SSA must obtain the wage earner's authorization prior to using wage verification companies to verify wages. Authorization must be obtained via the Wage and Employment Information Authorization (WEIA) application or via paper form SSA-8240. If wage and employment authorization was obtained using the paper SSA-8240, follow instructions in GN 00204.150C.3 to record the response and properly document the file. To check whether a person has provided authorization, access the WEIA application.

For more information on the Wage and Employment Information Authorization application, see:

• •

  GN 00204.150 - Authorization to Obtain Wage and Employment Information from Payroll Data Providers via an Information Exchange for the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Programs

• •

  MS 09401.001 Wage Authorization - Overview

IMPORTANT: SSI recipients and deemors are not required to provide this authorization. Do not request information from wage verification companies for individuals who refuse to provide or who have revoked wage and employment information authorization.

When pay stubs are not readily available, always check with the SSA-approved wage verification company(ies) to determine if the employer subscribes to the wage verification service. To do so, first ensure we have obtained proper authorization from the wage earner by checking the WEIA application. Then, run a search using the worker’s information. Document the evidence according to SI 00820.147D.4. in this section.

For instructions on running searches using SSA-approved wage verifications companies see:

• •

  SI 00820.147E for The Work Number (TWN), and

• •

  SI 00820.147F for VerifyAdvantage.

Wage verification companies do not always provide SSA with cafeteria plan information and income from tips.

If evidence on the record (e.g., the Wages page, prior pay stubs, etc.) or evidence from the wage verification company indicates that a cafeteria plan may exist, and the wage evidence does not provide exact amounts, follow the procedures to develop cafeteria benefit plan amounts in SI 00820.102.

If evidence on record or evidence from the wage verification company indicates unreported tips, obtain additional primary or secondary evidence. See the information on evidence of wages or termination of wages in SI 00820.130.

Document evidence from a wage verification company as follows:

• •

  Record the verified wages on the SSI Claims system (i.e., MSSICS) Wages page or input to the Supplemental Security Record (SSR).

• •

  Store the verified wage information in the certified electronic folder (CEF) or the Non-Disability Repository for Evidentiary Documents (NDRED) if a CEF is not available in eView. Use the Evidence Portal when faxing information into NDRED. Alternatively, you may document the verified wage information on a Report of Contact or Evidence (EVID) screen and lock it. For information to include on the Report of Contact or EVID, see SI 00820.130C.1.b.

• •

  If wage and employment authorization was obtained using the paper SSA-8240, follow instructions in GN 00204.150C.3 to record the response and properly document the file.

If a discrepancy exists between the information provided by the wage verification company and other wage evidence obtained, you must:

• •

  Resolve the discrepancy by obtaining other wage evidence per SI 00820.135B.

• •

  Summarize the wage determination on a Report of Contact or EVID screen and lock it. For cases outside the SSI Claims system (i.e., non-MSSICS), complete an SSA-5002 (Report of Contact).

• •

  Store wage evidence and any accompanying wage determination information in the CEF or NDRED via EP.

Some FO staff, typically management, may obtain administrative access to TWN, enabling them to add and manage TWN user profiles locally. To request administrative access, District Managers, Assistant District Managers, Operations Supervisors, and individuals who supervise technicians using TWN must contact their Regional Coordinator (RC) through established regional procedures or via the vHelp portal. We call individuals who obtain administrative access “administrators” or “web managers.”

Administrators without previous access will receive two emails from TWN.

• •

  The first email provides the administrator with TWN access rights.

• •

  The second email contains a temporary password.

New administrators must log into TWN using the temporary password and set a new password.

Administrators may view the TWN step-by-step tutorial, , for instructions on:

• •

  adding new users;

• •

  finding and managing users;

• •

  accessing a list of all users in a particular location;

• •

  resetting a user’s pin (password);

• •

  deactivating accounts for users who retire, leave the agency, or change to a job that does not have a job-related need for access to TWN; and

• •

  reactivating inactive users.

SSA employees may have only one TWN account. Do not list users under multiple locations. Administrators should review and update their office listing periodically and contact their RC through established regional procedures or via the vHelp portal if:

• •

  a user moves to a different location or field office (FO) within or outside the Region;              

• •

  administrator rights must be established, transferred, or removed; or

• •

  an administrator is unable to resolve a TWN issue.

To submit TWN questions in vHelp, select from the drop down boxes:     

• •

  Primary Topic: SSI       

• •

  Sub-Topic: The Work Number.

