770-8 DEEMING INCOME AND RESOURCES
Eligibility requirements for sponsored aliens may differ due to allowances based on date of U.S. entry, type of sponsorship form submitted to the INS , U.S. employment history, etc.
1. Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming
Sponsors are required to execute an affidavit of support with the Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS) and demonstrate they can provide enough financial support to the sponsored alien so they do not have to rely on public assistance benefits.
When a sponsored alien applies for ATAP , a portion of the income and resources belonging to the sponsor(s) and Form I-874 signatories are required to be attributed to the alien, regardless of actual availability. This is known as deeming.
The deeming rules apply only to eligible lawful permanent residents (LPRs) whose sponsor has signed a legally binding affidavit of support (Form I-864 or I-864A) on or after December 19, 1997.
Alien sponsorship can be verified through SAVE . For additional information on how to obtain alien sponsorship verification refer to Administrative Procedures Manual section 105-14.
2. Aliens Not Subject to Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming
The following aliens are not subject to sponsor-to-alien deeming:
Indigent aliens; If an alien is determined to be indigent per the defintion in ATAP MS 770-8A4 the caseworker must notify the Policy Unit of the determination via email at hss.dpa.policy@alaska.gov. The email will need to include the names of the indigent alien and the alien's sponsors. Each indigence determination is effective for 12 months and may be renewed for an additional 12-month period;
3. Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming Period
The deeming period begins when the qualified alien meets the 5 year bar and applies for ATAP or the qualified alien applies for ATAP and is exempt from the 5 year bar as shown in ATAP MS 713-4D.
The deeming period will end under the following circumstances:
4. Sponsor to Alien Deeming Period Exceptions
The sponsor-to-alien deeming period can be adjusted in the following circumstances:
Victims of Battery Violence or Extreme Cruelty
An alien who is a victim of battery or extreme cruelty may receive a 12 month exemption from the sponsor-to-alien deeming requirement when:
After the expiration of the initial 12 month deeming exemption period, alien(s) may request a modification to the standard deeming requirements when:
The modification to the deeming requirements allow for the income of the sponsor or Form I-864 signatories responsible for the abuse or battery to be exempt. While all other sponsor(s) or Form I-864 signatories' income is required to be deemed as shown in ATAP MS 770-8A.
Indigent Aliens:
An indigent alien is an LPR whose sponsor executed Form I-864, and whose compilation of income, cash, or in-kind assistance provided by the sponsor(s), Form I-864 signatories, or others total less than the SNAP gross income limit for the alien's household. Refer to SNAP addendum 4. If the household is determined over income for SNAP then they are not considered to be indigent for ATAP . Each indigence determination is effective for 12-months and may be renewed for additional 12-month periods
Notification to hss.dpa.policy@alaska.gov must be sent whenever an alien is determined indigent and accepts ATAP benefits.
5. Deeming Sponsor Resources
A portion of the resources belonging to a sponsor (and sponsor's spouse if the spouse is living with the sponsor) is deemed to be the resources of a sponsored alien. The resources belonging to the sponsor's spouse will be counted even if the sponsor and spouse were married after the signing of the sponsorship agreement.
All but $1,500 of the total countable resources belonging to the sponsor and sponsor's spouse is deemed to the sponsored alien.
The amount of resources deemed to the sponsored alien is considered in determining the eligibility of the household in which the alien is a member.
In any case where an individual is the sponsor of 2 or more aliens, the resources of the sponsor(s) and Form I-864 signatories that would otherwise be deemed available to the alien, are equally divided amongst the aliens sponsored by the individual.
6. Sponsor is the Alien's Spouse
When an alien is sponsored with Form I-864 by their spouse and they apply together for ATAP their resources are consider completely available to each other and should be determined according to DPA 's standard ATAP resource policies.
