2004 DTA Guidance

Index to 2004 Hotline Focus.

FS heating and cooling allowances, FS and LiHEAP.

Refugees participating at least half time in a recognized refugee training program are exempt from Food Stamp work requirements. Students enrolled half time in a recognized training program are also exempt.

There are two internal DTA guides about noncitizens for case workers: "Entering Noncitizen Information on BEACON" and "Online Noncitizen Reference Guide."

New 3-tier TAFDC work requirement.

Cannot deny for failure to verify expenses for deduction purposes; cannot deny PA household for over-asset; cannot count both EAEDC and SSI income; cannot close Food Stamps for failure to verify something that is only required for TAFDC; if mail is returned with forwarding address must send letter…

Teen parent GED voucher; TAFDC step-parent income

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

Learnfare; teen parent AU composition for TAFDC and FS.

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.

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

When a recipient cures a TAFDC sanction, Food Stamps must be ajusted to remove attributed income. Instructions on correctly anticipating income at certifications for Universal Semi-Annual Reporting households.

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

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.

Extra charge paid to housing authority for having an air conditioner count as a cooling expense entitling household to Heating/Cooling SUA.

EA: Intervening housing since eviction from subsidized apartment for nonpayment; TAFDC: step-grandparents not eligible based on relationship requirement.

Removes language that a Food Stamp benefit amount cannot equal $1, $3, or $5.

Child care for community service placements; lack of child care as good cause once community service placement has been approved.

Reminds case workers that they must tell all immigrant applicants that even if they are not eligible for benefits their family members may be, that case workers must not press reluctant applicants to provide immigration status or SSN, and that case workers are not to report any immigrant's status to…

Reminder to case workers that 1) they must tell applicants that even if they are not personally eligible for benefits a family member may be, 2) once a person indicates an unwillingness to provide verification of immigratin status or social security number, the case worker must stop asking for such…

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