Instructions to DTA workers on how the private employee verification system, The Work Number, can be used to verify employment-related information describe how The Work Number Standard Service can be accessed and lists the steps to follow to request and receive information from The Work Number. (Note, individual workers who work for companies who use The Work Number should also be able to access this information directly without relying on DTA to get it.)

The 2008 Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines were published in the Federal Register on 1/23/2008.  The HHS Poverty Guideline is used to calculate the eligibility standards in the following programs:  TAFDC: Income from the Parent(s) of a Teen Parent Under Age 18 (200 percent of poverty guideline);EA Eligibility Standard (130 percent of poverty guideline); and Food Stamps: Gross Monthly Categorical Eligibility Income Standards (200 percent of poverty guideline).  

The Department will pay a nonrecurring clothing allowance of $150 per eligible TAFDC client under the age of 19 for September 2008.  The clothing allowance is prorated for clients under the age of 19 with an eligibility start date after September 1, 2008.

Minimum wage increase affects Food Stamp work requirement; mortgage crisis relocation benefits not countable

An Acosta payment is a child support payment for the amount that exceeds the TAFDC grant for the given month. It is noncountable for TAFDC unless the recipient receives two consecutive payments. After the second payment, the TAFDC case must be closed.

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.

Educational assistance (loans, grants, scholarships, etc.) are not counted as income until actually received by the student, and then must be averaged over the period that it covers and counted accordingly. An example in the FYI shows that the combination of these two rules sometimes results in part of the assistance being disregarded.

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.

The Unemployment Insurance Inquiry screen lists regular and extended UI benefits. TAFDC, EAEDC, and EA clients who may be eligible for extended UI must apply for it. SNAP/Food Stamps  clients should be encouraged to apply for them.

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

Treatment of lump sum income at application stage for TAFDC and FS.

Teen parent GED voucher; TAFDC step-parent income

TAFDC: lump sum rule and lottery winnings; Food Stamps: lottery winnings and assets for NPA and PA households.

Guidelines on when employee "flex accounts" are countable as income and when they are not countable as income.

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

Income tax refunds, Earned Income Credit, and Food Stamp and cash programs.

How it affects FS and TAFDC benefits when someone other than the recipient pays part or all of the recipient's rent.

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

Treatment of tax refunds and EIC for TAFDC and FS; FS reporting requirements for work-required homeless households.

TAFDC for 18 year-old who has finished high school but not passed MCAS; counting income of working teen dependents for TAFDC and FS purposes.

TAFDC and EAEDC: Recalculating lump sum disqualification periods when there has been domestic violence.

TAFDC: teen parent can keep her baby out of teen parent's mother's assistance unit in order to keep child support payments; no penalty warning notice necessary before child support noncooperation sanctions; step-parent who opts out of grant does not have income included (can opt out where neither natural parent is present in home);  Unemployment compensation information accessible by computer match.

TAFDC and FS: Noncitizen deeming-- multiple issues.

AFDC: Terminated employment and Supplemental Payments; Funeral Benefits for persons not receiving any benefits while alive; FS: correction of underpayments; EAEDC: counting of spouse's income and assets.

TAFDC: child support for child on SSI not countable; TAFDC: disability exemption request counts as first request if first in 5 year clock cycle; EA: no school requirement, eligibility for pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy.

Student financial aid verification forms; FS anf TAFDC: Aliens with DV code admitted through diversity lottery; FS: excess income of institutionalized child; FS: residents of battered women's shelters eligible for FS even if shelter provides meals; FS: timeframe for inputting addition of new family member to raise benefits; FS: handling of FS cases for refugees not receiving TAFDC.

FS: recertification of NPA AU's associated with TAFDC AU's; UI compensation is counted gross for all programs; procedures for placing pregnant homeless teens who do or do not receive TAFDC.

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.

Leased vehicles not countable; treatment of tax refunds and EIC; TAFDC: how many pay stubs to use to calculate financial eligibility for extension for recipient who has just started working; FS: when to start counting ineligibility period for voluntary quit prior to application; FS: 60 days of job search counts for 12 calendar months regardless of whether case closes and reopens;  TAFDC: Sponsor deeming.

Effect of tax refund and EIC on eligibility; FS: effect of TAFDC sanction; TAFDC: earned income of 18 year-old dependent child who is a student.

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

TAFDC: deeming of parent income to teen parents (but not step-parent income); work study income and monthly reporting (if no prior earned income, does not need to do monthly reporting for work study income).

FS: income for sanctioned teen parent; TAFDC: Monthly reporting stops when wage earner moves out of household; FS: crediting spouse's or parent's work quarters for immigrants;

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.

EA: count gross earned income plus cash benefits; AFDC rent allowance for people living in subsidized mortgage buildings if no Sec. 8 or MRVP in use; AFDC: Uniform Gift to Minors funds not countable; alien sponsor deeming.

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.

AFDC and EAEDC: certain types of payment refunds not considered countable income; AFDC: changing child from one grant to another in timely fashion; FS: voluntary quit provision applies only to head of household; procedures for issuing expedited FS.

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: exclusion of teen parent's baby from assistance unit of teen parent's mother (so the baby can keep child support); FS: mortgage payments beyond what is required are not deductible; TAFDC: recipient living in development with federal subsidy entitle to rent allowance if no Section 8 or MRVP in use; TAFDC: ineligible immigrants with children on TAFDC and proration of shelter costs (none if parent has no  income).

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.

FS: foster care payments; AFDC: foster care payments; outdated AFDC issues.

FS: categorical eligibility based on receipt of income-eligible child care; FS: not categorically eligible based on TANF receipt in another state; Funeral benefits-- no reimbursement; All programs: Unemployment compensation counted in gross amount.

TAFDC: failure to verify Learnfare school attendance results in child being removed from grant, not termination of whole family's grant;  Busiral benefits: counting of assets; FS: Refugee training programs that count toward exemption from work requirement; TAFDC: child support for child on SSI not countable; EA: pregnant woman is eligible at any time during pregnancy.

TAFDC: grandmother does not need guardianship to establish relationship even if not on the grant; TAFDC and FS: severance pay is nonrecurring lump sum payment; TAFDC: recipients in domestic violence shelters are eligible for relocation benefits.

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.