Verification Reporting
Instructions for local education agencies (LEAs) on submitting the verification collection report through the Child Nutrition and Information Payment System (CNIPS) using the verification report function.
The verification report is an annual, mandatory process by which school food authorities (SFA) report the results of their eligibility verification process. All agencies that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) are required to complete the verification report, including those that are exempt from the eligibility verification process. The report requires NSLP and SBP participating districts/agencies to report the verification results of their annual free and reduced-price (F/RP) application process to the California Department of Education (CDE).
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), Public Law 111-296, amended NSLP and CalFresh (also referred to as SNAP) regulations to provide for the collection of data elements needed to compute each state’s direct certification performance rate. The HHFKA required state’s to count the number of children who are members of households receiving benefits under CalFresh and who were directly certified for free meals as of the last operating day in October. Therefore, program operators are required to separately report the students directly certified through CalFresh on their annual verification collection report.
The CDE reports consolidated verification results for all SFAs on the NSLP and/or SBP to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Due Dates
The verification process must begin October 1 and be completed by November 15 each year. The verification report is due to the CDE by the end of January. The CDE will send notification to all SFAs when the report is available in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS).
Accessing the Report
- Access the CNIPS Web site
- In the boxes provided, enter your User ID and Password and select Log On
- Select Applications from the blue tool bar at the top of your screen
- Select Verification Report
- Follow the Verification Report Instructions below and complete the report
- Select Save—NOTE: you will not receive a confirmation message
- If the message "Saved with Errors" is displayed:
- Select Edit, make the corrections
- Select Save
- Select Finish—you will not receive a confirmation message
Completing the Report
The USDA has provided detailed instructions for completing the revised Verification Report, which can be found in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS. Each section is also broken out below.
Verification Reporting - School Nutrition (CA Dept of Education):
