MEMORANDUM

DATE:              March 20, 2002

TO:                   All Alaska Temporary Assistance Manual Holders

FROM:            The Policy and Program Development Team

                          Ellie Fitzjarrald, Chief

SUBJECT:     Temporary Assistance Manual Change #5

This manual change makes a number of revisions to bring our policy manual up-to-date with changes that have occurred over the last few months.

It incorporates the policies for serving incapacitated adults that were implemented December 10, 2001 and updates the eligibility, need, and shelter standards that took effect January 1, 2002.  It also provides a new Table of Contents and Index and includes other clarifications and technical corrections.

These changes are outlined below.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggested improvements, please contact any member of the Policy and Program Development Team at 465-3347 or email us at dpapolicy@health.state.ak.us

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

Chapters 719, Family Self-Sufficiency Plan, and 720, Physical or Mental Inability to Perform Gainful Activity:

Incorporates the new definition of incapacity and the new FSSPFamily Self-Sufficiency Plan requirement for incapacitated adults.  These policy changes were effective with the broadcast and policy memorandum issued December 10, 2001, and included revisions to the Medical Examination and Capacity Form ( TA #10) and dissolution of the Medical Review Team (MRT).

Chapter 735 Employer Based Training

Adds information about the Trial by Hire training option (now named Hire 2000 & 2), and describes the Youth Employment Activities operated under the Workforce Investment Act ( WIA ).

Manual Sections 723-1 B, 770-1, 775-4, 775-6, 780-1, and 780-18

Updates the 185% Income Eligibility Standards, Need Standards, maximum shelter allowances, ratable reduction, penalty amount, and the countable income for an SSISupplemental Security Income child.  Each year these standards are adjusted to reflect the cost-of-living percentage increase given to SSISupplemental Security Income recipients.

Technical Corrections and Clarifications

Manual section 756-1 H, Estimating Beginning and Ending Income, provides additional guidance for estimating income, and expands application of this policy to ongoing cases.

In addition the following corrections are included:

• Manual section 757-5, Volunteer Service Payments, clarifies which volunteer service payments are exempt income under the AmeriCorps programs;

• Manual section 757-14, Temporary Assistance Supportive Service Payments, is reinserted.  This section was mistakenly deleted in MC #4;

• Manual section 759-6 H, Self-Employment Income Annualization Standards, adds the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines that take effect April 1, 2002;

• Manual section 759-6 J, Self-Employment Policy Differences Between Temporary Assistance and Food Stamps, illustrates fewer self-employment policy differences between Temporary Assistance and Food Stamps, as a result of implementing prospective budgeting and other program alignments; and

• Manual section 770-4 C, Diversion Eligibility and Payment Determination, removes a reference to retrospective budgeting.

Manual Change Filing Instructions