refugee case management manual, Mass - NNAAC

process. Your advocacy on the family's behalf will undoubtedly hasten refugee
access to much-needed benefits and support services, and could, in some cases,
open doors which might otherwise have remained closed.
F.! Verifying Information on the Application!
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(121 CMR 2.620-2.625)
You must verify certain oral and written statements made by the applicant(s) during the
application process in order to determine the applicant(s)ʼ eligibility for services. It is
your responsibility to explain the verification process to the applicant(s), provide a list of
verifications required to approve his or her Application (using ORI/MRRP Notice No. 1),
and find out if he or she will need assistance in acquiring any of them. You should
always offer to assist the applicant(s) in obtaining required verifications, if needed.
1. Methods of Verification
The four methods of verifying information provided by the applicant during the
application process are, by order of preference:
• original documentation
• third party contact
• self-declarations by the applicant
• Case Managerʼs observation
Original Documentation
When the verification is made with an original document, you must make a
photocopy of the document, if possible. If circumstances prevent the
photocopying of a document and a copy is not available, make a notation in the
case record of the date and source of the document, a summary of its contents,
and the date the summary was written. The applicant must always be permitted
to keep the original document.
Third-Party Contact
Third-party contact is verbal or written confirmation of an applicant's
circumstances by a third party, and it may be used to verify certain types of
information. Statements from third parties may be accepted in person, through
the mail, and over the telephone. It is your responsibility to evaluate the
acceptability of the statement as verification of the particular information.
Whenever you accept a third-party statement as verification, you must record in
the case record the date on which the statement was made, the information
provided, and the name, address, telephone number, and position of the person
making the statement.