1310 Prudent Person - The local worker shall use the prudent person concept in administering the EES Programs. The phrase, "prudent person" applies to the particular situation that indicates further verification of information is needed. It also applies to the reasonableness of judgments made by an individual in a given situation based on that individual's experience and knowledge of the program.
It is the responsibility of staff to be prudent when the circumstances of a particular case indicate the need for further inquiry. Additional substantiation or verification should be obtained whenever the information provided by the applicant or recipient is incomplete, unclear, or contradictory.
Circumstances that require a more thorough analysis of a case include:
Real or personal property holdings that are very near or equal to the resource limitation.
An individual who is living at a higher standard of living than known resources or income would permit.
An individual who appears to qualify for potential resources such as Social Security, unemployment benefits, veterans' benefits, medical insurance, etc.
An individual who appears to be confused.
An individual who has a history of providing conflicting or incomplete information.
Documents (birth certificates, Social Security cards, etc.) that appear to have been altered.