FYI: November 2011 - Department of Children and Families (DCF) Quarterly Clothing Allowance and TAFDC Teen Parents

Department of Children and Families (DCF) Quarterly Clothing Allowance and
TAFDC Teen Parents

DCF quarterly clothing allowance payments to teen parents are considered noncountable income in the
TAFDC Program as they are a contribution that provides for a portion of the teen parent’s needs. See 106
CMR 204.250(AA) for more information. Although an individual receiving state or federal foster care
maintenance payments is ineligible for TAFDC benefits (see 106 CMR 204.305(E) for more information), as
long as the DCF quarterly clothing allowance is the only DCF payment issued to the teen parent, he or she is
not considered in receipt of state or federal foster care maintenance payments. Accordingly, these teen
parents may be approved for TAFDC, if otherwise eligible. To verify the type, amount and frequency of DCF
payments, a current statement from DCF staff indicating these details is required.

For SNAP purposes, the DCF quarterly clothing allowance payment is also considered excluded income as it
is restricted for a specific purpose and provides for a portion of the teen parent’s needs. See 106 CMR
363.230(A) for more information.

Home Visits

This FYI serves as a reminder to Department staff that, although infrequent, home visits are conducted by
the Department. Home visits may be conducted by case managers in cash and SNAP programs to take
applications, interview a client, etc. Quality Control (QC) reviewers conduct home visits on a monthly basis
as a part of their review process. The time of the home visit must be scheduled in advance with the
household by telephone or letter. If the home visit is conducted due to a client’s disability as an Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) reasonable accommodation, an (ADA-1) form should be completed.
When a client receives a notice of a pending home visit by QC or other Department employee, the client
will sometimes call the case manager to verify that home visits are conducted. When this occurs, the case
manager must inform the client that the Department does conduct home visits.

For more information on home visits, see 106 CMR 361.510: Waiver of the Office Interview, 106 CMR 361.640
(C): Sources of Verification, 106 CMR 362.120: Verification of Residency, Field Operations Memo 2002-16:
Waiving In-Office Face-to-Face Interviews for NPA FS AUs, A User’s Guide: Transitional Assistance Programs and
BEACON Chapter IV-A, page 3, Processing the Request for Assistance, A User’s Guide: Transitional Assistance
Programs and BEACON Chapter XIII-C page 2, Teen Parent and BEACON Today Issue 10.