OKDHS - OAC 340:10-5-1. Age

340:10-5-1. Age

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Revised 6-1-11

To be eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a child must be under 19 years of age. • 1 If a child is removed from the benefit because he or she has reached the maximum age for eligibility under the TANF program, he or she is eligible for the month in which his or her birthday occurs. The worker accepts the parent or guardian's statement to establish the child's age, unless the information is inconsistent or there are other facts or observations which cause the worker to question the parent or guardian's statement. When such questions exist, verification must be obtained to verify the information. Acceptable sources of verification are listed in (1) - (2) of this section.

(1) An original or certified birth certificate, acceptable hospital certificate, or Form 08MA015E, Reporting of Newborn Child of SoonerCare Member, is considered conclusive evidence of birthdate, and is used as verification, if available. A hospital certificate is considered acceptable when it includes the:
- (A) child's name and birthdate;
- (B) name of the institution or geographical location of the birth;
- (C) name of the parent(s); and
- (D) signature of the attending physician or responsible hospital staff member such as administrator, nurse, or records supervisor.
(2) If birth information is from hospital records other than an acceptable certificate, birth scrolls, and similar records, two other pieces of evidence which reflect the same birthdate, with no evidence to the contrary, are acceptable as conclusive evidence and constitute a source of age verification. Evidence includes:
- (A) baptismal, confirmation, or other church and parish records. These may be found either in the possession of the family or on record at the church;
- (B) passports. Persons who have obtained visas may have in their possession documents showing the birthdate at the time the visa was issued;
- (C) court records;
- (D) insurance and burial policies if the date of birth at the time the policy was issued, is entered on the insurance policy;
- (E) any social agency records including Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) records;
- (F) institution records such as records of a public or private hospital, or other type of institution, or home, giving the child's birthdate at the time of admission;
- (G) family records such as an entry of a child's birthdate in a family Bible or on some other similar document if the entry is unchanged, either by erasure or overwriting;
- (H) school records. Elementary and high school records are available in the school districts. School census records are available in the county superintendent of schools office. These records are made from information given by the parent or guardian; or
- (I) United States Census records. If possible, data given for more than one year is reviewed for purposes of corroboration. • 2

INSTRUCTIONS TO STAFF 340:10-5-1

Revised 6-1-11

1. Refer to OAC 340:10-13-1.

2. (a) A record or document seen by an employee of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) or another public agency may be used as evidence if a statement describing the document is entered in the Family Assistance/Client Services (FACS) case notes. It is not necessary that a copy of the document be placed in the case record.

(b) Records or documents must be evaluated in terms of the circumstances under which they were made and the purposes served. They must also be evaluated as to appearance; that is, whether there is evidence of alteration, whether handwriting on each of the several documents appears to be by the same or different persons, or detached from related material.

(c) The worker must reconcile any conflict which appears in various pieces of evidence offered to establish the birthdate. Records of the date of birth given by the child's parent(s) or relative, in general, have more weight than age or date of birth given by someone else. It is necessary to use judgment in determining the need for securing corroboration of any evidence.

(d) The nature and location of each document, pertinent content, including the date of birth of the child, the name and address of the person or office with whom or in which the document is lodged, and the date on which each record was made, must be recorded in the case record. The worker's analysis and evaluation of various pieces of evidence, with his or her conclusion as to birthdate, must be recorded in FACS case notes. Final determination as to birthdate is made on the basis of accumulated information, all of which must be shown in the case record.

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