Food and Nutrition Programs

SY 2013-2014 Virtual Gateway - Direct Certification Update - New Partial Match Outcome Designation Descriptors

To:	School Nutrition Directors
From:	Kathleen C. Millett, Executive Director Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety Programs
Date:	August 9, 2013

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are required by the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, to complete electronic data matching for direct certification. The Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety continues to utilize the Virtual Gateway for electronic data matching of direct certification with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and new this year, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Foster Child(ren) certification. As with the previous method of certification matching, some students may be matched partially and further information may be needed. Exact match code descriptions remain the same, but partial match outcome descriptors have been changed to clearly define the need for further action by the LEA.

Match Code	Match Code Description and Outcome Action
MFLC	Match on First Name, Last Name and DOB - Exact Match - Certified
MFILC	Match on First Initial, Last Name and DOB - Partial Match - Manual confirmation required
MFLPD	Match on First Name, Last Name and Partial DOB - Partial Match - Manual confirmation required
MFPLC	Match on First, Partial Last Name and DOB: the First name and DOB match perfectly and the Last name matches for the first 4 letters - Partial Match - Manual confirmation required
No Match	No match found based on data provided

Special characters such as apostrophes, hyphens, periods, spaces, and accents may affect match data results. Student names will need to be uploaded again without special characters.

The students with exact match results that are identified as "MFLC" are eligible for free meals. All other partial match outcome designations require additional follow up with student information data or the household to confirm the student's eligibility status. Please continue to utilize the same method of follow-up for these designations as you have used in prior school years. This is especially important now as the file(s) uploaded include an expanded student enrollment. All students that are electronically matched must receive a direct certification notification. Please utilize the "Notification of Direct Certification" that is part of the Massachusetts meal benefit issuance package, as it has been revised to include the Virtual Gateway electronic match identifier. This packet is located in the DESE Security Portal - Document and Reference Library under the 2013-2014 SY Meal Benefit Issuance section, and it is also posted on the ESE website under Nutrition, Health and Safety Headlines at www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/ or at National School Lunch Program Headlines at www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/nprograms/nslp.html. Electronically matching students via the Virtual Gateway for both the direct certification and direct verification process will reduce the administrative burden used to determine, confirm and verify student eligibility benefits. If you have any questions regarding the Virtual Gateway, please contact Kevin Dawson at kdawson@doe.mass.edu or by phone at 781-338-6475 or Ebonique Faria at efaria@doe.mass.edu or by phone at 781-338-6461 or Diane Sylvia at dsylvia@doe.mass.edu or by phone at 781-338-6464.

Last Updated: August 20, 2013