VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOOL MEALS

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VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITYFOR SCHOOL MEALS
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ITS ALMOST VERIFICATION TIME IN TENNESSEE!!
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VERIFICATION INFORMATION

• School Nutrition web-site _at_snp.state.tn.us
• Start-Up Package
• Scroll down to the Verification Section

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THE VERIFICATION NOTIFICATION LETTER

• Note You must review the form letter generated
  by your software. Compare it to the requirements
  on page 72 of the Eligibility Manual for School
  Meals.
• Some information that has been found to be
  missing

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SOFTWARE NOTIFICATION LETTER MUST INDICATE

• Timeframe of Acceptable Income Documentation
• Please submit papers that show yourincome at
  the time that you applied for benefits.
• If you do not have this information, you
  maysubmit papers from time of application up to
  time of verification.

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WHAT IS VERIFICATION?

• Confirmation of Eligibility for Free and Reduced
  Price Meals Under the NSLP and SBP
• Exceptions from Verification Requirements
• Direct Certification Lists
• Migrants

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MORE EXEMPTIONS

• Homeless Children
• Runaways
• Children in RCCIs with the exception of day
  students

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LETS BEGIN THE PROCESS

• YOU MUST RETAIN YOUR VERIFICATION SUMMARY REPORT
  FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
• YOU MUST COUNT THE APPLICATIONS THAT YOU HAVE ON
  FILE ON OCTOBER THE FIRST.

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• Your Verification Summary Sheet From Last Year
• If you had a non-response rate which is less than
  20 for the 2008-2009 school year
• You can conduct what is now called the alternate
  focused method or the alternate random method of
  verification.

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THE ALTERNATE RANDOM METHOD

• Verify 3 of the total number of applications you
  have on file, as of October 1.
• Sample should contain both income and
  categorically eligible applications. (SNAP
  Families First applications).
• Calculation and selection of applications are as
  follows

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THE ALTERNATE RANDOM METHOD

• Count total number of apps. on file as of October
  1. Multiply the total by .03. Round decimals
  upward.
• Example 340 x.03 10.2 Round upward to 11
  applications.
• Randomly select the required number of
  applications by using a selection interval.
  Example 340/1130.931.

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Alternate Random Method (continued)

• Randomly select an application from the total
  approved.
• Choose every 31st application until 11
  applications have been selected.
• Any selection method in which each application
  has an equal chance of being selected is
  sufficient.

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THE ALTERNATE FOCUSED METHOD

• Must verify 1 of the total number of
  applications
• on file, as of October 1. These applications
  are
• selected from income applications that fall
  within
• 24.00 weekly, 44.00 bi-weekly, 50.00 twice
  
• monthly, 100.00 monthly, or 1200 annually
  of
• the Income Eligibility Guidelines.

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PLUS

• The LEA must verify .5 (1/2 of 1) of the total
  number of applications on file that were approved
  based on categorical eligibility. (SNAP and
  Families First applications)

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BASIC OR STANDARD METHOD

• If you had a verification non-response rate of
  20 or greater in the 2008-2009 school year, you
  must conduct verification using what is now
  called the Basic or Standard Method.
• Verify 3 of ALL applications on file. These
  must be selected from those reporting household
  income within 24.00 Weekly, 44.00 Bi-Weekly,
  50.00 Twice Monthly, 100 monthly, or 1200
  annually of the eligibility guidelines.

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BASIC OR STANDARD METHOD

• You WILL NOT verify any TANF or SNAP
  applications.

Defined as error prone applications by
USDA.
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• If there are not enough error prone applications
  to meet the sample size requirement, additional
  applications shall be selected at random.

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HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR NON-RESPONSE RATE?
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PULL LAST YEARS VERIFICATION SUMMARY REPORT

• DIVIDE THE NUMBER OF NON-RESPONSES BY THE NUMBER
  OF APPLICATIONS THAT YOU VERIFIED.
• EXAMPLE 8 NON-RESPONSES DIVIDED BY 32
  APPLICATIONS VERIFIED
• 8 / 32 .25

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ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR AN ALTERNATE METHOD OF
VERIFICATION?

• 8 / 32 .25
• YOU HAD A 25 NON-RESPONSE RATE.
• YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR AN ALTERNATE METHOD
  VERIFICATION.

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NEW REGULATIONS

• You must notify your consultant if you have
  determined that you are eligible for an alternate
  method of verification.
• Remember If your non-response rate is over 20
  for the 2008-2009 verification process, you ARE
  NOT ELIGIBLE FOR AN ALTERNATE METHODYOU MUST
  CONDUCT THE BASIC METHOD.

