780-1          DEFINITIONS

 

780-1 A.      TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FAMILY

 

TATemporary Assistance 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 ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payment is based on the family's anticipated income and expenses for the benefit month.

 

780-1 C.      BUDGET 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 ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payment. In prospective budgeting, the budget month and the payment month are the same.

 

780-1 D.      ADJUSTED NEED

 

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.

 

780-1 E.      NEED

 

Need is the difference between the TATemporary Assistance family's net countable income and the family's adjusted need.

 

780-1 F.      NET COUNTABLE INCOME

 

Net countable income means gross income less all exempt income and deductions from income (work incentive deductions and deductions for child support payments made).

 

780-1 G.      RATABLE REDUCTION

 

A ratable reduction is a percentage reduction in a benefit amount to less than 100% of need. Once a TATemporary Assistance 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 2025, ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payments are 55.69% of need, a ratable reduction of 44.31%.

 

Note:

The ratable reduction is defined as the "After Max Pay Deduction" on the TAPDTemporary Assistance Payment Determination screen.

 

The following chart shows the percentage of need payable for each calendar year, beginning in October 1993 when ratable reductions became effective under AFDCAid to Families with Dependent Children:

 

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%
January 2025 55.69% 44.31%

 

780-1 H.      PROSPECTIVE BUDGETING

 

Prospective budgeting means the ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program benefit payment is based on the TATemporary Assistance family's anticipated income and expenses for the payment month.

 

780-1 I.      SHELTER COSTS

 

Shelter costs are the monthly expenses incurred by the TATemporary Assistance family for the family's home, as defined in ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 711-6. Refer to ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program 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 #79 (12/24)