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Date of Last Review: 11/30/2023 Effective Date: 02/01/2022 Date of Next Review: 11/30/2026 RDA: SW22 Page 1 of 4 SNAP Mandatory Verifications Policy 24.17 Effective: February 1, 2022 Introduction The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) staff shall follow state and federal guidelines for verifying an applicant’s information to determine eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits. Scope This policy was developed to outline the requirements for verifications, what must be verified, and the procedures that must be used to confirm or support information provided by an applicant in determining eligibility for SNAP. The purpose of verification is to establish households meet defined eligibility criteria as accurately as possible. Policy Responsibilities for Providing Verification Securing adequate verification is a joint responsibility between the applicant/household and the Eligibility Counselor. The household has the primary responsibility for providing documentary evidence to support its statements and to resolve any questionable information. Eligibility Counselors shall accept any reasonable documentary evidence and be primarily concerned with how adequately the verification proves the statements by the applicant/household. Eligibility Counselors cannot deny an application solely on the household’s statement of ineligibility and shall use verification when making an eligibility determination. Please refer to Verification and Documentation for SNAP. Sources of Verification 1. Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is written confirmation that is provided as the basis, proof, or support of information provided by the household and may either be official or unofficial. Documentary evidence is the primary source of verification.