758-6          INCOME OF SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance RECIPIENTS

The policies in this section apply to adult applicants and recipients. See ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 770-1 for policy on SSISupplemental Security Income child cases.

758-6 A.      SEPARATE ECONOMIC UNITS

All income of an adult who is receiving SSISupplemental Security Income, SSISupplemental Security Income and APAAdult Public Assistance, or APAAdult Public Assistance only, and who is living in a TATemporary Assistance household and is a member of the TATemporary Assistance economic unit will be disregarded in determining eligibility and payment amounts of applicants and recipients. Interim Assistance (IA) payments are not considered an APAAdult Public Assistance benefit for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program purposes.

SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance and TATemporary Assistance persons living together will be treated as completely separate economic units, regardless of the legal or family relationships between them. Except for SSISupplemental Security Income children, no person may receive SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance and ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefits in the same calendar month.

758-6 B.      ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program APPLICANTS WITH SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance RECIPIENTS

The caseworker will not count income determined by SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance as belonging only to the SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance eligible adult in the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program eligibility determination. Verification of sources and amounts of SSISupplemental Security Income counted income must be obtained from SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance case files, EISEligibility Information System interfaces, computer printouts, or the servicing SSISupplemental Security Income office.

SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance considers portions of the income of the SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance ineligible spouse or ineligible parent of a child under 18 to be available to the SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance applicant. SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance cannot deem income that has been considered in determining TATemporary Assistance. In making the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program eligibility and benefit determination, all income deemed by SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance to be available to the SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance recipient will be considered TATemporary Assistance income unless it is otherwise not countable.

The caseworker should not concern himself with the net amounts SSISupplemental Security Income deemed, but merely identify the recipient's own income and consider the gross amounts of all other deemed income as available to the TATemporary Assistance unit. After the TATemporary Assistance determination is made, the caseworker must notify the SSISupplemental Security Income office and/or the APAAdult Public Assistance caseworker that the income they originally deemed available to the recipient has now been considered available in ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program. Notification may be accomplished by providing them with a copy of the TATemporary Assistance budget. SSISupplemental Security Income must then eliminate the deemed income DPADivision of Public Assistance counted and increase their payment. This action will affect the related APAAdult Public Assistance case, if any.

758-6 C.      ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program APPLICANTS WITH POTENTIAL SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance ELIGIBILITY

Any ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program applicant who resides with an adult or child who has potential eligibility for the SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance program should be referred to SSISupplemental Security Income to make application(s) if it would be to the household's financial advantage.

The caseworker must determine ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program / APAAdult Public Assistance eligibility under normal procedures, including the potential SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance household member in the economic unit if he is a dependent child or a legally responsible relative or spouse. Once eligibility has been determined to exist or not exist, the caseworker must inform the appropriate SSISupplemental Security Income office of:

• The results of the TATemporary Assistance determination;
• Which household members are included in the TATemporary Assistance cases; and
• Whose income and resources were considered in the determination, identified by amount and source.

The APAAdult Public Assistance caseworker must be similarly informed. Notification may be done by telephone or by mailing the SSISupplemental Security Income office a photocopy of the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program notice of decision and budget.

758-6 D.      CLIENT RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT RECEIPT OF SSISupplemental Security Income

The ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program recipient or applicant is required to notify DPADivision of Public Assistance within 10 days after a member of the economic unit or assistance unit begins receiving SSISupplemental Security Income benefits. Application for SSISupplemental Security Income benefits is not a condition of ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program eligibility. If any of the persons in a TATemporary Assistance household appear to have SSISupplemental Security Income / APAAdult Public Assistance eligibility, they must be informed of their potential eligibility. The advantages and disadvantages of SSISupplemental Security Income eligibility must be explained.

758-6 E.      ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program APPLICANTS AND IAInterim Assistance

An ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program applicant may apply for APAAdult Public Assistance and be found eligible to receive IAInterim Assistance. However, ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program considers IAInterim Assistance payments as countable income, and will reduce or terminate ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefits because of countable IAInterim Assistance payments. The APAAdult Public Assistance applicant shall be informed of this provision and given the choice of whether or not they would like to receive IAInterim Assistance while their eligibility for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program is being determined.

An ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program recipient is not eligible for IAInterim Assistance. Once an ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program applicant is found eligible to receive Temporary Assistance benefits, eligibility for IAInterim Assistance ends. An ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program recipient may apply for APAAdult Public Assistance and SSISupplemental Security Income benefits, but may not receive IAInterim Assistance while awaiting the eligibility determination on the APAAdult Public Assistance and SSISupplemental Security Income applications.