In our continued effort to decrease access barriers and simplify FS rules, the Department has taken advantage of the Farm Bill option to exclude certain Income and Assets to mirror cash regulations for purposes of determining FS eligibility and benefit amount. The affected regulations are 106 CMR 363.140; 363.220; and 363.230. These changes were issued in State Letter 1275.

The Department is further expanding categorical eligibility rules for Non-Public Assistance food stamp (NPA/FS) households. Effective June 9, 2008 there will no longer be an asset test for most NPA/FS households.    Clients will be relieved of the burden of providing asset information and verifications. TAO staff will no longer have to request and review asset verifications or explore asset-related matches. This change will have a positive impact on many vulnerable Massachusetts households, particularly households with elder and disabled members.  The State Letter transmitting the Maximized Categorical Eligibility policy is currently being finalized. 

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

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.

An asset  is considered inaccessible, and therefore not countable, if the indvidual is a victim of domestic violence and trying to access the asset would put her at risk of further domestic violence.

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

Funeral and burial: asset limits; Food Stamps: noncountable and countable burial lots.

Expanded categorical eligibility for NPA Food Stamp households. Questions pertain to elder and disabled households and to 18 year-old single.

EAEDC; lump sum income; TAFDC: Child care for teen parent in foster care; All programs: how to count personal property for asset limit purposes.

Car value for applicant for TAFDC and Food Stamps; Food Stamps: Subsidized adoption income; Providing interpreters for Limited English Proficiency/ LEP persons.

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.

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

EBT issues; child care for family cap children; summer child care for school-age children; NPA Food Stamps exclusion of vehicle used by disabled household member.

All programs: treatment of irrevocable trusts; FS: eligibility of students over 18 who work during the summer; FS: verification  deadlines; DMA responsible for paying for transportation to medical appoinitments and methadone clinics; FS: effect of period of ineligibility  imposed by another state; FS: meal fees included in rent charge must be deducted for purposes of shelter deduction.

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.

Treatment of time shares for asset determination purposes; old AFDC case issues.