NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES EIS MANUAL

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION SYSTEM EIS 1103

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SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER VALIDATION

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EIS 1103 – SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER VALIDATION

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

II. HOW THE VALIDATION PROCESS WORKS

III. RESOLVING DISCREPANCIES WHEN INCORRECT DATA VALIDATES

IV. BENDEX VALIDATION

V. SSN VALIDATION DISCREPANCY REPORT

VI. SSN VALIDATION REMINDER REPORT

VII. REQUESTS FOR MANUAL VALIDATIONS

EIS 1103 – SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER VALIDATION

REISSUED 2/1/01 - CHANGE NO. 04-01

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

The social security number (SSN) validation system was implemented as part of the federally mandated Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS). The purpose of the validation process is to ensure that we have the correct person with the correct SSN to accomplish the matches required by IEVS which serve as leads to income and other resources.

II. HOW THE VALIDATION PROCESS WORKS

An MCI update is run at the end of each workday. This process picks up additions and changes made in EIS the previous workday. This updates MCI with the most current information in EIS.

Twice each month (first of the month and middle of the month), the State sends information to the Social Security Administration (SSA) via the Network Data Mover (NDM). The State sends all active and/or pending individuals from EIS and FSIS who do not have a validated code in the Master Client Index (MCI). (NOTE: The State does not select individuals whose SSI status is “Y”.)

The first of the month run will validate ssns, post the validations to MCI, and will generate county reports. The middle of the month run will validate ssns, post the validations to MCI, but WILL NOT generate county reports.

A. Numident File

SSA compares the vital data to its NUMIDENT file, which is the file used by SSA to issue numbers to wage earners.

The validation process with SSA does not require an exact match, and some SSN’s validate even though you have verified vital data that is slightly different. For example, if the year of birth is correct, SSA considers this a match even if the month and day of birth are different.

When the data submitted from EIS meets the NUMIDENT validation criteria, the system enters a “V” on the MCI validation screen beside the SSN for that program. It is possible that SSA assigned more than one SSN to an individual. When this occurs, more than one validated SSN is returned by SSA and posted to MCI. These are marked with a “D” (for Duplicate) on the MCI validation screen.

B. Alphadent File

1. If no match is found on the NUMIDENT file, the SSA will then check the Alphadent file.

2. If there is an exact match on the date of birth on the Alphadent file and the name is within tolerance limits as defined by the SSA, the SSA will provide the State with the correct SSN. If an individual has more than one ssn previously issued, the SSA will provide those as well.

REVISED 2/1/01 - CHANGE NO. 04-01

II.B. (CONT’D)

3. If the SSA finds a match on the Alphadent file, the MCI system is not updated, but a case specific sheet is produced to indicate the SSN found by the SSA. The case worker will only be notified about good matches, not errors. This information is available in NCXPTR titled DHRHWA ZERO SSN SUGGESTION. The following is a sample sheet:

C. Information Displayed

1. Date: The date the report is produced.

2. County Number: From the EIS or FSIS case.

3. District/Worker ID: The District Number from EIS or the Worker Number from FSIS.

4. Aid Program/Category: The three character Aid Program/Category or for Food Stamps, only two characters (FS).

5. County Case Number: The six digit County Case Number from EIS or FSIS.

6. Case ID: The eight digit Case ID from EIS or the nine digit Case ID from FSIS.

7. Casehead Name: The last name, first name, middle initial, and suffix of the Casehead.

REISSUED 2/1/01 - CHANGE NO. 04-01

II.C. (CONT’D)

8. Individual Name: The last name, first name, middle initial, and suffix of the individual sent for matching.

9. Individual ID: The Individual ID from EIS and/or FSIS.

10. Sex: M or F.

11. Date of Birth: The individual's Date of Birth in MMDDCCYY format.

12. Social Security Number Submitted: The SSN found in EIS and/or FSIS.

13. Social Security Number Reported: The SSN provided by SSA.

D. Multiple SSNs Reported

If multiple SSNs are reported for the same individual, contact

the local SSA office to determine the correct number.

E. Enter The SSN In EIS

Use the Name/SSN Change screen to enter the SSN into EIS and/or FSIS.

F. Validation of The SSN

Once a reported ssn is entered into EIS or FSIS, the ssn will be resent to the SSA in the next validation run to be validated using normal Numident procedures.

III. RESOLVING DISCREPANCIES WHEN INCORRECT DATA VALIDATES

Because SSA does not require an exact match for validation, there are instances when a SSN in a program in EIS with incorrect vital data validates, and the program with the correct data indicates a discrepancy. The caseworker for the program with the incorrect data must make the necessary corrections in EIS or FSIS, regardless of whose data validated.

For many years the information provided to SSA by the wage earners was not verified; thus in some cases, the vital data in NUMIDENT is incorrect. The State developed a manual validation procedure to complete the validation process for these situations. See VII. in this section, for information regarding the manual validation process.

REISSUED 2/1/01 - CHANGE NO. 04-01

IV. BENDEX VALIDATION

A. Because the data in the NUMIDENT file is not always correct, an additional step has been added to the validation process. When an individual applies for SSA benefits, all vital data must be verified. Therefore, an individual's vital data in BENDEX is usually correct even though it may differ from that on the NUMIDENT. As a result, any SSN that did not validate when compared to SSA's NUMIDENT file is automatically compared to BENDEX. If the name, date of birth and SSN match exactly with the data found on BENDEX, and the individual's own SSN is present on the BENDEX record, the SSN is considered validated. A validation code “B” appears on the validation screen in MCI. This “B” code indicates that the SSN was validated by BENDEX, and no further action is needed by the county.

