Verify SSN, name, and date of birth for financial identity proofing via the SSA eCBSV API

Steps

1. Confirm your organization qualifies as a Permitted Entity (PE) under Section 215 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (generally financial institutions and their service providers); enroll via SSA's eCBSV enrollment portal.
2. Implement OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect authentication against SSA's authorization server to obtain a bearer token; SSA provides the token endpoint and scopes in the eCBSV technical documentation.
3. Collect the individual's explicit written or electronic consent before each verification — consent must be documented and retained for a minimum of 5 years per program requirements.
4. POST a verification request to the eCBSV Verification API endpoint with the individual's SSN, first name, last name, and date of birth in the JSON request body.
5. Parse the response: the API returns a verification result of 'yes' or 'no' for the SSN/name/DOB combination, plus a death indicator if SSA records indicate the SSN holder is deceased.
6. Log each transaction with a timestamp and the consent record reference; eCBSV is a fee-based service — reconcile transaction counts monthly against SSA billing.