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Tennessee Housing Development Agency 2025 LIHEAP Policy Manual for Regular and Crisis Assistance 19

Unacceptable forms of Identification for Non-Citizen: 1. Driver’s License 2. Social Security Cards 3. Consulate Cards

Other Requirements of the Tennessee Act: 1. The verification process must be enforced without regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or national origin. 2. Any individual age eighteen (18) or older who knowingly makes a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement under this chapter is liable under either: o (a) The Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act (T.C.A. §§ 71-5-181 through 185); or o (b) The False Claims Act (Title 4, Chapter 18).

LIHEAP Eligibility for Citizens of Countries Governed by the Compacts of Free Association (COFA): The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (Pub. L. 118-42) restored eligibility for citizens of COFA countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau) to receive LIHEAP benefits. COFA citizens are now considered "qualified immigrants" for benefit eligibility starting March 9, 2024, without a waiting period. COFA Citizens Administration Policy: • COFA citizens, who were historically excluded from receiving benefits under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), are now fully eligible for LIHEAP benefits effective March 9, 2024, under the Compact Impact Fairness Act. • COFA citizens are legally present non-citizens, previously excluded from many federal benefit programs, but now eligible for LIHEAP benefits. This provision clarifies that COFA citizens are now eligible for federal benefits, reversing prior exclusions, and aligning eligibility with other qualified immigrants.

2.6 Timeframes for Determining Eligibility