B. If the recipient is found on BENDEX but the vital data does not match exactly, a message is printed on the Validation Discrepancy Report indicating that vital data did not match BENDEX.

V. SSN VALIDATION DISCREPANCY REPORT

A. When validation cannot be accomplished based on the match with NUMIDENT or BENDEX, or when program data differs in MCI, a SSN Validation Discrepancy Report is produced. Counties must resolve the discrepancies to ensure more accurate automated matches.

B. This report is produced monthly for the program specified and is sorted in worker number order.

C. The report indicates the district/worker number (DIST#), county case number (CTY CASE), and Case ID (SYS CASE).

D. The following discrepancy messages may print on the report:

1. DOB Does Not Match

2. Name Does Not Match

3. SSN Not in SSA File

4. SSN Does Not Match

5. Items Do not Match

6. DOB Does Not Match BENDEX

E. If the message on the discrepancy report consists of only a one line error message, your individual data was used in the validation process when it was sent to SSA. This also indicates no other program's data has been validated for your individual.

REISSUED 04/01/05 - CHANGE NO. 05-05

V.E. (CONT’D)

The reason for non-validation is indicated by the discrepancy message, and an asterisk (*) is entered by the data in conflict.

Research the individual to ensure that EIS contains the correct SSN, name, and date of birth. If you are successful in resolving the discrepancies in the vital data, update the incorrect data field(s) in EIS. The data is then automatically resubmitted to SSA for validation.

F. If the message on the discrepancy report consists of two lines, this indicates that another program's data was previously sent to SSA. The first line contains the other program's validated data. The second line lists the individual matched to an individual in the other program in MCI, along with a discrepancy message to indicate what information is different from the validated information. The different data is indicated by an asterisk (*).

1. If the individual in each program is the same, verify the discrepant data and correct the information in EIS or FSIS, whichever is incorrect. This should facilitate an automatic validation.

2. If you find that the first line lists an individual who is not the same person as listed on the second line, then these individuals have been matched in MCI erroneously. Validation is done through MCI. Incorrect information in MCI causes problems with the validation process.

a. To verify that individuals have been matched erroneously in MCI, follow instructions found in the Master Client Index, EIS 1057.

(1) Complete an MCI client inquiry first, using either of the two individuals listed on your discrepancy report.

(2) Obtain the match ID.

(3) Complete a match ID inquiry with the match ID. You should see the other individual who was listed on your report.

b. To correct the individuals who have been matched erroneously in MCI, follow instructions found in the Master Client Index, EIS 1057, for client unmatching.

c. This change in the MCI causes the unvalidated record to be submitted to SSA for validation. Exercise care when working MCI match reports or when unmatching individuals in MCI to prevent this problem from occurring.

REVISED 04/01/05 - CHANGE NO. 05-05

V.F. (CONT’D)

3. Research the individual to ensure that EIS contains the correct SSN, name, and date of birth. Be sure to check for keying errors in your program and the program that validated. If you are successful in resolving the discrepancies in the vital data, update the data field in question. This causes the data to be resubmitted to SSA for validation.

VI. SSN VALIDATION REMINDER REPORT

In addition to the SSN Validation Discrepancy Report, a SSN Validation Reminder Report is also produced each month. This report lists individuals from earlier discrepancy reports for which no action has been taken. The report is printed in the same format as the discrepancy report. It is produced when:

A. No action has been taken after 30 days of the original discrepancy report, or

B. When an individual has been in EIS more than 90 days with no SSN. The message "Needs SSN" is printed on the reminder report. You must obtain a SSN and update EIS. Without a SSN, the IEVS matches cannot be completed for this individual.

VII. REQUESTS FOR MANUAL VALIDATIONS

A. If you determine that information in EIS for your client is correct but the individual is listed on your discrepancy report, submit a manual validation request. The purpose of the manual validation process is to ensure that we have the correct SSN with the correct person.

B. Submit your request for manual validation to the IEVS Coordinator (See EIS 1200 IV.).

C. When requesting a manual validation, you must send the following:

1. A copy of the discrepancy report;

2. Your name and telephone number;

3. A copy of the SSA card showing the same name and number as in EIS;

4. A copy of the birth certificate or other proof of birth showing the same date of birth as in EIS or FSIS; and

5. A copy of the most recent EIS Case Profile or DSS-8590.

ISSUED 2/1/99 - CHANGE NO. 9-99

VII.C. (CONT’D)

Program staff will contact you if they have questions or return your request with an explanation if the request is not pursued.

D. Program staff confirm with SSA that this is the correct SSN for this individual. If it is, a validation code “M” is entered by the State Office on the MCI validation screen. The “M” code indicates that a manual validation has been completed for that SSN. The State program staff notifies the county of the SSA's data. The county must notify the recipient at the next redetermination that the SSA has incorrect information and, he/she should contact the SSA to make corrections.

E. This manual validation process takes some time to complete, so it is possible that these individuals continue to appear on the SSN Discrepancy Reminder Report. It is not necessary to send the information to the State Office a second time. However, once the “M” code appears on the MCI validation screen, the record no longer appears on the discrepancy or reminder reports.