Start with the official source
For program rules, amounts and applications, start with the agency that administers the program. Federal guidance and state or local procedures may serve different purposes. We identify the source for the claim being made.
A national reference alone does not establish state eligibility. A maximum benefit is not a promise of the amount a household will receive. Examples must state their assumptions.
- Confirm the program and the state or local area.
- Check the household category and any stated exceptions.
- Check whether the figure concerns income, countable assets, a deduction, a maximum or an estimated amount.
Keep the dates separate
A source publication date is when the agency published the information, if it gives a date. A verification date is when we checked the source. An effective date is when the rule applies. An editorial update is a change to our page. These dates are not interchangeable.
If a source shows no publication date, we do not invent one. Rebuilding the website does not make every page newly verified. A future rule stays identified as future information.
Review the explanation and its connected uses
A confirmed change needs review in the affected guide, tables, examples, questions and answers, tool notices and translations. Each new guide must make the task, documents, official route and next step clear.
Calculators have a stated scope and assumptions. Changing explanatory text does not automatically activate new calculation rules. Before a future rule enters a tool, its applicable instructions, effective date, exceptions and test cases need a separate check.
Explain what we cannot confirm
If an official page cannot be accessed, we record that limitation. An official alternative may help verify a particular claim; a lack of search results does not prove that no rule has changed. We narrow or remove an unverified claim and give an official next step where possible.
We cannot monitor every local policy in real time or see your application record. Source checking and AI assistance do not replace individual review by an agency or an appropriately qualified professional.