790-6          ADDING AND REMOVING MEMBERS OF THE ASSISTANCE UNIT

790-6 A.      NEW MEMBER ENTERS ASSISTANCE UNIT

New members are added to the assistance unit effective the date the request to add the new member is received. Payment for the needs of the new member for the first month is prorated from the date the agency receives the request to add the new member.

If the new family member meets all non-financial eligibility factors, their resources and income must be counted in the determination of eligibility and payment for the first month in which they are eligible for at least one day.

However, benefits can only be reduced or terminated with 10 days notice adverse action. No claim determination is done if adding the new member causes an overpayment or ineligibility.

Note:

When adding a new born child to a 3rd trimester pregnant woman ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program case, the new child should never create an overpayment. For most cases a manual budget will be necessary to determine a partial month supplement for the month a child was reported in the household. Please see the Temporary Assistance Budget Worksheet (TA 3) for additional guidance on manual budgets.

790-6 B.      MEMBER LEAVES ASSISTANCE UNIT

When a member of the economic or assistance unit leaves the home, the departing individual is removed from the case effective the first day of the first full month they are gone.

However, benefits can only be reduced or terminated with ten days notice adverse action. Except for situations described in ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program MS 790-6 C below, no claim determination is done if removing an assistance unit member causes an overpayment or ineligibility.

790-6 C.      CARETAKER RELATIVE CHANGES

If the home of the children remains the same, but the only caretaker relative leaves the children's home, continued eligibility may not exist. To be eligible for ATAPAlaska Temporary Assistance Program, the children must have a caretaker relative in their home unless the situation meets the "temporary absence" requirements.

If the caretaker relative leaves permanently and a new caretaker relative enters the home permanently, close the existing case and invite the new caretaker relative to apply.

New application and prompt provision of first month's benefits for the new caretaker relative can be accomplished if no payment duplication occurs in any month. If a duplicate payment situation does occur, a claim determination can be completed on the previous caretaker's case, and benefits can be issued to the new family.

However, if the original caretaker relative was in the home one day of the benefit month, that individual is entitled to receive that month's payment and no additional benefits can be provided to the new caretaker relative for that month.