VERIFICATIONS - WHEN TO RUN SAVE
ISSUE DATE: 05/2024
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) operates Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE). The SAVE system is a federal information-sharing program between federal, state, tribal, and county governments that verifies immigration status and naturalized or derived citizenship for applicants or participants in federal, state, and local public benefits programs.
Only run SAVE if a person reports on the Combined Application Form that they are a naturalized or derived citizen, or a non-citizen.
1. | First, make sure the person meets all eligibility factors. |
2. | In order to run a SAVE report, the applicant or participant must present acceptable immigration documentation. See 0031.30 (Verifications – Acceptable Immigration Documents). - If a person does not provide acceptable immigration documentation, they are ineligible. Give the person the SAVE Records Fast Facts for Benefit Applicants document from SAVE to obtain evidence of their immigration status. |
Once the person provides acceptable immigration documentation, pending the SAVE verification, the agency cannot deny, delay, reduce, or terminate the person’s eligibility on the basis of immigration status. See 0031.30 (Verifications - Acceptable Immigration Documents).
● | This means once the agency or Tribal Nation has the acceptable documentation to run a SAVE, the person’s eligibility must be determined based on the documentation provided until SAVE reports differently. |
● | Do not delay processing if you are waiting for a 2nd or 3rd-level verification from the SAVE system when the immigration documentation provided by the client makes them eligible based on immigration status. See 0005.12.15.03 (Delays in Processing Applications). |
Use SAVE to verify the following:
At application:
● | Current immigration status |
● | Naturalized Citizenship |
● | Derived Citizenship |
At recertification, renewal, or whenever a change is reported:
● | Workers need to request updated immigration documents when the originally provided immigration document expires or the person reports a change in their immigration status. See 0031.30 (Verifications - Acceptable Immigration Documents). |
● | It is the participant’s responsibility to report changes to their immigration status at renewal or recertification. If it is later discovered that there was a change in status that was required to have been reported AND the change affects eligibility, assess for possible overpayments. |
When to Run a SAVE Report:
Circumstances | Run a SAVE report? | What does the eligibility worker need to do? |
A non-citizen who is an eligible mandatory unit member is applying for benefits and has NOT submitted immigration documentation that includes their full name, date of birth, and a numeric identifier (such as an A#). | No | Non-citizens and naturalized/derived citizens who are applying for benefits must submit acceptableimmigration documentation with their full name, date of birth, and a numeric identifier (such as an A#). Until acceptable immigration documentation is provided do not run SAVE because they are ineligible for benefits. To determine unit composition for MFIP, DWP, MSA, GA, GRH, or RCA, see 0014.03.03 (Determining the Cash Assistance Unit), and for SNAP, see 0014.03.06 (Determining the SNAP Unit). |
A non-citizen presents an expired immigration document. | It depends | See the explanation and list of acceptable expired documents at 0031.30 (Verifications - Acceptable Immigration Documents) and determine whether SAVE can accept the document. If the expired document is on the list, run SAVE. |
A unit with a non-citizen unit member is up for recertification and reports changes to immigration status. | Yes | If a person reports a change to immigration status, run SAVE based on the information on the new immigration document This includes a person renewing a status or obtaining a new status. |
A non-citizen is applying for Expedited SNAP and they have not submitted acceptable immigration documentation within the expedited SNAP processing timeframe. | No | If the person applying has made all reasonable efforts to obtain immigration documents and verification of immigration status but has been unsuccessful within the expedited SNAP processing timeframe, and the documents are not available, do not run SAVE. Postpone immigration status verification and approve expedited SNAP. See 0004 (Emergencies), 0004.04 (Expedited SNAP), and TEMP Manual TE 02.10.01 (Expedited SNAP W/ Pending Verif's). |
A non-citizen unit member who is not a mandatory unit member and is not applying for benefits, and/or is applying for benefits only on behalf of others. | No | Do not run a SAVE report for people who are not mandatory unit members and/or who are not applying for benefits. Do not ask any further questions about the person’s immigration status. |
A unit withdraws its application for assistance. | No | After a unit withdraws its application, do not run a SAVE report. Close or deny the case. If people have reported that they are closing their case due to fears regarding their immigration status or public charge, follow the guidance at 0031.42 (Public Charge). |
A unit transitions from one cash program to another without a break in eligibility, where no change in immigration status is reported. | No | Do not run a SAVE report because the unit did not report a change in immigration status. Keep the codes on the STAT/IMIG panel in MAXIS the same as under the previous cash case. |
A person presents an immigration court document or immigration court order. | No | Follow the process set out in 0031.36 (Immigration Court Orders), and immediately submit a policy question through PolicyQuest. |
Survivor of Human Trafficking presents a certification or eligibility letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. | No | To verify a certification or eligibility letter for a survivor of human trafficking, call the telephone number to the trafficking verification line listed in the last paragraph of the letter. |
A unit with a non-citizen unit member is up for recertification and no changes are reported. | No | Do not run a SAVE report upon every recertification as an annual check. Only run SAVE upon recertification if a person has reported a change in immigration status. |
A non-citizen's Employment Authorization Document (EAD) has expired and the agency does not have any updated or unexpired immigration documents. | No | A SAVE report cannot be run on an expired Employment Authorization Document. When you first receive an Employment Authorization Document:
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A Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) presents an expired LPR card (green card). They report that they have had no change in their immigration status since they received their card. | Yes | Run SAVE using the information on the expired Lawful Permanent Residence card. SAVE may be able to verify Lawful Permanent Residence status from an expired LPR card. Lawful Permanent Residence status does not expire, only the card itself expires. |
A unit applying for benefits does not have immigration documents for all members. | Yes | The unit must submit immigration documents for each unit member who is applying for benefits. ALWAYS run a SAVE report for each unit member. SAVE must be run for both adults and children. The children are not eligible until the unit submits documentation of the children’s immigration status. |
An eligibility worker authorized to use SAVE is curious if a non-citizen's immigration status is still valid. | No | Do not run SAVE out of curiosity or as an experiment. SAVE does not allow test cases. SAVE is a federal system and must be used only in accordance with SAVE guidance. |
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