711-5          OTHER MANDATORY FILING UNIT FACTORS

711-5 A.      NECESSARY INFORMATION / VERIFICATION

Even if an application is signed by someone who is eligible to apply on behalf of the dependent child(ren), eligibility must be denied or terminated if the caretaker relative fails to provide information necessary to determine if an individual is required to be included in the filing unit.

In exceptional cases, an applicant may not be able to immediately provide the necessary proof of caretaker relationships for a particular child who may be a mandatory filing unit member.

If the client is honestly cooperating in the effort to secure the required verification, and, in the judgement of the caseworker, not attempting to exclude the child by merely withholding the verification, Temporary Assistance will be provided to the other eligible children.

Until the child's relationship to the caretaker relative or siblings is verified, the child may not be considered a mandatory filing unit member, and the child may not be included in the assistance unit unless the case is processed under the Incomplete Verification policy in ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 700-5.

711-5 B.      OPTIONAL MEMBERS

The mandatory filing unit is only the minimum allowable filing unit. There may be other people in the household who wish to apply and who would be eligible if they did choose to apply.

These "optional" members of the household are included in the same ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program application and case.

711-5 C.      MINOR PARENT CONSIDERATIONS

Who must be a part of the mandatory filing unit depends, in some households, on who chooses to apply. For example, if a mother under 18 applies for herself and her child, this minor parent and her child are in the mandatory unit. If this minor parent lives with her parent, and her parent applies, the minor mother is considered to be a dependent child and the mandatory unit consists of the parent and her child, and the grandchild is an optional member. For purposes of the MFUMandatory Filing Unit requirement, a minor parent is only considered to be a "parent" if he or she lives apart from his or her parent(s), or if his or her parent(s) are not applying for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payments for themselves.

Example:

June has a 16 year old daughter, May, who gives birth to a baby girl named April. May is now a minor parent. She and April remain at home with June. June applies for Temporary Assistance for herself, her daughter, and her grandchild. The MFUMandatory Filing Unit consists of June and her dependent child, May, and April the grandchild is an optional member.

Six months later May decides to move into an approved living situation with her related neighbor, Summer. May is now the parent and the PI, her daughter April is the dependent child, and Summer is the payee in May's minor parent case. Summer is not eligible for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payments for herself unless she has other dependent children in her home.

711-5 D.      PENALIZED AND DISQUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS

An individual who is serving an ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program penalty is considered to be a member of the assistance unit during the penalty period. If the person who is penalized or disqualified is a caretaker relative, he or she cannot be "replaced" in the assistance unit by another caretaker relative in the home while serving the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program penalty.