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Department
of Human Services Families
First Online Policy Manual Relationship |
Revised: |
13.4 |
VERIFICATION |
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Relationship must be verified before
Families First benefits can be approved.
Once the relationship is verified, it is not necessary to verify
relationship again unless the information becomes questionable. Verification is primarily the responsibility
of the caretaker except when the information is already known to the Department
or when it is more reasonable for the caseworker to obtain the needed
information. The following documents can be used to verify relationship whether
legal or alleged. When any document
other than a birth certificate or birth data obtained through Tennessee
Clearinghouse is used to establish relationship, more than one document is
required: ·
Birth
certificates, copies of birth certificates or Tennessee Clearinghouse which
establish relationship of the child to his/her parent; (In instances where the
caretaker relative is not the parent, these documents can be used to verify
the relationship of the caretaker relative to the child’s parent. This is a preferred form of verification,
but is not required.) ·
Adoption and
legitimation orders that establish the relationship
of the child to his/her parent. ·
Hospital
birth records. ·
Family Bible
or other family records which are in ink and have not been altered. ·
Trust
documents and other such instruments and/or records if relationship is
specified in the document. ·
Wills and
deeds to property if the individuals and relationships are specified. ·
Census
Bureau records that list the child belonging to a particular family and
showing relationships. ·
Written
statements of physicians or midwives who attended the births and remember the
names of the people involved. ·
Old DHS
records which consistently specify the degree of relationship of the
applicant/recipient to the child. ·
Juvenile
Court, other court and hospital records which show relationship. ·
Copies of
income tax returns listing the child as a specific relative. ·
School
records which specify relationship. ·
An award
letter or other acceptable evidence from SSA that RSDI payments have been
awarded to a child based on his/her parent’s account. ·
Military or
veterans records which specify relationships. ·
INS records,
Indian Agency records, other government or local agency records. ·
Newspaper records, and local histories which specify relationship. ·
An
Acknowledgement of Paternity properly completed by an alleged natural father
of a child is sufficient substantiation of blood relationship; (This document
is then routed to the IV-D agency so that they may initiate procedures to
have paternity judicially determined to offer the child protections for
purposes other Families First eligibility.) OR ·
Written
materials of other kinds may be used as cumulative evidence of relationship
when names and relationship are specified.
Such materials include church, daycare and school records, letter and
other such written materials. In the absence of any documentary proof of relationship, the caretaker
relative’s statement is acceptable as long as it contains the following
information: ·
The reason
there is no proof of relationship. ·
His/her
detailed statement as to how he/she is related to the child. ·
As least one
notarized statement from a person in a position to know the facts of the
situation in which he/she describes the relationship and how he/she knows it
to be true. The notarized statement that is used may be
either written by the individuals providing the information or DHS staff can
write out the statement and have the individuals’ signature notarized. These affidavits may be used to fill in
gaps in the information verified by documentary evidence or in lieu of
documentary evidence if none exists. An affidavit tracing relationship must be
made by a person other than the applicant/recipient. This person may be related or not related
to the AR, but he/she must be a person who is in a position to know the facts
of the situation. More than one
affidavit may be required in order to completely trace relationship. |
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