(a) When an applicant or recipient establishes that he or she has made a good faith effort to obtain information or verification from a third party, including any other public agency, and the third party fails or refuses to provide the information or verification or seeks to impose a charge or fee for providing the information to the applicant or recipient, the county shall assist the applicant or recipient in obtaining the information or verification from the third party, and when necessary, shall obtain the document.
(b) If it is necessary to pay a fee imposed by a third party to obtain the information or verification, the county shall pay that fee on behalf of the applicant or recipient.
(c) If the county finds that he or she has not made a good faith effort to obtain the information or verification, it shall document its reasons for the finding in the client’s file.
(d) Any notice requesting verification shall clearly inform applicants and recipients of the requirements of this section.