The Child Care Assistance Program requires verification of certain information. Families have the primary responsibility to verify information.

Any form of verification is acceptable if it confirms the client’s statement. Do not require a specific document or form of verification.

Sources of verification include:

· Written or electronic records or documents.

· Written or oral statements from people outside the family.

· Written client statement, in some situations.

Allow families at least 15 days to provide requested verification. See Chapter 7.1 (Verification Due Dates) for exceptions.

Helping families get verification

You must help families who have trouble getting proof. Families must either provide necessary proof or give their written consent for you to get the information. Certain information may be verified using various Department of Human Services systems or third-party interfaces. See Chapter 7.24 (Verification - State Systems).

Client statement

With the exception of most income and income deduction verifications, when proof is not available despite the efforts of you and the family, get a signed statement from the family attesting to the correctness of the information.

A signed client statement can be used to verify:

· Certain child support income. See Chapter 7.9 (Income Verification)

· The last date of employment and the date the last paycheck was received. Verification does not need to be requested from the employer prior to accepting a client statement for the last date of employment and the date the last paycheck was received.

· Self-employment income if existing verification is insufficient to accurately predict income (for example in the start-up phase of self-employment, the family must choose the 50% of gross income method and a client statement may be used to verify self-employment income). See Chapter 6.15.6 (Annualizing Self-Employment Income) and Chapter 7.9 (Income Verification).

· Other items, such as activity schedule, support of a dependent adult student, residence, relationship between birth parent(s) and child(ren), and child citizenship status.

Note: A client statement is not acceptable verification of income.

For the purpose of obtaining verification, information reported on the application, redetermination, or change report form does not qualify as proof, except for child school schedule and parenting time arrangements.

Refusing to provide verification

If a family refuses to help or deliberately fails to cooperate to verify an eligibility factor, deny or terminate child care assistance. If the unverified eligibility factor affects only a family member (such as a child’s immigration status), deny or end the member’s eligibility. If the unverified factor affects the entire unit (such as income), deny or close the case.

Legal authority

Minnesota Statutes 142E.03
Minnesota Rules 3400.0040