Effective Dates: 06/07/2023 - Present Previous | Next

SI BOS00830.410 Verification of Title IV-E Payments to Children in the Custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (MA DCF)

A. General

When an individual alleges receiving payments, directly or indirectly funded by Title IV, SSA must obtain verification of income. The Boston Region has an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Revenue Management Unit (MA DCF RMU) to obtain verification of Title IV-E payments directly, without involving the individual.

Field Office (FO) staff complete the SSA-designated portion of a prescribed verification form and fax it to MA DCF RMU with a mandatory cover sheet.

B. Title IV-E Benefits

SSA treats various Title IV-E payments differently for SSI income purposes. Individuals may allege receiving payments funded by Title IV which do not meet the requirements for income verification from MA DCF. We created the table below that pairs each type of payment with the corresponding income category and POMS references.

Assistance Chart

Type of Title IV-E Assistance: Income Category: Reference:
​ ​ ​
Foster Care Payments Income Based on Need (IBON) SI 00830.410C.1; SI 00830.170
Adoption Assistance (Applicable Child) Unearned Income SI 00830.415B.2
Adoption Assistance (Non-Applicable Child) IBON SI 00830.415B.2; SI 00830.170
Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments IBON SI 00830.415B.2; SI 00830.170
Other Adoption Assistance Funded Wholly by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Assistance Based on Need (ABON) SI 00830.415B.4; SI 00830.175

NOTE: Section 477 payments, often referred to Chafee funds, are not a Title IV-E payment. These federally funded payments support children age 14 and older who are transitioning into adulthood. Do not request verification if an individual alleges receiving these funds. There is no longer an option for Section 477 on the Title IV-E Verification Form. See SI 00815.050.

1. General Payment Information

Benefit payments from MA DCF are generally consistent from month to month and based on a general rate sheet administered by the state. MA DCF completes payment reevaluations on a quarterly basis. Benefit payment amounts can be affected by placement changes, cost of living, and additional subsidies necessary. Foster Care payments are directly effected by the receipt of SSI payments. Instruct representative payees receiving Foster Care payments to report changes to SSA when benefits change to a different type of income.

2. Applicable Child and Non-Applicable Child

 

Effective January 2018, a child of any age is considered an applicable child for adoption assistance purposes. There is no longer a distinction between an applicable child and a non-applicable child. All children are now considered “applicable.” There is no longer an option for a non-applicable child on the Title IV-E Verification Form.

C. Verification Procedure

1. Form Completion

a. Cover Sheet

The Commonwealth of MA DCF RMU requires a mandatory cover sheet with all fax transmittals. Ensure the following information is included.

Requesting FO:

  • •

    Name

  • •

    Address

  • •

    eFax or analog fax information

  • •

    Phone number

  • •

    Staff contact name or unit information

b. Title IV-E Verification Form

Access the Title IV-E Verification Form MA DCF RMU from the Boston Region CDPS Supplemental Security Income (SSI) SharePoint site. The document is titled "Title IV-E Verification Form - MA DCF Revised" and can be found in the MA Documents folder listed in the left-hand column. Please discontinue use of any prior versions of this verification form.

FO staff must complete the items in the section entitled “PART I: TO BE COMPLETED BY SSA.” Indicate the SSA Reference Begin Date. This date should not be earlier than the SSI period of review (SI 02305.034) or Administrative Finality (SI 04070.010).

2. Request, Response, and Follow-Up

a. Request

FO staff will fax the mandatory cover sheet and Title IV-E Verification Form to the MA DCR RMU at (617) 717-1022. Do not make an initial request by telephone. Please ensure all fax machine presets and local phone directories reflect the correct fax number for successful transmissions.

b. Response

MA DCF RMU staff should respond to the request within one week. DCF will complete the items in PART II, as appropriate, and return to the fax number provided on the cover sheet. If there are periods of non-payment from the SSA Reference Begin Date to the date of verification, DCF RMU staff will include information in the remarks section of the form. Upon receipt, record the income verification on the appropriate SSI Claims System pages. Fax the verification document into the Evidence Portal (EP).

c. Follow-Up

If you do not receive a response within one week, contact Kerin Sullivan (RMU Deputy Director) at (617) 717-1288. Do not share this phone number with the public. Before phone contact, develop if your FO encountered a disruption in your analog facsimile machines. Provide DCF RMU with eFax information as an alternate submission method of verification forms.

If you receive verification over the telephone, complete an SSI Claims System Report of Contact page or paper SSA-5002 faxed into EP with the following information:

  • •

    answers to questions 1-6B from Part II of the verification form;

  • •

    the date of telephonic verification; and

  • •

    the name of DCF RMU staff member and their title.

If you encounter difficulties making phone contact with MA DCF RMU, have a member of management reach out to the Boston Region CDPS for assistance.

D. Exhibits

Title IV-E Verification – Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families -

View In PDF

 

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0500830410BOS
SI BOS00830.410 - Verification of Title IV-E Payments to Children in the Custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (MA DCF) - 06/07/2023
Batch run: 11/20/2024
Rev:06/07/2023