Verification

1
Verification Training
Verification Part 8
2
Verification Training
What is Verification
Verification is confirmation of eligibility for
free and reduced price meals under the NSLP and
SBP
3
Verification Training
Excluded from verification

• Direct Certification Children
• Migrant Children
• Homeless Children
• Runaway Children
• Head Start and Even Start Students
• Applications that were filled out by the SFA on
  behalf of the student
• Any Provision 2 school, not in their base year

4
Verification Training
Which Applications are considered in
Verification?

• The sample pool used for verification is from the
  total number of approved applications as of end
  of business October 1st 2009
• SFAs do not have to include applications for
  students in split kindergarten participating in
  only the SMP

5
Verification Training
How many Application need to be Verified?

• 3 of all verification eligible applications
  need to be selected for verification
• Error prone applications must be selected first
  applications within 100 of the monthly income
  eligibility guidelines (1200- annually)
• SFAs CANNOT verify any less or any more than 3
  of applications- with the exception of
  verification for cause
• Verification for cause is done in addition to
  the required verification size

6
Verification Training
Verification for Cause
Manual pg. 67

• The LEA has the obligation to verify all
  questionable applications
• Verification can not delay the approval of an
  application
• The SFA must send the household a letter
  explaining that they must submit verification of
  eligibility
• If a household does not submit the requested
  verification by the stated due date, the SFA must
  send a letter of adverse action to the household
  (the household is given 10 days, from the date
  the letter was mailed until meal benefits are
  terminated)
• If the household submits the requested
  information and it does not qualify them for
  their current meal benefit, the SFA must send a
  letter of adverse action to the household

7
Verification Training
Household Notification of Selection
Manual pg. 72

• Notification must include
• That the household was selected for verification
• The household must provide the social security
  number or indicate they do not have
  one for EACH of the household adults
• Privacy Act
• Acceptable information for income confirmation
• Confirmation of SNAP benefits for applicable
  household members
• Due Date to return materials to SFA
• Statement that failure to return the requested
  materials will result in termination of benefits
• Name and telephone number of school official who
  can assist with questions

8
Verification Training

• REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2004

Households are allowed to provide documentation
of income for any point in time between the month
prior to application and the time the household
is required to provide income documentation. This
is to support the statutory change that provides
for full school year eligibility.
9
Verification Training

• Sources of Verification

• Written Evidence
• Collateral Contacts
• Agency Records- does not apply to CO

Manual pg 73-74
10
Verification Training

• Written Evidence

• Primary Source of eligibility confirmation
• Pay Stubs
• To be considered acceptable must contain
• The name of the household member
• Amount of gross income received
• Frequency Received
• The date the income was received
• Self employed can submitted tax books or
  ledgers, business or farming papers
• Award letters from welfare departments or other
  government agencies
• example SNAP
• The letter would have to be a written statement
  from the SNAP agency that specifies that the
  child is a member of the household which is
  receiving benefits

11
Verification Training

• Collateral Contacts

• Examples of Collateral Contacts Include
• Employers
• Social Services agencies
• Migrant workers agencies
• Religious organizations
• Civic organizations

The verifying school official should only request
a collateral contact when the household has been
unable to provide adequate written evidence
12
Verification Training

• Advanced Notice of Adverse Actions

• The SFA MUST make at least one follow-up attempt
  to contact the household if it does not
  adequately respond to requests for verification
• All households with children with whom benefits
  are to be reduced or terminated must be given 10
  calendar days written, advance notice of the
  change.
• The first day of the 10 calendar days is the day
  the notice is sent.

Manual pg 76-77
13
Verification Training
Manual pg. 77
Benefits during and Appeal

• The ten-day grace period is extended until the
  appeal process is complete and a final
  determination is made.
• Hearing Procedures must be followed and is
  located in the Administrators Reference Manual

14
Verification Training
Households who reapply

• Households whose benefits are terminated due to
  non-response must submit income verification at
  the time the new application is submitted if in
  the same school year.

15
Verification Training

• When is Verification of the application complete?

• When the level of benefits approved is
• Confirmed
• Increased
• Decreased and a Letter of Adverse Action is sent
• Terminated and a letter of Adverse Action is sent

16
Verification Training

• Completion of Verification

• Verification of the required sample size must be
  completed by November 15th.
• A written request for an extension must be
  submitted to CDE prior to the deadline (must be
  forwarded to USDA regional office for approval).

