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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES VERIFICATION/DOCUMENTATION

10/25 VOLUME V, PART III, PAGE 1

A. VERIFICATION

Verification is the use of third-party information or documentation to establish the accuracy of statements on the application or Interim Report. Households must be allowed a minimum of ten days to provide required verification.

1. Mandatory Verification at Initial Application/Reapplication

The BPS must verify the following information before certification for households initially applying and for reapplications:

a. Residency

Applicants must establish that they reside in the Virginia locality in which they apply for SNAP benefits. See Part VII.B. Verification of residency is not needed when obtaining proof cannot reasonably be accomplished. Such instances may include homeless households, migrant farm worker households, households newly arrived in a locality, or participants in the Address Confidentiality Program which is available to domestic violence victims.

Where possible, verification of residency may often be accomplished in conjunction with verifying other items such as identity. If the BPS cannot verify residency when verifying other information, the BPS must use a collateral contact or other readily available documentary evidence. Verification may include statements from migrant service agencies or camp officials, letters from the people with whom the household is staying, hotel check-in receipts, day care enrollment forms, and health clinic records for the family. The BPS must accept any document or collateral contact that reasonably establishes the applicant's residency. Households do not have to provide a specific type of verification.

b. Identity

Applicants must verify the identity of the person making the application. When an authorized representative applies on behalf of a household, the agency must verify the identity of both the authorized representative and the head of the household. The BPS may verify identity through readily available documentary evidence, including DMV inquiries through SPIDeR, or through a collateral contact, if no other source is available. Acceptable documentary evidence includes, but is not limited to, a driver's license, work or school identity card, identity card for health benefits or assistance or social services program, a voter registration card, wage stubs, a Social Security card or card stub issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA), or a birth certificate. The BPS must accept any documents that reasonably establish the applicant's identity. Households do not have to provide a specific type of verification.

For drug or alcoholic treatment center residents, the authorized representative may be the resident's collateral contact for purposes of verifying the resident's identity and residency.

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