STATE OF ALASKA
Department of Health and Social Services
Division of Public Assistance
TRANSMITTAL NUMBER: MC #64
MANUAL: Alaska Temporary Assistance Program
DATE: December 2, 2019
Social Security announced a 1.6% COLA increase effective January 1, 2020. We have updated the Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP) income eligibility and shelter allowance standards to reflect the annual COLA adjustments in Social Security benefits. The new standards are effective beginning with the benefit month of January 2020. The Eligibility Information System (EIS) will automatically apply these new standards when determining eligibility and benefit amounts beginning January 2020.
Highlights of all the policy revisions are described below. If you have any questions, please contact the Policy and Program Development Team at dpapolicy@alaska.gov.
OVERVIEW OF CHANGES
MS 701-1A WHAT IS THE 60-MONTH TIME LIMIT?
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 701-2 TRACKING AND RECORDING MONTHS OF ASSISTANCE
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 701-3 DETERMINING EXEMPTIONS AND ALLOWING EXTENSIONS TO THE 60-MONTH LIMIT
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 712-3 PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 712-3D THE BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS AFFIDAVIT OF PATERNITY
Changed CSSD mailing instructions of the "Affidavit of Paternity" to emailing instructions and provided applicable email address.
Added the option to view BVS fees online and provided a hyperlink to the fee schedule.
MS 713-5B NON-IMMIGRANTS
Clarified that ATAP considers DACA recipients as non-immigrants and named the USCIS documentation associated with this type of non-immigrant status.
MS 717 CHILD SUPPORT ASSIGNMENT AND COOPERATION
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
Changed CSSD communication method from a phone call to sending an email throughout this section, as the process has changed.
MS 720-2B WAIVED SEASONAL BENEFIT REDUCTION
Changed waiver request method from having the regional manager contact the Director's office to having the Work Services case manager email the Division of Policy and Program Development, in order to match state regulations.
Revised terminology and wording throughout the subsection for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 720-3B COMPETENT MEDICAL TESTIMONY USING THE TA10 FORM
Clarified that a two-parent household is required to provide a completed TA 10 when claiming incapacity.
Added note reminding caseworkers the TA 10 form is allowable but not required for single parent households.
MS 720-3C THE INCAPACITY DECISION
Added note to address when a work exemption due to incapacity should begin.
Provided example explaining how to determine the effective date of the incapacity decision.
Revised terminology and wording throughout the subsection for clarity and consistency with the manual.
MS 730-2 EXEMPTIONS FROM WORK ACTIVITIES
Revised terminology and wording throughout the subsection for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 740-3A SNAP CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY
Updated hyperlink from ATAP MS 740-1 to WSPM 1004-1.
MS 756-4A EARNED INCOME
Revised terminology and wording throughout the subsection for clarity and consistency within the manual.
MS 757-7 MATURE ALASKANS SEEKING SKILLS TRAINING (MASST) PAYMENTS
Added new subsection regarding "Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) Payments."
Renumbered section.
MS 757-8 2020 CENSUS INCOME
Added new subsection regarding "2020 Census Income."
Renumbered subsections.
Added explanation as to why SSI income of children included in the ATAP unit is counted differently than other income.
MS 770-3 MINOR PARENTS
Revised terminology and wording throughout the section for clarity and consistency within the manual.
Clarified that shelter expenses should be verified when questionable.
MS 780-1G RATABLE REDUCTION
Updated the ratable reduction to reflect the 2020 Social Security COLA increase.
MS 780-2C SHELTER ALLOWANCE
Changed presentation of percentage to align with the rest of the manual.
MS 780-3 CALCULATING THE PAYMENT AMOUNT
Updated the standards to reflect the 2020 Social Security COLA increase, along with examples A, B, and C to reflect the updated need standards.
MS 780-19G HOMELESS SHELTER DEDUCTION
Updated the homeless shelter deduction form $143 to $147 to align with SNAP policy.
MS 794 FAIR HEARINGS
Removed information that can be found in the Administrative Procedures Manual.
ADDENDUM 2 PROGRAM STANDARDS
Updated the monetary amount referenced when determining deemed income of the stepparents, to the current pregnant woman need standard.
Updated the income eligibility standards and maximum shelter allowances for 2020.