17
Verification Training

• Record Keeping

• Verified applications must be retrievable by
  school
• Records of income source(s)
• All correspondence
• Any additional information to show efforts
• Title and signature of verifying official
• SFA must retain a verification summary

18
Verification Training
Mandatory Timeline

• October 1st (2nd) Begin verification process,
  must use the number of approved applications on
  file as of close of business Oct. 1
• November 15th Completion of Phase 1
• February 15th Completion of Phase 2
• March 1st Attachment 9 must be RECEIVED by CDE

19
Verification Training

• Lets Give it a GO!!!

20
VERIFICATION GLOSSARY
Verification Training

• Approved application a free or reduced priced
  meal application approved as close of business on
  October 1
• Income eligibility approval is based on
  household income and size. All reduced priced
  approvals are based on income eligibility. Foster
  children are approved based on income eligibility
• Categorical eligibility approval is based on a
  SNAP case number

21
VERIFICATION GLOSSARY
Verification Training

• Direct Certification
• Eligibility is based on participation in SNAP,
  no application is required because a match has
  been made with CDHS database.
• Directly certified students are not included in
  the verification pool.
• Homeless/Runaway, Migrant, Head Start and Even
  Start are not subject to verification

22
Verification Training
Verification Packet

• Instructions
• Attachment 1 Selection of Applications
• Attachment 2 Letter to Households
• Attachment 3 Verification Information for Free
  and Reduced Price Meals
• Attachment 4 What You Need to Send Us
• Attachment 5 Statement of Earnings

23
Verification Training
Verification Packet

• Attachment 6 Social Security and/or
  Supplemental Security Income
• Attachment 7 Letter of Verification Results
  for Income Households
• Attachment 8 Verification Tracker
• Instructions and Attachment 9 Verification
  Results

Calculating Farm or Self Employment Income
worksheet
24
Verification Process (per Instructions)
Verification Training

• October 1
• Determine Basic Sample Size for Verification3
  of your total applications on file as of the
  close of business on October 1st 2009

25
Selection of Applications Attachment 1
Verification Training

• Initially, you will select from error prone
  applications.
• Error prone are those applications that come
  within 100 monthly or 1,200 annually of the
  upper limit of the respective eligibility
  guideline for free or reduced meal benefits.

26
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• Example Information reported on application
• Household size 2
• Household income 1,499
• Free Income Guideline (monthly) 1,579
• (1,579-100 1,479)
• Error-prone range 1,479 to 1,579
• Application must be flagged for verification

27
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• Determine the 3 sample size
• (based on all approved applications include
  error prone and non-error prone)
• Example
• 205 approved applications x .03
• Need to round to nearest whole number
• applications must be selected for verification

6.15
7
28
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• From the error prone applications, randomly
  select 7 error prone applications.
• HOWEVER, IF
• 2. There are fewer than 7 error prone
  applications, then ALL error prone applications
  MUST be selected. PLUS you must also randomly
  select from all remaining applications until
  sample is chosen.

29
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• Example
• District has 3 error prone applications. All
  3 error prone applications are part of the
  sample, PLUS 4 additional non-error prone
  applications MUST be randomly selected to
  complete the sample of 7 total applications.

30
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• If the total number of error-prone applications
  exceeds the required sample size, randomly select
  the required number from the error-prone
  applications.
• Example
• - 21 error-prone applications have been
  flagged.
• - 7 applications must be chosen for sample.
• - Randomly choose 7 applications from the 21
  error-prone applications, for verification.

31
Verification Tracker
Verification Training

• Attachment 8
• This can be used to document each step of the
  verification process
• Attach this sheet to the top of each application
  selected for verification

32
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• Prior to notifying selected families, the
  selected applications must be reviewed for
  accuracy by an individual (second party reviewer)
  other than the individual making the initial
  eligibility determination.

The second party reviewer must document that they
have reviewed all applications Document review
on the verification tracker worksheet
33
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• If the review indicates the initial eligibility
  determination is incorrect
• Correct the eligibility status
• If the household is not eligible for free or
  reduced-price, notify household of the adverse
  action and that they may reapply.
• Remove that application from the sample and
  select another application.
• If the review indicates that the household
  continues to be eligible for free or reduced,
  verify the application.

34
Selection (cont.)
Verification Training

• If the review indicates the initial eligibility
  determination is correct, proceed to verify.

35
Notification of households
Verification Training
Attachment 2
This letter identifies that the application has
been selected for verification Also includes
what the household must send to the district to
continue to receive meal benefits

• When notifying the selected households, they
  must be provided with a toll-free phone number to
  call for assistance or the district must accept a
  collect call.
• FOLLOW-UP If a household does not respond,
  the district official shall make at least one
  additional attempt to obtain the necessary
  verification.

