16 Del. Admin. Code § 8000-8020 - Application for Social Security Numbers

Every applicant who does not have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) must apply for one before a public assistance application can be approved. Applicants who do not have a SSN are referred to the appropriate SSA District Office or branch office to apply for one via Form 122. Each person referred to the SSA to apply for a SSN is instructed to return verification of the number to DSS when the number is received.

In the case of newborn children, the mother of the child must apply for a card for the child by the first day of the second month following the month the mother is discharged from the hospital.

EXAMPLE: A child is born on May 25th and the child's mother is discharged from the hospital on May 28th. The mother must apply for a SSN and provide DSS with verification of the application by July 1.

Benefits must be denied to any person who refuses to furnish or apply for a SSN. In the case of a minor child, if a parent refuses to cooperate in applying for a SSN for the child, the parent(s), the child and all eligible siblings are ineligible for assistance.

8020.1 Procedures for Enumeration

Each applicant that does not have a SSN will be referred to the SSA to apply for a number as outlined below:

1. The worker informs the applicant at Intake that in order to be eligible for assistance, each family member must provide a Social Security Number or apply for a Social Security Number and report the assigned number to the agency.

2. The worker will complete Form 122 for clients who do not have a Social Security Number. The client is instructed to take the form to the SSA when applying for numbers, and is informed that SSA requires two (2) forms of identification for each person making application for a number, one of which must be a birth or baptismal certificate. Workers must emphasize that assistance cannot be approved until applications for missing numbers have been made and the completed Form 122 returned to DSS. A carbon or photocopy of the Form 122 is retained in the case record until the original is returned.

3. At intake, the worker allows the client thirty (30) days from the application filing date to apply for a Social Security Number and return a completed Form 122. In ongoing cases, the worker will give the client a deadline of not later than ten (10) days to apply for a Social Security Number and return the completed Form 122. If the client returns the Form 122 marked "The applicant was in to apply but no application has been made ....." the worker will not authorize assistance.

4. The above procedures apply to Social Security Numbers reported as missing on BENDEX report C35F1107 at redetermination, or at any other time it is discovered that a client does not have a Social Security Number and has not applied for one.

5. Clients who must apply for a Social Security Number are instructed to report the number to DSS as soon as it is received. Numbers will be verified through IEVS. See DSSM 2013.

Notes

16 Del. Admin. Code § 8000-8020