7 CFR § 272.8(e) & 7 CFR § 273.1(d)(2) & 7 CFR § 273.2(c)(1) and (6) & (f)(6) and (10)(v) and (11)(iii)(C) & 7 CFR § 273.8(c) & 7 CFR § 273.11(g) and (n)(4) & 7 CFR § 273.12(c) & 7 CFR § 273.17(h) & 7 CFR § 274.2(h)(3) & 7 CFR § 274.6(a)(7)(i)


The goal of case notes is to establish a clear and complete record that follows the case actions. Complete case notes:

  • to support eligibility, ineligibility, and benefit level determinations, and
  • whenever a manual notice (Notice W3016) is provided.


Provide a clear explanation of what you did and why you did it, including:

  • Information used to determine eligibility and benefit amount including:
    • the source of information;
    • the verification supporting the information;
    • the method used to determine monthly income and expense amounts such as conversion, averaging, etc.; and
    • why the information was used.
  • Actions taken and the reasons to support those actions, such as, but not limited to:
    • Interviews: who was interviewed, when the interview was completed, how completed (home visit, in-person, phone).
    • Collateral Contacts: who the collateral contact is, the phone number, date of the contact, and the information the collateral contact provided. 
    • Questionable Information: Why was it questionable and how it was resolved.
    • Differences: Resolve any differences between information in the application, provided at the interview, from an automated source, or verification.