Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are covered by the U.S. Patriot Act, which has strict guidelines for verifying account holder identity. As part of the verification process, Sentinel must verify the customer's name, physical address, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN). To remain compliant with U.S. banking regulations, Sentinel must verify all identifying information before allowing distributions from the account, including cash withdrawals and debit card transactions.
If Sentinel can't independently verify the information provided at account opening, Sentinel will require additional documentation. Sentinel will contact the account holder directly via email (or regular mail if no email address was provided) to request the appropriate documentation. If Sentinel doesn't receive sufficient documentation from the account holder, Sentinel will contact the employer to facilitate resolution before closing the account.
What is considered acceptable documentation for the different identity verification failures?
- Name Failure
- Acceptable documentation for a name validation includes a social security card, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, legal name change certificate, or state identification.
- Address Failure
- The address must be a residential address, not a P.O. box.
- Acceptable documentation for an address validation includes a driver's license, state identification, or a current phone or utility bill displaying the new address.
- Date of Birth Failure
- Acceptable documentation for a date of birth validation includes a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, or state identification.
- SSN Failure
- Acceptable documentation for an SSN validation includes a signed social security card.
- If the SSN has a nine (9) in the first position and a 70-88 in the fourth and fifth positions, this indicates the SSN is for a non-U.S. resident alien. Non-U.S. resident aliens are not allowed to open HSAs.