7. Deeming Sponsor Income
Sponsors receiving TA or SSI are excluded from this process. If this process applies, the computations are:
a. Determine the sponsor's and the sponsor's spouse's gross earned income. Use the policies of this manual just as if the sponsor and spouse had applied for Temporary Assistance. If either or both are self-employed, allow all proper costs of doing business as deductions.
b. Sponsor and spouse together are allowed only a 20% deduction from gross earned income. The maximum allowed is $175, even if the 20% amount is more than $175.
c. The result of subtracting the work deduction from the monthly earned income is added to all amounts of unearned income received by both sponsor and spouse. Include any amounts they receive on behalf of children not in the grant who live with them, such as Social Security. Exclude any unearned income that is excluded for ATAP applicants.
d. From the total earned and unearned income 3 possible deductions must be examined to see if they apply:
The amount of this deduction is computed by using the appropriate ATAP need standard, usually the adult-included standard. Treat second and additional adults as if they were additional children.
e. All of the allowed deductions are totaled and that total is subtracted from the total income.
f. The net sponsor income is the available income to the alien. However, if the sponsor sponsors more than one alien, this "net" income amount must be divided equally among all the sponsored aliens.
g. The income period used for sponsors is the month used for the applicant or recipient.
The amount of income deemed to the sponsored alien is considered unearned income in determining the eligibility and benefit level of the household in which the alien is a member.
Actual money given to the alien by the sponsor or the sponsor's spouse is not considered as income to the alien unless the amount exceeds the amount attributed to the alien as deemed income. The portion of the amount that actually exceeds the amount deemed is considered income to the alien in addition to the deemed income amount.
8. Changes in Sponsor
9. Responsibilities of a Sponsored Alien
10. Caseworker's Responsibilities
11. Verification of Sponsor's Resources and Income
The alien is responsible for obtaining the information and documentation necessary to calculate the deemed income and resource amounts. The caseworker must help the alien obtain the verification, if necessary. INS , through SAVE , can provide the sponsor(s) and Form I-864 signatories name, address, and SSN
While awaiting verification, the sponsored alien is ineligible and considered an excluded household member. See ATAP MS 750-2. In this situation, the deemed income and resources are not considered available in determining the eligibility and benefit level of the remaining household members. If the same sponsor is responsible for the entire household, the entire household is ineligible until the required sponsor(s) and Form I-864 signatories' information is provided and/or verified.
1. Income Deeming
Not all cases with stepparents require deeming. Stepparents receiving TA or SSI are excluded from this process. If the stepparent has income, lives in the home, and does not have his or her needs included in the grant, the computations are:
The amount of this deduction is computed by using the appropriate ATAP need standard, usually the adult-included standard. Second and additional adults are added as if they were additional children. If the stepparent is alone, he or she receives the pregnant woman standard amount as a deduction.
e. After all the allowable deductions are totaled, that total is subtracted from the total income.
f. The net income resulting is the stepparent's net countable income.
g.The income period used for stepparents is the month used for the applicant or recipient.
2. Resource Deeming
The resources of a person who legally marries the natural or adoptive parent of a child are not considered available to the child, even if the child and his stepparent live in the same house or the stepparent has assumed the responsibilities of a natural parent, or he has claimed the child as a deduction or exemption for income tax purposes.
If the stepparent is the spouse of the natural parent, and they are living together, all of their resources are considered available to each other. (Jointly held liquid resources are discussed separately in ATAP MS 752-2 and 752-8.) If the assistance unit is over resource because of the separate resources of the stepparent, the assistance unit's eligibility should be redetermined leaving out the natural parent and excluding the stepparent's resources.
1. Income Deeming
For the purposes of this section, a minor parent is a parent under the age of eighteen who is not married or emancipated.
If a minor parent of a dependent child lives in the home of his or her own parent, and the parent has not applied for and is not receiving TA , the income of the parent must be deemed available to the minor parent and dependent child.
This deeming computation continues through the month of a minor parent's eighteenth birthday and is applied in the 185% test, the eligibility determination test, and the payment computation. The deductions given in deeming the income are similar to those given to stepparents.
e. After all the allowable deductions are totaled, that total is subtracted from the total income. The net income resulting, if there is any, is used in determining eligibility through the 185% test, the eligibility determination, and the payment computation.
f. The income period used for a parent(s) is the month used for the applicant or recipient.
2. Resource Deeming
The resources of a minor parent's parent are not considered to be available to the minor parent.
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