VERIFICATION

1
VERIFICATION
2
Additional Exceptions

• Homeless/Runaway
• Migrant
• Applications filled out by the SFA on behalf of
  students known to be eligible if the household
  fails to apply (manual, page 22).
• Provision 2 schools (non-base years)
• (manual, page 48)

3
Verification at Time of Application

• Must include all applications
• Cannot delay application processing
• Verification begins after application processing
  is complete
• Must follow 3 steps
• (manual, page 48 49)

4
Household Notification of Selection

• Notice must include
• Notification of selection
• That the household must provide adult household
  social security number/none
• Privacy Act
• Acceptable information for income confirmation
• Confirmation of Food Stamp benefits for
  applicable household members
• Due date to return information to SFA
• Name telephone number of school official who
  can assist with questions
• (manual, pages 49-50)

5
Verification Methods

• Written Evidence (pay stubs most common)
• Collateral Contacts (must be outside of
  household)
• Agency Records (food stamp eligibility)
• (manual, pages 50-51)

6
Verification of Income Eligibility

• Written Evidence
• Collateral Contacts
• Agency Records
• (Note in the event of no response, SFA must make
  one additional attempt before terminating
  benefits)
• (manual, pages 51-52)

7
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.

8
Advance Notice of Adverse Action

• 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, page 53)

9
Verification of Categorical Eligibility

• Written Evidence
• Agency Records
• Notice of adverse actions applies.
• (manual, pages 53-54)

10
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).
• (manual, page 54)

11
Completion of Verification

• When 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
• (manual, pages 54-55)

12
Benefits During Appeal Process

• The ten-day grace period is extended until the
  appeal process is complete and a final
  determination is made.
• Hearing Procedure must be followed and is located
  in the Administrators Reference Manual
• (manual, page 56)

13
Households that 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.
• (manual, page 56 57)

14
Recordkeeping

• SFA must retain a verification summary
• Verified applications must be retrievable by
  school or copies in verification file
• Records of income source(s)
• All correspondence
• Any additional information to show efforts
• Title and signature of verifying official
• (manual, page 57)

15
Mandatory Timelines

• October 1 begin process
• November 15 completion of Phase 1
• February 15 completion of Phase 2
• March 1 verification summary must be submitted
  to CDE
• (after Q A section and hot pink handout)

16
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

17
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

18
Verification Process (per Instructions)

• October 1
• Determine Basic Sample Size for Verification3
  of your total applications on file as of the
  close of business on the last day of September

19
Selection of Applications Attachment 1

• 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
  guidelines.

20
Selection (cont.)

• Example Information reported on application
• Household size 2
• Household income 1,479
• Free Income Guideline (monthly) 1,517
• (1,517-100 1,417)
• Error-prone range 1,417 to 1,517
• Application must be flagged for verification.

21
Selection (cont.)

• Determine the 3 sample size
• (based on all approved applications include
  error prone and non-error prone)
• Example
• 300 approved applications x .03
• 9 applications
• 9 applications must be selected for verification.

22
Selection (cont.)

• From the error prone applications, randomly
  select 9 error prone applications. (but)
• 2. IF there are fewer than 9 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).

23
Selection (cont.)

• Example
• District has 3 error prone applications. All
  3 error prone applications are part of the
  sample, PLUS 6 additional non-error prone
  applications MUST be randomly selected to
  complete the sample of 9 total applications.

24
Selection (cont.)

• If the total number of error-prone applications
  exceeds the required sample size, randomly select
  the required number from the error-prone
  applications.
• Example
• - 15 error-prone applications have been
  flagged.
• - 9 applications must be chosen for sample.
• - Randomly choose 9 applications from the
  15 error-prone applications, for
  verification.

25
Selection (cont.)

• 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.

26
Selection (cont.)

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

27
Selection (cont.)

• 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.

28
Selection (cont.)

• 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.

29
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

• PHASE 1
• of Applications means the actual pieces of
  paper.
• 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

30

• Electronic Verification form
• (with formulas)

31
VERIFICATION REPORTING

• 2008-2009
• VERIFICATION RESULTS
• (1) Total number of schools participating in the
• NSLP (National School Lunch Program)
  ____________
• (2) Number of enrolled students with
  access ____________
• to the NSLP (National School Lunch Program) as of
  October 1

32
VERIFICATION REPORTING
33
VERIFICATION GLOSSARY

• Direct Certification
• Eligibility is based on participation in Food
  Stamps, no application is required because a
  match has been made with CDHS database.
  Directly certified students are not included in
  the verification pool.

34
VERIFICATION REPORTING
35
VERIFICATION GLOSSARY

• Approved application a free or reduced priced
  meal application approved as of 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
  Food Stamp case number.

36
VERIFICATION REPORTING

• All Phase 1 verification activity must be
  completed by November 15.
• The total number of all approved applications on
  file on
• October 1, 2008.
• Number of approved error prone
  applications ________
• Number of approved non-error prone
  applications ________
• 2. The percentage of applications verified.
  3
• The number of applications verified. ________
• (Do not include applications verified for
  cause.) Number of approved error prone
  applications ________
• Number of applications from approved non-error
  prone
• applications. ________
• Number of students on applications verified.
• Phase 2 follow-up activity must be completed by
  February 15.

37
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

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

38
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

• (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 Food Stamp number
• (3)TOTAL NUMBER OF FREE/RP STUDENTS

39
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

• 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)
• of Applications approved based on Food Stamp
  case number refers to free applications approved
  because of a Food Stamp case number. (7)

40
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

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

41
VERIFICATION REPORTING

• 5. A summary of the verification efforts (a
  written summary of Items 1a- 1d) 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.

42
PHASE 2

• 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.)

43
VERIFICATION FORM TIPS

• 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, 2009.

44
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45
Record Retention

• School food authorities shall retain copies of
  the information reported and all supporting
  documents for a minimum of 5 years plus the
  current year.
• (Memo date May 2007)

46
Record Retention (cont.)

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

47
Record Retention (cont.)

• 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.

48
REMEMBER!!!

• Use the applications approved as of October 1,
  for the verification pool.
• Verification must be completed by November 15!
• PHASE 2 must be completed by February 15.
• The 2008-2009 Verification Results Summary must
  be submitted to CDE by March 1!!

49
VERIFICATION REPORTING

• 2008-2009
• VERIFICATION RESULTS
• (1) Total number of schools participating in the
• NSLP (National School Lunch Program)
  __11__________
• (2) Number of enrolled students with
  access ____5556______
• to the NSLP (National School Lunch Program) as of
  October 1

50
VERIFICATION REPORTING
51
VERIFICATION REPORTING
52
VERIFICATION REPORTING

• All Phase 1 verification activity must be
  completed by November 15.
• The total number of all approved applications on
  file on
• October 1, 2007. 844
• Number of approved error prone applications
  _102_______
• Number of approved non-error prone
  applications _742______
• 2. The percentage of applications verified.
  3
• The number of applications verified. __26____
• (Do not include applications verified for
  cause.) Number of approved error prone
  applications __26____
• Number of applications from approved non-error
  prone
• applications. ____0___
• Number of students on applications
  verified. __61
• Phase 2 follow-up activity must be completed by
  February 15.

53
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