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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES NONFINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

10/24 VOLUME V, PART VII, PAGE 10

7. a battered spouse or child, as established by INS and the agencies providing benefits that a substantial connection exists between the battery and the need for benefits;

8. a Cuban or Haitian entrant; or

9. an Amerasian immigrant.

3. Verification of Immigrant Status

Verification of immigrant status is mandatory for initial applications and as new household members are added. While awaiting acceptable verification, except as noted below, the immigrant whose status is unverified is ineligible, but the eligibility of any remaining household members must be determined. The income and resources of the immigrant whose status is unverified is considered available in determining the eligibility of any remaining members, as described in Part XII.E. If verification of eligible status is later received, the BPS must treat this as a reported change in household size.

Verification of the number of qualifying quarters an immigrant may directly or indirectly claim access for SNAP purposes will primarily be available from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Verification of the quarters of coverage may be accessed through the State Verification Exchange System (SVES). If verification is not obtained through SVES or, in some instances, from SSA directly, the household will be responsible for supplying proof of the amount of past wages to document the quarters earned. The household will also be responsible for providing proof if the SSA information is contested by the household or is incomplete.

In instances when the number of countable quarters verified by SSA is in dispute, an immigrant will be allowed to receive SNAP benefits for up to six months while working with SSA to resolve the issue.

As with other mandatory verifications, verification of immigration status may be postponed for households entitled to expedited service processing. However, the household member must claim to be of an eligible immigrant category before participation is allowed for the first month.

Documentation from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or other sources that the EW determines constitutes reasonable evidence of immigrant status is acceptable. If an immigrant does not have proof of the immigration status, the local agency must advise the household to contact USCIS to obtain verification. Form G-845S in Appendix II of this Part may be used to obtain information from USCIS when evidence presented is not clear or the applicant cannot provide information.

Documentation provided by the household must be submitted to USCIS for validation through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement Programs (SAVE) system. The SAVE procedures are outlined in Appendix II of Part VII.

Immigration documentation includes, but is not limited to, the forms listed below.

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