Monthly, gross nonexempt income shall be verified prior to
initial certification, unless the household is entitled to expedited service
and postponed verification for one month. Income is also verified at
recertification when a household reports that the amount of income has changed
more than fifty dollars ($50), or the source of income has changed.
A. Responsibility
1. Clients are primarily responsible for
furnishing income verification documents, a collateral contact, or the
authorization needed to secure sufficient information to allow written or
verbal verification by the eligibility technician. For PA recipients, the PA
case record will normally be used as the source of verification.
2. Means of income verification include
pension award letters, check stubs, employer letters, and collateral contacts
with employers, agencies, or other persons having knowledge of the household's
circumstances.
3. When a collateral
contact designated by the household cannot be expected to provide accurate
third-party verification, the local office shall ask the household to designate
an acceptable collateral contact, provide an alternative form of verification,
or substitute a home visit.
4. In
some instances, however, all attempts to verify income may be unsuccessful
because the person or organization has failed to cooperate with the household.
A cooperating client shall not be denied solely because a third-party refuses
to provide verification. The eligibility technician shall, in consultation with
the client or other sources, arrive at a figure to be used for certification
purposes and annotate the household's case record with information used to make
an eligibility determination.
B. Continuing Employment
When the client has continuing employment, the previous
month's income is the best indication and source of verification of the amount
of income the household may expect to receive. If information, such as probable
salary raise, overtime pay, or layoff supplied by the household or collateral
contact reveals that future income will differ substantially from the previous
month's income, a reasonable estimate of income shall be made based on
information obtained from the household members and/or collateral contacts. The
method of determining and computing income shall be fully annotated in the case
record.
C. Self-Employment
A household's statement of self-employment income shall be
accepted unless questionable. Should verification be requested, no specific
verification shall be required. Self-employment verification may consist of tax
documents, self-employment ledgers maintained by the household, receipts, or
other documents used for verifying and documenting the household's
self-employment income and expenses. If at the time of initial certification, a
household is recently self-employed or does not have adequate documentation of
the household's self-employment income and expenses, the eligibility technician
shall use the best information available to determine the household's monthly
income. The household shall be encouraged to keep records of income and
expenses for subsequent certifications.
D. Educational Assistance
All educational income and financial aid are considered
exempt income and does not require verification to determine a household's
monthly income.
E.
Verification of Terminated Employment
1. If
information regarding the termination of employment is questionable,
verification is necessary. The primary responsibility for providing
verification rests with the household. If it is difficult or impossible for the
household to obtain documentary evidence in a timely manner, the local office
shall offer assistance.
2.
Acceptable sources of verification include, but are not limited to, the
previous employer, employee associations, union representatives and grievance
committees, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Whenever documentary evidence is not available, a collateral contact shall be
used.
3. If the household and the
local office are unable to obtain verification for a questionable claim of
resignation from employment due to discrimination practices or unreasonable
demands by an employer because an employer cannot be located, the household
shall not be denied.
F.
Cases of No Reported Income
The existence of resources, unpaid bills, and/or credit might
be an explanation of how the household exists with no income or income so low
as to place them at the maximum benefit level without consideration of
deductible expenses. The client's statement of no income is acceptable, unless
otherwise questionable.
Notes
10 CCR 2506-1-4.506
37
CR 15, August 10, 2014, effective 9/1/2014
37
CR 21, November 10,2014, effective 12/1/2014
38
CR 23, December 10, 2015, effective 1/1/2016
39
CR 01, January 10, 2016, effective
2/1/2016
39
CR 05, March 10, 2016, effective
4/1/2016
39
CR 07, April 10, 2016, effective
5/1/2016
39
CR 15, August 10, 2016, effective
9/1/2016
39
CR 17, September 10, 2016, effective
10/1/2016
39
CR 19, October 10, 2016, effective
11/1/2016
39
CR 23, December 10, 2016, effective
1/1/2017
40
CR 11, June 10, 2017, effective
7/1/2017
40
CR 17, September 10, 2017, effective
10/1/2017
41
CR 15, August 10, 2018, effective
9/1/2018
40
CR 23, December 10, 2017, effective
12/30/2018
42
CR 01, January 10, 2019, effective
2/1/2019
42
CR 03, February 10, 2019, effective
3/15/2019
42
CR 17, September 10, 2019, effective
10/1/2019
42
CR 18, October 10, 2019, effective
10/1/2019
42
CR 23, December 10, 2019, effective
12/30/2019
43
CR 01, January 10, 2020, effective
1/30/2020
43
CR 05, March 10, 2020, effective
2/7/2020
43
CR 07, April 10, 2020, effective
4/30/2020
43
CR 21, November 10, 2020, effective
11/30/2020
44
CR 21, November 10, 2021, effective
11/30/2021
45
CR 05, March 10, 2022, effective
3/30/2022
45
CR 19, October 10, 2022, effective
10/1/2022
45
CR 19, October 10, 2022, effective
11/1/2022
45
CR 21, November 10, 2022, effective
11/30/2022
46
CR 17, September 10, 2023, effective
9/30/2023