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SAMPLE SIZE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL METHODS

• Verification sample size pulled on October
  1st must be the required amount according to the
  sampling method. You MAY NOT pull any extra
  applications.
• If you pull early, re-count applications on
  October 1st to be certain that you pulled enough.

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IF YOU PULL YOUR APPLICATIONS EARLY

• Question? What if a system guestimated the
  number of applications that they would have on
  file on October 1 and they over estimated and
  pulled too many? Answer This would be
  acceptable. Document the date the applications
  were pulled . Document the reasoning for your
  guestimation.
• This does not apply to applications that are
  pulled for cause during the course of the school
  year. The LEA has an obligation to verify all
  questionable applications.

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SAVE YOUR VERIFICATION SELECTION PRINTOUT

• Check your softwares calculations to be
• sure they are correct.
• If an automated system is selecting your
• applications to be verified, you MUST save
  the
• selection printout.
• Auditors are asking for it!!!!

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SAVE YOUR SAMPLING METHOD CALCULATIONS

• IF YOU ARE SELECTING YOUR APPLICATIONS BY HAND,
  YOU MUST ALSO SAVE YOUR SAMPLING METHOD
  CALCULATIONS!

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CONFIRMATION REVIEW

• Applications selected for verification must have
  a second party review before the notification of
  verification is sent out.
• This is only for systems not using an automated
  approval system.
• You must notify Sarah White if you begin using an
  application approval software program or if you
  change programs.

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• This confirmation review must be done by an
  individual other than the individual who made the
  initial eligibility determination.

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CONFIRMATION REVIEW

• THERE IS A SIGNATURE LINE ON THE APPLICATION
  TO DOCUMENT THE CONFIRMATION REVIEW.

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CHANGES RESULTING FROM THE CONFIRMATION REVIEW

• Change in Status from Reduced Price to Free
• Make the increased benefits available immediately
• Notify the household
• Proceed with verification

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STATUS CHANGES FROM FREE TO REDUCED

• DO NOT CHANGE THE CHILDS STATUS
• PROCEED WITH VERIFICATION

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STATUS CHANGES FROM FREE OR REDUCED PRICE TO
PAID

• Immediately send the household a notice of
  adverse action.
• Do not verify the application.
• Select a similar application for verification
  (example another error- prone application)
• Follow the confirmation review procedures for the
  newly selected application.

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AFTER YOU COMPLETE THE CONFIRMATION REVIEW

• After completing confirmation reviews
• 1. LEA may, on a case by case basis, replace
  up to five percent of applications selected.
• 2. Applications may be replaced when the LEA
  believes that the household would be unable to
  satisfactorily respond to the verification
  request.
• 3. The original sampling method must be
  used.

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• DIRECT VERIFICATION
• THE PROCESS OF USING RECORDS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES
  TO VERIFY INCOME AND/OR PROGRAM PARTIPATION.

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DIRECT VERIFICATION

Before sending out any verification information
Check all applications pulled for Verification
(both free and reduced) to see if the applicants
are on any of the Direct Certification (Food
Stamp/Families First), Migrant, Runaway or
Homeless lists.
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DIRECT VERIFICATION

• IF ANY OF THE STUDENTS IN THE HOUSEHOLD ARE ON
  ANY OF THE LISTS, VERIFICATION IS COMPLETE.
  (Remember that this applies only to Direct
  Verification, not eligibility.)

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THE MEDICAID LIST

• Download the Medicaid list, from DHS, the same
  way as the Direct Certification List.
• Take your remaining applications, both
• free and reduced and compare them to the Medicaid
  List.
• There will be 3 columns
• (O) will indicate the monthly income for
  the household.
• (P) Medicaid household size (Ignore this
  column)
• (Q) If there are any in Q, you cannot use
  the Medicaid entry for that student.

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• CONTINUED
• Use the application to determine family size and
  compare it to column O on the Medicaid list
  which gives the household income.
• You will then compare this information to the
  Income Eligibility Guidelines to determine
  eligibility.

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DIRECT VERIFICATION

• Parents will not be notified that they have been
  selected for verification.
• You cannot change eligibility based on the
  Medicaid list, but you can confirm verification.

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CONTINUED

• For the purposes of direct verification only,
  when the data indicates that one eligible child
  is participating in the Supplemental Nutrition
  Assistance Program (SNAP), Families First, or
  Medicaid, all eligible children in the childs
  household are verified.

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CONTINUED

• If any of the children on the application cannot
  be found and verified on any of these lists, you
  must send the regular verification information to
  the household to be completed.
• This will have to be done early enough in the
  year to allow for regular verification to
  completed.
• Remember to re-count applications on file on
  October 1.

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• LEAs must provide all households
  selected for verification with a free of charge
  telephone number that they may call for
  assistance. The LEA may establish a toll-free
  number or allow the household to reverse the
  charges.
• The household must be able to call free of charge
  while working in another calling area.

