Marking an order as verified, despite it being payment-pending or waiting for cash-on-delivery, is easy.
Here's how:
Click anywhere on the order that's flagged as Pending payment.
In the Pending payment section, tick the Approve It To Be Paid On Delivery checkbox.
Click Approve.
That's it! You've approved the order for cash on delivery.
Next, Approve & proceed with the order to Assign.