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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES VERIFICATION/DOCUMENTATION

10/25 VOLUME V, PART III, PAGE 7

department may use the household’s statement if alternate sources of verification are not available or are uncooperative with the household and the local department.

Example A farm owner refuses to verify a tenant's income. The local Migrant Seasonal Farmworker's Association (MSFA) or Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) may be able to provide information of expected income.

Where information from another source contradicts statements made by the household, the household must have an opportunity to resolve the discrepancy prior to an eligibility determination and within the maximum time limits described in Part II.F.

Example A farm owner reports that the applicant, a tenant farmer, earned a specified amount from the sale of a crop. The applicant reports that this amount is incorrect. If there is no one else to verify the income, and the applicant himself is unable to do so, the agency could use an estimate provided by the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS).

Collateral Contacts and Home Visits

A collateral contact is a verbal confirmation of a household's circumstances by a person outside of the household. The person supplying the information may be either in person or over the telephone. Before approval of the initial application/reapplication, the BPS may select a collateral contact only if the household fails to designate one or designates one that is unacceptable. Examples of acceptable collateral contacts include employers, landlords, social service agencies, migrant service agencies, and neighbors of the household who can provide accurate third-party verification. If the BPS designates a collateral contact, the BPS may not make the contact without prior written or oral notice to the household. At the time of this notice, the BPS must inform the household that it must consent to the contact; or provide acceptable verification in another form.

If the household fails to choose one of these options, the BPS must deny the application based on the normal procedures for failure to verify necessary information at the end of the processing period.

When the BPS contacts the collateral contact, there must be:

• No disclosure that the household has applied for benefits;

• No sharing of information provided by the household; or

• No suggestion of wrongdoing by the household.

The BPS may disclose to the collateral contact only that information the contact needs to supply the information the agency seeks.

TRANSMITTAL #36