attest to the citizenship or non-citizen status on any new household members including newborns at the redetermination/recertification. Documentation of citizenship does not have to be an original document. The agency may accept a photocopy, facsimile, scanned or other copy of a document. Original documents should be requested only if information on the submitted document is inconsistent with other information available to the agency or the agency otherwise has reason to question the validity of the document or the information on the document. The documentation of citizenship is a one-time occurrence. Once the verification of citizenship and identity has been received by the division, the individual must not be required to provide it again. Verification received at initial application or redetermination must be placed in the permanent section of the case record and never purged. Certain state database matches are authorized for use to verify citizenship. These databases include: ● Vital Statistics: ● SDX: ● Any match with a source that requires evidence of citizenship for their records; and • DSS Eligibility System CITIZENSHIP CITIZENSHIP Division of Social Services Eligibility and Payments Manual 01 May 26 MTL 06/26 A-400