780-1 DEFINITIONS
780-1 A. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FAMILY
TA family means the assistance unit.
780-1 B. BENEFIT MONTH OR PAYMENT MONTH
The benefit month, or payment month, is the month for which eligibility and payment are being determined. When a family meets all factors of eligibility, the ATAP benefit payment is based on the family's anticipated income and expenses for the benefit month.
The budget month is the month for which shelter costs, income, and income-related factors, such as work incentive deductions, are used to calculate the ATAP benefit payment. In prospective budgeting, the budget month and the payment month are the same.
Adjusted need is determined by reducing the assistance unit's Need Standard by the difference between the family's allowable shelter costs and the maximum shelter allowance.
Need is the difference between the TA family's net countable income and the family's adjusted need.
Net countable income means gross income less all exempt income and deductions from income (work incentive deductions and deductions for child support payments made).
A ratable reduction is a percentage reduction in a benefit amount to less than 100% of need. Once a TA family's amount of need is determined, the payment amount is calculated by multiplying the amount of need by the percentage of need payable.
Effective January 2024, ATAP benefit payments are 54.62% of need, a ratable reduction of 45.38%.
Note:
The ratable reduction is defined as the "After Max Pay Deduction" on the TAPD screen.
The following chart shows the percentage of need payable for each calendar year, beginning in October 1993 when ratable reductions became effective under AFDC:
| Effective Date | Percentage of Need Payable | Ratable Reduction |
| October 1993 (AFDC) |
97.16% | 2.84% |
| January 1994 | 94.70% | 5.30% |
| January 1995 | 92.15% | 7.85% |
| January 1996 | 89.87% | 10.13% |
| January 1997 | 87.43% | 12.57% |
| July 1997 (Temporary Assistance) |
87.43% | 12.57% |
| January 1998 | 85.77% | 14.23% |
| January 1999 | 84.81% | 15.19% |
| January 2000 | 82.94% | 17.06% |
| January 2001 | 80.15% | 19.85% |
| January 2002 | 78.07% | 21.93% |
| January 2003 | 77.10% | 22.90% |
| January 2004 | 75.46% | 24.54% |
| January 2005 | 73.50% | 26.50% |
| January 2006 | 70.63% | 29.37% |
| January 2007 | 68.39% | 31.61% |
| January 2008 | 66.87% | 33.13% |
| January 2009 | 63.22% | 36.78% |
| January 2012 | 61.09% | 38.91% |
| January 2013 | 60.17% | 39.83% |
| January 2014 | 59.24% | 40.76% |
| January 2015 | 58.32% | 41.68% |
| January 2016 | 58.32% | 41.68% |
| January 2017 | 58.10% | 41.90% |
| January 2018 | 57.00% | 43.00% |
| January 2019 | 55.46% | 44.54% |
| January 2020 | 54.58% | 45.42% |
| January 2021 | 54.40% | 45.60% |
| January 2022 | 54.50% | 45.50% |
| January 2023 | 53.17% | 46.83% |
| January 2024 | 54.62% | 45.38% |
780-1 H. PROSPECTIVE BUDGETING
Prospective budgeting means the ATAP benefit payment is based on the TA family's anticipated income and expenses for the payment month.
Shelter costs are the monthly expenses incurred by the TA family for the family's home, as defined in ATAP MS 711-6. Refer to ATAP MS 780-19 below for policy on shelter costs included in calculating the shelter allowance portion of the family's need standard and benefit payment.
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| MC #76 (12/23) |