452-10      TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE AND APAAdult Public Assistance

452-10 A. GENERAL POLICY

A Temporary Assistance applicant may receive APAAdult Public Assistance benefits while eligibility for Temporary Assistance is being determined.  However, except for Temporary Assistance to APAAdult Public Assistance conversion situations, an APAAdult Public Assistance applicant may not receive APAAdult Public Assistance benefits for any month in which his or her needs were included in the Temporary Assistance case.

This restriction does not apply to an individual whose income and resources were considered available to the Temporary Assistance unit, if the individual was not a member of the Temporary Assistance case.

Note:  

The budgeting rules in this chapter also apply to families receiving Refugee Cash Assistance listed in section 441-2 D.

If one member of a couple receives Temporary Assistance or Refugee Cash Assistance and the other member receives APAAdult Public Assistance , the APAAdult Public Assistance recipient is budgeted as an individual.  However, if the ineligible spouse is not included in the Temporary Assistance or Refugee Cash Assistance case, the APAAdult Public Assistance case is budgeted as a couple, one eligible case.

452-10 B. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO APAAdult Public Assistance CONVERSIONS

In many situations, a Temporary Assistance recipient’s eligibility for APAAdult Public Assistance will begin the month following the month the individual’s needs are removed from the Temporary Assistance case.  However, in some situations, the individual will be eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance benefits while his or her needs are still included in the Temporary Assistance case.

An APAAdult Public Assistance applicant whose needs are included in a Temporary Assistance case is potentially eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance benefits beginning with the date the applicant would be eligible for an initial month’s APAAdult Public Assistance payment.  See manual section 410-7.  

This situation occurs when the individual’s own countable income, including his or her share of the Temporary Assistance payment, is less than the applicable APAAdult Public Assistance need standard.  For APAAdult Public Assistance purposes, the countable income that person derives from a Temporary Assistance grant is the difference between the Temporary Assistance payment actually made to the Temporary Assistance unit, and the Temporary Assistance payment which would have been made had the individual not been included in the grant.

Example 1:  Eligible for Temporary Assistance and APAAdult Public Assistance at the same time  (based on 2024 Temporary Assistance and APAAdult Public Assistance income standards)

In July 2024, a two-parent family containing one child applies for Temporary Assistance for the entire family, and APAAdult Public Assistance for the father.  The family is approved for Temporary Assistance, and the APAAdult Public Assistance application is pended for a disability determination by SSASocial Security Administration.  The family’s only source of income is their monthly Temporary Assistance check for $923.  In October, SSASocial Security Administration notifies the father that he is eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits of $1,020 per month.  The father is potentially eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance beginning November 1, the month after the SSA notification.  Because the father is now eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance, his needs are removed from the Temporary Assistance case at the earliest opportunity; in this case, effective November 30 with timely notice of adverse action.

Without the needs of the father included, the remaining family members qualify for a maximum monthly Temporary Assistance payment of $821.  Therefore, the father’s share of the Temporary Assistance payment for the months of November is $102 ($923 - $821 = $102).  Because of the father’s own income of $1,020 SSASocial Security Administration and his $102 share of Temporary Assistance grant is less than the applicable 2024 APAAdult Public Assistance need standard of $1,305, he qualifies for APAAdult Public Assistance payments beginning with the month of November.

Example 2:  Not eligible for Temporary Assistance and APAAdult Public Assistance at the same time  (based on 2024 Temporary Assistance and APAAdult Public Assistance income standards)

In July 2024, a single mother and her two children applies for Temporary Assistance for herself and her two children, and APAAdult Public Assistance for herself.  The family is approved for Temporary Assistance, and the APAAdult Public Assistance application is pended for a disability determination by SSASocial Security Administration.  The family’s only source of income is their monthly Temporary Assistance check for $923.  In October, SSASocial Security Administration notifies the mother that she is eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits of $1,050 per month.  The mother is potentially eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance beginning November 1, the month after the SSASocial Security Administration notification.  Because the mother is now eligible for APAAdult Public Assistance, her needs are removed from the Temporary Assistance case at the earliest opportunity following adverse action notice requirements; in this case, effective November 30.

Without the needs of the mother included, the remaining family members qualify for a maximum monthly Temporary Assistance payment of $554.  Therefore, the mother’s share of the Temporary Assistance payment for the month of November is $369 per month ($923 - $554 = $369).  Because the mother’s own income of $1,050 SSASocial Security Administration and her $369 share of the Temporary Assistance grant is more than the applicable 2024 APAAdult Public Assistance need standard of $1,305, she does not qualify for APAAdult Public Assistance for the month of November.  Her eligibility for APAAdult Public Assistance begins December 1, 2024.