Sec.17b-749-06. Verification

(a) Responsibilities for Providing Verification

(1) The parent shall have primary responsibility for supplying, on a timely basis, information sufficient to determine eligibility and the level of benefits. The CCAP administrator shall allow parents to submit any evidence they believe will support a factor that needs to be verified.

(2) The CCAP administrator shall assist in obtaining verification of application information on behalf of the family under the following conditions:

(A) when the CCAP administrator has the capacity to obtain the information internally by accessing the department's computer records or through other direct access; or

(B) when the parent has been unable to obtain the needed verification after making a bona fide effort and the assistance unit has requested help; and

(C) when the CCAP administrator has the capability to obtain the verification needed without undue administrative hardship.

(3) Providers shall be responsible for providing verification requested from them by the CCAP administrator.

(4) The CCAP administrator shall consider all evidence submitted or received from other sources.

(b) Standard of Proof

A statement or condition shall be considered verified when the available evidence indicates that it is more likely to be true than not.

(c) Verification Requirements

(1) The CCAP administrator shall require verification of information when required by federal or state law, when necessary to confirm any circumstances pertaining to eligibility for the family, a child care provider or the amount of benefits. The CCAP administrator shall not require parents or providers to verify circumstances not relevant to the case.

(2) Applicants assigned to the waiting list pursuant to section 17b-749-10 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies shall be required to provide verification of information upon request of the CCAP administrator.

(3) Self-employed individuals shall be required to provide copies of federal and state income tax returns and business records upon request. If the reported income does not appear sufficient to meet family needs, the CCAP administrator may require the parent to verify current living expenses and document any alternate means of financial support, such as a loan or credit card expense.

(4) The CCAP administrator may conduct an investigation if the gross or net income reported from rental property or a self-employment enterprise is not consistent with the income produced by other similar rental properties or businesses.

(5) The CCAP administrator shall not require parents or providers to verify a negative or nonexistent condition or circumstance, unless evidence exists to suggest that the information provided is erroneous.

(6) The CCAP administrator shall issue a written notice whenever verification of information is requested. The notice shall specify the information that is needed, the date the information is due, that assistance may be available if the parent is unable to obtain the requested information and a statement that eligibility or benefits may be affected if the information is not submitted timely by the due date.

(d) Effect of Not Providing Verification

(1) If establishing eligibility for the program depends directly upon a factor or circumstance for which verification is required, not providing the requested information shall result in ineligibility for the entire family.

(2) If establishing eligibility for an individual child depends directly upon a factor or circumstance for which verification is required, not providing verification shall result in ineligibility only for the child. The entire family shall be ineligible if there are no other eligible children in the home.

(3) If the eligibility of the provider depends directly upon a factor or circumstance for which verification is required, not providing verification shall result in ineligibility for the provider.

(4) If only the approved hours of care or benefit calculation is affected, not providing verification shall result in the disallowance or non-consideration of the unverified factor or circumstance.

(e) Good Cause

(1) The department shall not deny assistance, discontinue or reduce a family's benefits if the parent can establish good cause for not providing requested verification. A parent shall be considered to have good cause for not providing verification under the following circumstances:

(A) if the parent has had difficulty obtaining information requested from a third party source other than a family member or the parent's child care provider and the parent has made all reasonable attempts to obtain the verification and is complying with the CCAP administrator's request; or

(B) if the CCAP administrator has taken responsibility for assisting the parent in obtaining the verification; or

(C) if extenuating circumstances, including but not limited to a death in the immediate family, severe illness or other mitigating circumstances prevented the parent from timely submitting the verification.

(2) To be eligible for good cause, the parent shall contact the CCAP administrator and request a good cause exemption within ten days of the date the notice of denial or adverse action is issued in accordance with section 17b-749-07 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(f) Methods of Verification

(1) Parents shall be required to submit written documentation as the primary method or source of verification, except where self-declarations are requested on the application or other program forms.

(2) In the absence of written documentation or where the verification submitted is questionable, the CCAP administrator shall have the option of verifying information by contacting other disinterested third party sources or persons who are not members of the household or the child care provider.

(3) Whenever possible, the CCAP administrator shall use information obtained through on-line computer interfaces or other automated resources to verify eligibility factors or circumstances to the extent the information is reliable, current and is readily available.

(4) Parents shall submit written documentation from reliable independent sources whenever such documentation is available. Parents may submit affidavits or self-declarations as verification. Such documentation shall be evaluated together with all other available evidence to determine if a circumstance has been verified. The CCAP administrator shall obtain a notarized statement on a form prescribed by the department prior to replacing a lost, stolen or destroyed check and may require parents and providers to submit affidavits in other situations where documentation is insufficient or not available.

(Adopted effective July 10, 2001)