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1.10.3 Non-Financial Criteria A. Applicants must also meet all of the following non-financial eligibility criteria for Medicaid: 1. Social Security Number – Each person applying for Medicaid must have a Social Security Number (SSN) as a condition of eligibility for the program. a. Condition of Eligibility. Applicants must be notified prior to or while completing the application that furnishing an SSN is a condition of eligibility. Only members of a household who are applying for Medicaid are required to provide an SSN, however. An SSN of a non-applicant may be requested to verify income. Refusal of a non- applicant to provide an SSN cannot be used as a basis for denying eligibility to an applicant who has provided an SSN. If an SSN is unavailable, other proof of income must be accepted. b. Limits on Use. Applicants must also be informed that their SSN will be utilized only in the administration of the Medicaid program, including in verifying income and eligibility. c. Verification. SSN is verified through an electronic data-match with the SSA. Applicants must provide documentation of SSN if the data match fails. Paper documentation indicating that an application for an SSN has been made is required for applicants who do not have an SSN at the time of application. 2. Residency – A person must be a resident of Rhode Island to be eligible for Medicaid. The State of residence of a person is determined according to the following: a. SSP. For persons receiving an SSP payment, the State of residence is the State paying the supplement. Exception: Persons involved in work of a transient nature or who have moved to the State to seek employment may claim Rhode Island as their State of residence and be granted Medicaid in Rhode Island if they meet all other eligibility criteria. These persons may be granted Rhode Island Medicaid even though they continue to receive a State supplemental payment from another State. b. Persons under twenty-one (21). Residency is determined as follows for minors: (1) A person who is blind or living with a disabling impairment under the age of twenty-one (21) who is not residing in an institution, the State of residence is the State in which the person is living.