Income/ lump sum (TAFDC)

An Advocate's Guide to the Massachusetts Welfare Rules for Families By Deborah Harris and Betsy Gwin, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, January 2024 Edition As described by MCLE: Using a simple question-and-answer format, this handbook guides advocates through the maze of TAFDC rules and…

TAFDC and EAEDC clients must report any new income or a change in income over $100 a month to DTA within 10 days. DTA receives information about certain TAFDC and EAEDC clients with potential earnings from the Department of Revenue. In an ongoing effort to ensure program integrity and client…

When a client reports receipt of lump sum income, it is important to ask the appropriate questions. If the client in addition to receiving the lump sum has also experienced a natural disaster or domestic abuse they may be eligible for a recalculation of the lump sum period of ineligibility, and…

DTA typically sends college students a special form, called the Educational Income and Expense Form (EDUC-1) to get information from the Financial Aid office about the student financial aid awards. Non-federal financial aid may affect SNAP or cash assistance. Here's the EDUC-1…

How to treat election worker income.

The way that TAFDC grants are calculated is changing in some important ways. What are the changes happening to the calculation?  1) The TAFDC 185% gross income eligibility test is being eliminated. 2) The TAFDC Work Related expense deduction will be increased from $150 to $200. 3)…

Reveiw of how election worker income should be treated.

Effective December 2015, all TAFDC households with earned income will no longer have to complete a Monthly Report to verify income received. This PowerPoint gives an overview of the processing procedures associated with automated TAFDC reevaluations. From DTA Webinar, November 23, 2015.

Currently, clients with earned income are required to complete a Monthly Report (MR) to verify wages, hours worked and other household circumstances. Effective December 2015, all TAFDC households with earned income will no longer be required to complete a Monthly Report. The…

Q. 1. My SNAP client is getting recertified this month (June, 2014) and she has been participating in HEAT. Since H-EAT was not run in the month of April, what should I do with this client’s utility expenses at recertification? A. 1. Until further notice, leave this client’s case with…

Overview On January 24, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the federal poverty guidelines (FPG) in the Federal Register. The poverty guidelines are used to calculate the eligibility standards for the TAFDC and SNAP programs as follows: TAFDC: Income from the…

Activities Meeting the Work Program Requirement Case managers are reminded that the following activities (either alone or in combination with other activities) can be used to meet the client’s TAFDC work program requirement: Working in a job for pay; Employment Ready (including…

Purpose of Memo:The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 was signed into law on December 17, 2010. This law makes changes to how the TAFDC and SNAP programs treat Federal income tax refunds.This memo outlines changes to how federal income tax refunds…

Q. My SNAP client is self-employed. How do I verify his earnings?A. Self-employment income is verified by business records, tax returns and other appropriate documents showing gross earned income as well as the total business expenses associated with this income. See 106 CMR 363.210(G) for more…

Q. My client is receiving SNAP benefits. At her recertification, she mentioned that she has not made a mortgage payment in over a year. In recertifying this case on BEACON, can I still deduct her mortgage payment as a shelter expense? A. Yes. As long as your client is still responsible for making…

Overview A new law enacted on November 6, 2009 changes the treatment of the $25 weekly ARRA unemployment compensation (UC) payment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The $25 weekly UC payment is now excluded from the calculation of income and resources. However, the payment…

Due to the current fiscal crisis, certain individuals who are ineligible for TAFDC because of receipt of SSI, who have a legal obligation to support their dependent children or spouse, will have their income (excluding the first $100 of income) count in determining eligibility. This change is…

The 2010 Census will begin in April 2010. Some of our clients may be accepting short-term jobs with the Census Bureau. The primary period of activity for the 2010 Census will be from March 2010 through July 2010, although some positions may begin before or extend after this time period. The…

Field Operations Memo 2009-27 told DTA staff that the Department had developed the DTA Youth Works program to help clients (both dependents and grantees) ages 14 through 24 obtain summer jobs. The income from the DTA Youth Works program was noncountable for cash and SNAP. Income from ARRA-funded…

Effects of severance pay on benefits; effect of ARRA payments on benefits.

Federal economic stimulus payments received in 2008 are not countable as income for any of the 4 programs. For TAFDC, EA, and FS, the payments also are not countable as an asset in the month received or for two months afterwards. For EAEDC, they are not counted as an asset in the month received or…

Income tax refunds, Earned Income Credit, and Food Stamp and cash programs.

Flex benefits or credits that show up on paystubs are not countable for cash or Food Stamp programs if the employee would not have the option of taking them as cash. Explains how to read paystubs and when caseworker must follow up for more details. Also attached is October 1991 guidance from FNS,…

Cousins and relationship requirement for TAFDC; Supported Work wages as countable income.

Foster grandparent income is noncountable for TAFDC and Food Stamp programs.

Teen parent GED voucher; TAFDC step-parent income

How it affects FS and TAFDC benefits when someone other than the recipient pays part or all of the recipient's rent.

Case workers must increase rent amount in Food Stamp case when rent increase is reported on TAFDC Monthly Report.

TAFDC: child support for child on SSI not countable; TAFDC: disability exemption request counts as first request if first in 5 year clock cycle; EA: no school requirement, eligibility for pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy.

TAFDC: grandmother does not need guardianship to establish relationship even if not on the grant; TAFDC and FS: severance pay is nonrecurring lump sum payment; TAFDC: recipients in domestic violence shelters are eligible for relocation benefits.

Income from Youthbuild and Americorps is not countable for TAFDC or Food Stamp programs.

Explains that rebates are noncountable income but are counted as assets under cash and Food Stamp programs, and the differences in how they are counted as assets in the different programs.

Replacement EBT cards at reapplication; TAFDC: household composition including 2 parents, one common child, one child from previous relationship, and earnings; TAFDC: income of step-parent where natural parents are not in the home is not counted if she opts out of assitance unit.

Effect of tax refund and EIC on eligibility; FS: effect of TAFDC sanction; TAFDC: earned income of 18 year-old dependent child who is a student.

Earned income disregards must be applied for assistance unit when parent is excluded due to drug felon ineligibibility rule.

TAFDC and FS: Noncitizen deeming-- multiple issues.

Leased vehicles not countable; treatment of tax refunds and EIC; TAFDC: how many pay stubs to use to calculate financial eligibility for extension for recipient who has just started working; FS: when to start counting ineligibility period for voluntary quit prior to application; FS: 60 days of job…

FS: income for sanctioned teen parent; TAFDC: Monthly reporting stops when wage earner moves out of household; FS: crediting spouse's or parent's work quarters for immigrants;

FS: leased vehicles not counted as assets; AFDC: calculating income prospectively or retrospectively at reapplication depends on reason for case closing.

EAEDC: application is also application for Medicaid; AFDC: explanation of first cousin once removed; AFDC and EAEDC: treatment of tax refunds and EIC; AFDC: If applicant received final paycheck before application and is not working, do not count past paychecks even if received within last 4 weeks;…

AFDC: Terminated employment and Supplemental Payments; Funeral Benefits for persons not receiving any benefits while alive; FS: correction of underpayments; EAEDC: counting of spouse's income and assets.