Verification of age, citizenship, and identity mustshall be completed before any individual, adult or child, is eligible to be included in the assistance group.

(A)What is acceptable documentation of age?

(1)A civil birth record or a church record of birth or baptism established before age five are primary documents used to verify age.

(2)Alternate documents are acceptable and mustshall be used to avoid delaying assistance to an otherwise eligible individual. Examples of alternate documents include but are not limited to:

(a)School records;

(b)Insurance policies;

(c)Draft card; and

(d)Official hospital records.

(3)The alternate document mustshall show the applicant's name and date of birth or age and should be at least one year old (unless it is for a child under age one).

(B)What is acceptable documentation of identity?

(1)Documents used to identify an individual include but are not limited to:

(a)Driver's license;

(b)Day care or nursery school records;

(c)Voter's registration;

(d)Insurance policies;

(e)Military papers;

(f)United States (U.S.) passport; and

(g)Vaccination certificates.

(2)The county agency mustshall be able to compare the information on the documentation with the information on the application or with the individual to ensure identification.

(3)A birth or baptismal certificate is not evidence of identity. Children under age seven will generally have some type of evidence of identity in addition to a birth certificate. However, ifwhen such a child (e.g., a newborn infant) has absolutely no other documentary evidence, the birth certificate alone will be acceptable as long as the eligibility worker has no reason to doubt that the child actually exists.

(C)What is acceptable documentation of citizenship?

(1)Every assistance group member is required to establish U.S. citizenship or legal alien status, and mustshall submit at least one document showing U.S. birthplace or in some way indicating U.S. citizenship. "U.S.-born" refers to an individual born in one of the fifty states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islandsislands, U.S. Virgin Islandsislands, Swain's Islandisland or American Samoa.

(a)IfWhen the applicant is a U.S.-born citizen, a civilian birth, baptismal, or church certificate specifically displaying a U.S. birthplace may be used as verification.

(b)IfWhen the applicant is a foreign-born U.S. citizen, a citizen certification, U.S. passport, consular's certification of birth, or certificate of naturalization may be used as verification.

(c)IfWhen the applicant is an alien, his status may be verified by forms issued from the United States citizenship and immigration services (USCIS).