[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 4]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR272.11]

[Page 619-620]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
    CHAPTER II--FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 272_REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING STATE AGENCIES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 272.11  Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) 
Program.

    (a) General. A State agency may participate in the SAVE Program 
established by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in 
order to verify the validity of documents provided by aliens applying 
for food stamp benefits with the central data files maintained by INS.
    (b) Agreements. (1) Prior to implementing the SAVE Program, the 
State agency shall execute an agreement with INS. The agreement shall 
specify the information to be exchanged and the procedures which will be 
used in the exchange of information.
    (2) The agreement shall cover at least the following areas:
    (i) Identification of positions of all agency officials with 
authority to request immigration status information;
    (ii) Identification and location of all SAVE access points covered 
by the agreement;
    (iii) For automated SAVE verification through access to the

[[Page 620]]

Alien Status Verification Index (ASVI), a description of the access 
method and procedures;
    (iv) For secondary verification as described in paragraph (d) of 
this section, the locations of INS District Offices to which 
verification requests will be directed;
    (v) The safeguards limiting release or redisclosure as required by 
State or Federal law or regulation as discussed in Sec. 272.1(c) and as 
may be required by other guidelines published by the Secretary; and
    (vi) Reimbursement or billing agreements for ongoing SAVE 
operational costs, as well as any developmental costs associated with 
establishing access to the ASVI database.
    (c) Use of data. The State agency shall use information obtained 
through the SAVE Program only for the purposes of:
    (1) Verifying the validity of documentation of alien status 
presented by an applicant;
    (2) Verifying an individual's eligibility for benefits;
    (3) Investigating whether participating households received benefits 
to which they were not entitled, if an individual was previously 
certified to receive benefits on the basis of eligible alien status; and
    (4) Assisting in or conducting administrative disqualification 
hearings, or criminal or civil prosecutions based on receipt of food 
stamp benefits to which participating households were not entitled.
    (d) Method of verification. The State agency may verify the 
documentation presented by an alien applicant by completing INS Form G-
845 and submitting photocopies of such documentation to the INS for 
verification as described in Sec. 273.2(f)(10) of this chapter. In 
States that participate in SAVE, the State agency must use this 
secondary verification procedure whenever the applicant-individual's 
documented alien status has not been verified through automated access 
to the ASVI or significant discrepancies exist between the data on the 
ASVI and the information provided by the alien applicant.
    (e) Plan of operation. The requirements for participation in the 
SAVE Program shall be included in an attachment to the State agency's 
Plan of Operation as required in Sec. 272.2(d). This document shall 
include a description of procedures used, method of access and the 
agreement specified in paragraph (b) of this section, including steps 
taken to meet requirements of limiting disclosure and safeguarding of 
information obtained from food stamp households as specified in Sec. 
272.1.

[53 FR 39440, Oct. 7, 1988, as amended at 65 FR 33439, May 24, 2000; 
Amdt. 388, 65 FR 70193, Nov. 21, 2000]