Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration

Wisconsin Shares Handbook

7.7 Nonfinancial Eligibility Verification

The following nonfinancial eligibility items must be verified. The only sources of verification accepted for Wisconsin Shares eligibility are listed below. For items that are verified through a data exchange, documentation from the parent is not required.

• Identity of the applicant and all parents in the Assistance Group:  

• • A current or expired photo ID, (except those issued by a city or village) including, but not limited to:  

  • • Driver’s license  

    • State-issued ID card  

    • Photo Employee ID card  

    • Photo Student ID card

    • Military ID card

    • Tribal ID card issued by a federally recognized tribe

    • Photo ID issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

    • Consular ID

    • U.S. Passport

  • Other acceptable sources:  

  • • Social Security Administration (SSA) data exchange (see Process Help Section 44.3)

    • Online Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Driver’s License query with a status of valid, expired, suspended, revoked, disqualified, canceled, or denied (see Process Help Section 44.2.1.7)

    • Verification of participation in the Safe at Home program (see Process Help Chapter 77)

• Social Security Number (SSN) for children for whom assistance is requested:  

• • Application for SSN on form SS-5  

  • A letter from the Social Security Administration stating that the application has been received

  • Hospital discharge letter that specifically references the application for an SSN

  • Verbal report of SSN by parent if verified by the SSA data exchange (See Process Help Section 44.3.)

  • • The parent does not need to provide the child’s Social Security card, only the SSN which is verified through the SSA data exchange. If the SSA data exchange returns a mismatch record, the parent may need to provide the child’s Social Security card or another official government document with the SSN displayed.

  • Social Security card

• Wisconsin Residency and Residence (home address):  

• • Acceptable sources:

  • • Lease agreement or written statement from landlord  

    • Utility bill for water, gas, electricity, or phone that includes name and address

    • Mortgage receipt

    • Subsidized housing program approval document

    • Weatherization program approval document

    • Pay stub that includes name, address, and employer

    • State of Wisconsin Driver’s license with current address

    • Wisconsin ID card with current address

    • Motor vehicle registration with current address

    • School registration record

    • Any other reliable document or data exchange, if applicable, that verifies Wisconsin residency and residence

  • Unacceptable source examples:

  • • ID cards issued by a city or village

    • Child Support KIDS system

    • Returned mail with forwarding address

    • New Hire matches

    • Online Wisconsin DMV Driver’s License query and any other source that does not display the address or current residency status

  • Exempt from residency and address verification but must certify that they reside in Wisconsin and during the interview must certify that they intend to continue to reside in Wisconsin:

  • • Homeless individuals and families

    • Individuals and families living “doubled up” due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason and coded as ‘DB – Doubled Up Housing’ in the Address Verification field on the General Case Information page in CWW

    • Safe at Home participants (see Process Help Chapter 77)

Note: Residence verification provided must include the complete address, including apartment number if applicable. A post office box address is not sufficient.

• U.S. Citizenship of children for whom assistance is requested:  

• • Certified copy of Birth Certificate  

  • U.S. Passport

  • SSA data exchange

  • CWW Birth Query (Wisconsin births only)

  • Tribal ID card issued by a federally recognized tribe

  • Certificate of Naturalization

  • Certificate of Citizenship

  • Medicaid Birth Claim as documented by a Wisconsin hospital

• Immigration status of children for whom assistance is requested: If the applicant is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national he or she must present immigration documentation that the local agency will verify through SAVE. Any documents issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) serve as verification of immigration status. Children of immigrants may have derivative immigration status based on parents’ status.

• Out-of-Home Care Placements: Foster Care, Subsidized Guardianship, Interim Caretaker Placements and relatives with court-ordered placement of a child (including voluntary guardianship) must be verified through one (1) of the following:  

• • Current Voluntary Placement Agreement  

  • Emergency Temporary Custody order

  • Current court order under Wis. Stat. Ch. 48 or 938 or any Wisconsin tribal law that is substantially similar to Wisconsin Stat. Ch. 48 or 938

  • • Note: Court orders from states other than Wisconsin are allowable as verification of a court order.

  • Verification of Out-of-Home Placement for Wisconsin Shares Eligibility form (DCF-F-5190-E) or a letter from the child’s caseworker (county or tribal) that includes:

  • • The name and address of the individual with whom the child is placed,  

    • The name and date of birth of the child,  

    • The date the out-of-home care placement began,

    • The date the out-of-home care placement will end (if applicable), AND  

    • The name, date the letter was completed, and contact information for the caseworker.

The following nonfinancial eligibility items must only be verified if questionable.

• Date of Birth of each Assistance Group member: Self-declaration unless questionable (i.e., the SSA data exchange returns a discrepancy). If questionable: certified copy of Birth Certificate; Driver’s License; U.S. Passport; State-issued ID card; Certificate of Naturalization; Certificate of Citizenship; Tribal ID card issued by a federally recognized tribe; ID issued by USCIS; Any immigration document that has name and date of birth; CWW Birth Query (Wisconsin births only); Medicaid Birth Record

• Marital status: Self-declaration unless questionable. If questionable: certified copy of Marriage Certificate or Judgement of Divorce or Legal Separation  

• Legal Parentage: Self-declaration unless questionable. If questionable: Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate; CWW Birth Query (Wisconsin births only); adoption records; a copy of a receipt from Vital Records showing that a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgement was filed; copies of court documents showing that a paternity action was initiated; Wisconsin Circuit Court Access

• Shared Placement: Self-declaration unless questionable. If questionable: legal documents stating child placement as submitted by the parent  

• • Note: Local agencies must not collect placement documents and make changes to the parent’s case without the parent’s knowledge.

This section last updated 10/1/2023