Yes! DTA workers are required to help you get proofs if you tell DTA you are having difficulty¹. This includes offering to do a “collateral contact” – a call to a third party – to confirm information in your case².

For example, a DTA worker can:

• Contact an employer for missing wage information.
• Contact another state to confirm the date your SNAP case in that state closed.

If you need DTA to contact a third party for information, DTA will need the third party’s contact information and your permission for DTA to contact them. If you need DTA to do a collateral contact and a worker tells you they can’t do one, ask to speak with a supervisor.

In general, DTA cannot require you to agree to a third-party contact if you can verify the information they need some other way. Your privacy is important and must be respected³.

Troubleshooting

If you and DTA cannot get the proofs they need, DTA must accept the best available evidence for verifying income. This may end up being your self- declaration⁴ For example:

• Your former employer refuses to give you proof about your pay and will not talk with DTA. DTA should accept your self-declaration.
• You are self-employed but you do not have detailed business records and make so little you do not file taxes.
• You have no other records of your income. DTA should accept your self-declaration.

If you have a disability that makes it hard for you to get proofs or comply with other DTA rules, see what if a disability makes it hard for you to apply or comply with DTA rules.

DTA Online Guide

See Appendix G for links to the DTA’s BEACON 5 Online Guide for this section.