36
What else is sent to the households?
Verification Training

• Attachment 3
• Verification information that is needed from the
  household
• Attachment 4
• What the household must send to the district
• Attachment 5
• Statement of earnings that can be completed by
  an EMPLOYER only
• Attachment 6
• Statement of Social Security and/or Supplemental
  Security Income that can be completed by the
  SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE only
• Calculating Farm or Self Employment Income
  worksheet

37
We Had a Great Response Rate!!
Verification Training

• 7 of the 15 apps that were used in the
  application activity now need to be verified.
• We had 6 of the 7 households respond and
  provide the information requested
• The 7 households are Weather, Trumpet, Mountain,
  Oblongers, Moore, Brady and Paltrow
• This can be completed as a small group or
  individually.

38
Lets Review
Verification Training

• How do your verified applications look?
• Were there any meal benefit changes?

39
Letter of Verification results for Households
Verification Training

• Attachment 7
• Letter needs to be sent to every household that
  had an application verified
• Indicates the results of the verification
  process and the households current meal benefit
  status

40
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS
Verification Training
Lets Start Phase 1 !
Attachment 9 Instructions

• PHASE 1
• Number of Applications means the actual pieces
  of paper
• Number of Students means the students enrolled
  in your district and listed on the applications.
• Use of the Electronic form will assist you in
  input of correct numbers
• We are requiring that all districts use the
  electronic Attachment 9 form for the 09-10 school
  year

41
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS
Verification Training

• Number of Applications approved based on Income
  Eligibility refers to free and reduced price
  applications that have been approved based on
  income and household size. (5)
• Number of Applications approved based on SNAP
  case number refers to free applications approved
  because of a SNAP case number. (7)

42
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS
Verification Training

• The total number of all applications on file
  refers to approved applications only DO NOT
  include denied or withdrawn, or inactive in this
  total.
• Number of income eligible applications (5)
• categorically eligible applications (7)
• Total Applications. (1 lower half)

43
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS
Verification Training

• The total number of free/RP students approved
  includes direct certification, runaway, homeless,
  migrant students, and Head Start/Even Start.
• However, these are not part of the verification
  pool.

To Determine TOTAL number of Free/RP students

• (4) of students approved by Direct
  Certification, including homeless, runaway,
  migrant
• (6) of students approved based on Income
  Eligibility (income/household size)
• (8) of students approved based on an application
  with a valid SNAP number
• (3)TOTAL NUMBER OF FREE/RP STUDENTS

44
Attachment 9 (electronic)
Verification Training

• Electronic Verification form (with formulas)
• Lets go to Excel
• (Verification Attachment 9 electronic
  verification.xls)

45
VERIFICATION REPORTING
Verification Training

• A summary of the verification efforts (a written
  summary of Items 5a-5d) must be kept on file.
• The summary must include
• a. Description of the selection process.
• b. How applications were verified.
• c. The dates the notices were sent notes on
  any contacts made.
• d. The reasons for any denial or change of
  eligibility.
• KEEP THIS ON FILE IN YOUR DISTRICTDO NOT SEND
  TO CDE.

46
PHASE 2
Verification Training

• Period covers activity for November 16 through
  February 15. This will be reflected in block 6 on
  the second page of the form.
• Report data from Verification sample.
• (Do not include applications verified for
  cause.)

47
VERIFICATION FORM
Verification Training

• Page 2 of the form
• All students and applications should be accounted
  for in blocks 1-5.
• Block 6 (Phase 2) should only include those who
  were changed to Paid, for whatever reason, and
  then reapplied and were re-approved as free or
  reduced on or before February 15, 2010.

48
Phase 2 Reporting

• Lets Go back to Excel

49
Record Retention
Verification Training

• School food authorities shall retain copies of
  the information reported and all supporting
  documents for a minimum of 3 years plus the
  current year.
• (Memo date May 2007)

50
Record Retention (cont.)
Verification Training

• All relevant correspondence between the
  households selected for verification and the
  school or school food authority must be retained.

51
Record Retention (cont.)
Verification Training

• All verified applications must be readily
  retrievable and include all documents submitted
  by the household for the purpose of confirming
  eligibility
• Reproductions of those documents, or annotations
  made by the determining official which indicate
  which documents were submitted by the household
  and the date of submission are required

52
REMEMBER!!!
Verification Training

• Use the applications approved as of end of
  business October 1st , for the verification pool.
• Verification must be completed by November 15th
• PHASE 2 must be completed by February 15.
• The 2009-2010 Verification Results Summary must
  be submitted to CDE by March 1!!