Section 10. Selection Of Verification

Verification shall be requested only when necessary to establish a specific eligibility factor or benefit amount for a program and is not available or acceptable from an electronic source, in accordance with other benefit requirements. The method of verification which is selected to establish eligibility on a factor is determined through discussion between ISD and the applicant/recipient. A. Only necessary verification: ISD shall only request verification which is necessary to establish eligibility or benefit amounts for the assistance program(s) for which the applicant/recipient has applied. B. Ready availability: The determination that verification is readily available will be made through discussion with the applicant/recipient. A readily available document is one which can be obtained by the applicant/recipient within five working days and at no cost to the applicant/recipient. C. Verification of a negative statement: Verification, other than by sworn statement, of a negative statement shall not be required unless the statement is or becomes questionable as defined in 8.100.130.12 NMAC and at least one specific method of verifying the statement is readily available. A negative statement is a statement by an applicant/recipient that something does not exist or did not occur. Negative statements may be discussed with the applicant/recipient depending on the applicant/recipient's circumstances. D. Verifying more than one factor: To the extent possible, ISD shall use a document to establish more than one eligibility factor.