Administrators may add new users in TWN by following the instructions in the step-by-step tutorial Web Manager for Social Service Agencies.

When creating user accounts, administrators must use the employee’s SSA.gov email address for both the email address and username fields. TWN changed the way usernames are established in its network and no longer accepts the “at sign” (@) as a character in the username field. Administrators must format the username so that the “@ ” symbol in the SSA email address is replaced with a hyphen symbol (-).

For example:

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  Username: John.Doe-ssa.gov

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  Email: John.Doe@ssa.gov

NOTE: This policy change does not affect active usernames in the system that contain an @ symbol.

An SSA employee must always login using the original username established upon registering for TWN, regardless of subsequent name changes. Administrators must not create new accounts for employees who legally change their name.

In the event of a name change, TWN administrators may:

• •

  update the user’s email address in the user’s profile to ensure they receive the proper notifications; and

• •

  change the user’s display name in the user profile.

Prior to requesting wage information using TWN, ensure that the individual has provided wage and employment authorization following SI 00820.147D.1 in this section.

IMPORTANT: We do not condition SSI payments on providing this authorization. Do not request information from TWN for individuals who refuse to provide or who have revoked wage and employment information authorization.

TWN Express Service verification provides employment and income verification with instant delivery on the user’s computer screen. To request information from TWN:

1. 1. 

   Log in to the TWN Web Site.

2. 2. 

   On the New Order screen, enter the wage earner’s Social Security Number (SSN). Do not enter your SSN or any SSA employee’s SSN.

3. 3. 

   Select the permissible purpose, “Employee’s eligibility for a benefit granted by governmental agency; - we are required by law to consider the employee’s financial responsibility or status.”

4. 4. 

   Select Verification Type(s), “Social Services Verification.”

5. 5. 

   Select Start Order

6. 6. 

   Select the employer(s) you want to view; proceed to the verification screen.

7. 7. 

   You may click on the PDF icon to open the response in PDF format, then print or save the verification report. Document the evidence per SI 00820.147D.4. in this section.

REMINDER: If an employer participates with TWN or any other SSA-approved wage verification company, do not send the employer form SSA-L4201-BK (Letter to Employer Requesting Wage Information). Verify the wage information using the procedures in SI 00820.130.

To use VerifyAdvantage, you must set up an account. Take the following steps:

1. 1. 

   From your Internet browser, go to www.verifyadvantage.com.

2. 2. 

   Select the “Create an Account” link under the “Government Requestor” section.

3. 3. 

   On the “Requestor Account Setup” page, complete the required fields and click “Save.” A screen displays a new user account has been set up for you under the company name of Social Security Administration.

   NOTE: Enter your government email address and fax number with area code.

4. 4. 

   You will receive an email containing instructions to complete the setup process; complete as instructed.

5. 5. 

   If you have not received an email from VerifyAdvantage containing instructions to complete account setup within 24 hours, contact VerifyAdvantage at (866) 894-7687.

IMPORTANT: When you create a VerifyAdvantage account:

• •

  The username must be between 3 and 16 characters, begin with a letter and contain only letters, numbers and a hyphen (-).

• •

  The username created is used as your login to VerifyAdvantage.

• •

  The password must be minimum of 8 characters in length and contain at least one lower case letter, one digit, and one special character (e.g. an asterisk).

• •

  To use VerifyAdvantage on your government computer, you must register individually.

• •

  Do not use your LAN/Mainframe PIN or password when creating an account.

Take the following steps to request wage information from VerifyAdvantage:

• •

  Log onto the VerifyAdvantage website .

• •

  Select “Log in” in the Government Requestor section.

• •

  Type username and password and click “Log in.”

• •

  Select “Request Report.”

• •

  Find the “Select Employer” box. From the list of employers, “select” the appropriate employer.

• •

  Enter the wage earner’s SSN (only enter the nine digits, do not include the dashes), then select “Next.”

• •

  Select “Next” upon confirmation that the wage earner was located.

• •

  Agree to the “Terms and Conditions” and select “I Agree” and “I Accept.”

• •

  Print the report.

To get assistance using VerifyAdvantage, contact VerifyAdvantage in one of the following ways:

• •

  go to http://www.verifyadvantage.com and click “help,” or

• •

  email evsupport@fadv.com, or

• •

  call (866) 894-7687.