A joint program between DTA and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB, the IDA program helps eligible TAFDC clients with active cases accumulate savings to be used for certain vocational educational training programs that qualify for the Federal PELL Grant Program. TADC recipients at the following TAOs may be eligible for a referral: Brockton, Dorchester, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Malden, Milford, Newmarket Square, North Shore, Plymouth, and Revere.

Extended UI benefits now reported on UI screen available to case workers. Case workers should also be advising people about eligibility for extended UI.

FNS policy concerning how employment-related cafeteria/flex benefits are counted in the FS program.

In our continuing effort to simplie Food Stamp Program rules and increase participation, the Department of Transitional Assistance is requiring certain NPA FS AUs with earned or unearned income (or a history of income within the past six months) to be on Universal Semiannual Reporting.

This memo informs TAO Staff about the EEC child care policy changes; and that these changes do not impact DTA policies and procedures. Changes include provision of vouchers up to two weeks prior to the start of an ESP component, child care for post-secondary education, reduced verification requirements for transitional child care, and child care for maternity leave for employed recipients.

This memo informs TAO staff about the campaign mailing; describes the campaign and AU Managers’ role; and gives instruction for undelivered mail as a result of the mailing.

To be eligible for the Food Stamp Program, a student beyond the secondary level must work a minimum of 20 hours per week to meet one of the student eligibility requirements.  Now, under an approved waiver, the Department can average the number of hours a student works during the month (based on the last four pay stubs) to calculate the number of hours worked per week.

This voluntary program is an interagency arrangment that allows certain non-exempt TAFDC recipients who have Section 8 to participate in a 5 year program with case management and services to help the person become employed. Once the person is employed, the increased tenant rent portion resulting from the increased income will be put into escrow for the client, accessible on a very limited basis. If the client's family is able to stay off TAFDC for 12 months due to employment the escrowed money is returned with interest to the client. The accruing escrow is treated as a non-countable asset for TAFDC purposes.

Homeless child care assistance is available to all DTA families who are placed into temporary emergency shelter.  These families are automatically eligible for homeless child care assistance through the Early Education and Care (EEC) Homeless Child-Care Voucher Program. In addition to families placed into EA shelters, families who are placed into Domestic Violence (DV) shelters, substance abuse shelters and other non-EA shelters are automatically eligible as well.  Effective December 3, 2007, EEC and DTA are authorizing full-time homeless child care assistance to the aforementioned families immediately upon entering shelter.  However, using the child care assistance is optional for the families.
 

Field Operations Memo 2007-38 described increases in the federal minimum wage that began in July 2007 and will continue through July 2009. On July 24, 2008 the federal minimum wage will increase to $6.55. In the summer of 2009 the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25.

Explains that rebates are noncountable income but are counted as assets under cash and Food Stamp programs, and the differences in how they are counted as assets in the different programs.

Explains which work study income is noncountable and which is countable, and that even work study with noncountable income meets work requirements.

Foster grandparent income is noncountable for TAFDC and Food Stamp programs.

Income from Youthbuild and Americorps is not countable for TAFDC or Food Stamp programs.

Instructions on provision of retroactive payments to Food Stamps recipients who had combat pay erroneously counted against their benefits.

Step-grandparent and TAFDC relationship requirement; proper way to close FS case for recipient moving out of state; reporting requirements for FS applicants with pending UI claims.

Treatment of teenage student's earnings from employment for TAFDC and FS programs; FS cooling SUA information.

Teen parent GED voucher; TAFDC step-parent income

Household composition and income treatment issues for stepparent with stepchild on TAFDC; exemptions in two-parent families.

Cousins and relationship requirement for TAFDC; Supported Work wages as countable income.

FS: How to count escrowed tax payments for homeowners' shelter deduction; FS: Methods of determining whether a job meets the work requirement; FS: Coding of undocumented immigrants.

EBT card replacement; Americorps workers not eligible for child care; funeral benefits for family cap child; Food Stamp program: Short-term disability payments as earned or unearned income; SSFSP issues.

EAEDC: application is also application for Medicaid; AFDC: explanation of first cousin once removed; AFDC and EAEDC: treatment of tax refunds and EIC; AFDC: If applicant received final paycheck before application and is not working, do not count past paychecks even if received within last 4 weeks; FS: worker can  not submit SSN change and case reopen on same day or FS will not issue.

AFDC: do not count wage stubs from terminated employment upon application;  for Monthly Reporting enter wages for the week received not the week earned.

FS: amount of income to count, and length of time to count  it,  when recipient is sanctioned on TAFDC gran -- addresses many situations,  including teen parent issues; FS: treatment of irregular earned income; FS: Prorating SUA in households with two FS assistance units.

Treatment of earned income of undocumented and documented immigrants not on grant in FS and TAFDC programs;  pre-paid calling card not a utility for FS SUA purposes.

Replacement EBT cards at reapplication; TAFDC: household composition including 2 parents, one common child, one child from previous relationship, and earnings; TAFDC: income of step-parent where natural parents are not in the home is not counted if she opts out of assitance unit.

FS: leased vehicles not counted as assets; AFDC: calculating income prospectively or retrospectively at reapplication depends on reason for case closing.

TAFDC: Step-parent's income not counted where neither natural parent is present and step-parent opts out of assistance unit; FS: application for reinstatement of FS taken off EBT card for not being used; EBT cards can be used to make purchases in stores with NYCE logo.

TAFDC: time limit is counted in calendar months not cyclical months; TAFDC: teen parent sanction for not attending school can extend to child after 30 days even if teen parent is on her mother's grant; Child care not available for child not in assistance unit because oes not meet deprivation factor; FS: worker's compensation is unearned income; FS: exclusion of car without special equipment which is needed for disabled family member; FS: treatment of short-term disability payments.

TAFDC for SSI recipients on zero SSI grants;  Transitional child care not available where children still receive TAFDC; EA 12 month rule exceptions;  child care during TAFDC recipient's maternity leave from employ,ent.

Where household could be split into two Food Stamp households due to disability of recipient's mother, and thereby get more Food Stamps, case worker has obligation to inform recipient. In such cases, shelter and utility deductions sometimes must be prorated. When a recipient's job ends, case worker must determine whether a supplemental Food Stamp payment should issue for the month in which the change is reported.

If a TAFDC reports a rent change on her Monthly Report form, this change must be entered for her Food Stamp case.

To disregard income from a terminated source for an AU on Monthly Reporting, 3 things are necessary: 1) the termination must occur during the budget month, 2)  not counting the wages must increase the TAFDC grant, and 3) the wages must be timely reported. Case workers must ask Food Stamp applicants and recipients about child care expenses when it appears they may have them.

Food Stamp recipients with self-employment income should not be on semi-annual reporting; situations in which one parent leaves the household and takes the EBT card right after benefits were issued for the children.