An Evaluation of the Declaration Method of Eligibility Determination

This study was designed to determine the impact of implementing the declaration method of eligibility determination. Analyses of record reviews and client interviews in one department of social services utilizing the declaration method were compared over an eight-month period with those in a department of social services using the verification method. Results of the study indicate a significant staff time savings associated with the declaration method as well as a small but significant increase in the number of clients found ineligible for the services they received. Two-thirds of these ineligible cases were found to involve clients receiving Family Planning services, and errors were most likely to occur, in both counties, in the income category of wages and salaries of income eligible clients. Findings suggest a selective implementation of the declaration method, accompanied by staff training and the issuance of guidelines for verifying a client's income under a declaration system.