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OTHER STUDENTS ATTENDING YOUR SCHOOL

• A toll free number must also be provided for
  students that are not actually zoned for your
  school system.

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CONDUCTING VERIFICATION

• Once you send the notification letter, you must
  conduct the verification process.
• Compare the household application on file to the
  income documentation that you receive.
• You must receive income documentation for every
  income listed on the application or documentation
  that that income is no longer received.

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SNAP AND TANF APPLICATIONS

• If you are conducting the alternate focused
  method, you may send a list of TANF and SNAP
  applicants to the Department of Human Services
  for proof of eligibility.
• You do not have to notify the household.
• If eligibility is not confirmed, the notification
  of verification and request for information must
  be sent to the household.

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VERIFYING INCOME ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS

• Acceptable written evidence for income
  households
• (1.) Name of household member
• (2.) Frequency of income received
• (3.) Amount of income received
• (4.) Date the income was received

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INFORMATION THAT MUST BE KEPT FOR EACH
APPLICATION THAT IS VERIFIED

• Copies of all relevant correspondence between the
  
• household and the LEA
• Copies of all income documentation
• Documentation of all telephone calls.
• Copies of the Results of Verification Letter
  sent to the households must be kept on file.
• SAVE EVERYTHING!

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CONTINUED

• If you do not receive income documentation
  for every income on the application, or
  documentation that the income is no longer
  received, this application is considered a
  non-response. You will need to make at least one
  follow-up attempt to obtain the information.

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CONTINUED

• The documentation of income or receipt of
  assistance may be provided for any point in time
  between the month prior to application and the
  time the household is required to provide income
  documentation.
• You will determine eligibility using the income
  documentation the household has provided in the
  same manner that you approved the application
  originally.

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• FOLLOW UP REVIEW
• THERE IS A SECTION ON THE APPLICATION FOR THE
  FOLLOW UP OFFICIALS SIGNATURE

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FOLLOW UP REVIEWS

• You must make at least one attempt to contact
  the household. WHEN????
• If the household does not respond to the request
  for verification information
• They have not provided sufficient evidence for
  you to make an eligibility determination.
  (Missing Adult SS Numbers)
• The contact must be documented.

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HOW TO CONDUCT A FOLLOW UP REVIEW?

• Follow up attempts can be made by
• Mail
• telephone
• e-mail
• personal contact
• Pigeon

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• NEW REGULATIONS CONCERNING NON-RESPONSES
• THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSES
• The household does not contact the LEA when the
  initial request for verification is sent or when
  the LEA attempts follow-up.

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NON-RESPONSES

• The household responds to the initial request but
  provides incomplete information and the LEA is
  unable to determine if the eligibility
  determination was correct or
• The household responds to the initial request but
  fails to provide the LEA with documents or is
  otherwise unable to provide appropriate
  documentation.

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Verification Summary Sheet

• Any of these out comes must be reported as Did
  Not Respond in Box 11 on the Verification
  Summary Sheet.
• There is good news

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GOOD NEWS This is a Response!

• If the household informs the LEA during
  verification, verbally or in writing that they no
  longer wish to receive benefits the SFA can
  consider that verification action closed. The
  household has refused the benefits. The LEA has
  enough information to determine that the HH
  should be changed to paid. Document!

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• IMPORTANT
• POINTS
• TO
• REMEMBER

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November 15th

• All verification activities must be completed
  by November 15th of each year.

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• You have determined that the benefits will remain
  unchanged.
• You have determined that the benefits will be
  increased.
• You have mailed the notification letter to the
  household informing them of a reduction or
  termination of benefits.

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DECREASING BENEFITS

• Households whose benefits have been reduced
  or
• terminated must be given ten calendar days
  advance
• notice of the change.
• Day 1 is the day that the letter is sent.
• Households that re-apply after the 10
  calendar days
• must provide all verification documentation
  that was
• requested originally.

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• WHAT HAPPENS IF VERIFICATION IS NOT COMPLETED AT
  THE TIME OF YOUR CRE?
• The reviewers will check your verification
  process
• from the previous year.

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What will yourCRE reviewer need?

• Entire documentation
• of your completed
• verification process.
• Most recent
• verification
• summary report.

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THE REVIEWER WILL NEED

• Verification summary report from the
• preceding school year.
• Selection list from automated system
• Process for pulling verification by hand
• Rosters from the individual schools showing
  that the verification changes have been made.

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• THE SCHOOL FOOD AUTHORITY VERIFICATION SUMMARY
  REPORT IS DUE TO YOUR REGIONAL CONSULTANT BY
• FEBRUARY FIRST.