Collateral Contacts 449-03-05-03

(ML 2821 Rev. 11-02)

(Manual Renumbered effective 04/01/2004 ML2914)

Use of Collateral Contacts

A collateral contact is a verbal confirmation of a household’s circumstances by an individual outside the household and is used when documentary evidence is insufficient or incomplete. The collateral contact may be either in person or over the telephone. The worker must rely on the household to provide the name of any collateral contact. The household may request assistance in naming a collateral contact.

A collateral contact can be any third-party verification of the household's statements. The worker is responsible for obtaining verification from acceptable collateral contacts, which include but are not limited to:

• Employers

• Landlords

• Social service agencies

• Community action agencies

• Migrant service agencies

The county should only disclose the information that is absolutely necessary to get the information being sought. The county should avoid disclosing that a household has applied for assistance and should not disclose any information provided by the household. Counties should not suggest that a household is suspected of any wrongdoing.

The household may designate or may request assistance in designating a collateral contact. However, the worker is not required to use a collateral contact designated by the household if the collateral contact cannot be expected to provide accurate third party verification. When the collateral contact is unacceptable, the worker must select a collateral contact. Once an acceptable collateral contact is designated, the worker is responsible for obtaining verification from the collateral contact.

Verification obtained in non-written form must be documented in the case file.

Confidentiality and Verification

In directly contacting a collateral source of verification, the worker must always identify him/herself by name, position, and the name of the county social service office. In so doing and then inquiring about a particular client by name, the contact may be able to know that the client is applying for assistance. This does not constitute a violation of confidentiality regulations.

If, however, the contact desires any more than this information about the recipient’s status, the worker must refuse the inquiry and briefly explain the confidentiality requirements.

Home Visits

Home visits are to be used as verification only when documentary evidence is insufficient to make a firm determination of eligibility, or there are no collateral contacts, or verification cannot be obtained, and the home visit is scheduled in advance with the household.

Suggested Collateral Sources