Page 12
assignment. The parent remains a mandatory filing unit member while absent. 4.5 CHILD SUPPORT Regular child support payments are essential to help most single-parent ATAP families attain and sustain self-sufficiency. Participants are required to cooperate with the Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) in establishing paternity and establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support order for a dependent child within the family. This requirement is waived if an applicant or recipient can establish good cause for not cooperating with CSED. Good cause reasons must be approved by the Division. An applicant must assign to the state all rights to child support for months they receive ATAP benefits once the family is eligible for benefits. 4.6 MINOR PARENTS Minor parents are individuals under the age of 18 who are not married or emancipated, and who have applied for ATAP on behalf of themselves and their dependent children. The program requires minor teen parents to follow specific requirements designed to help them be responsible parents and independent adults. Minor parents must live in an adult-supervised setting. They may live with a parent or guardian, another adult relative, or in a setting such as a group home that has been approved by the Department. If a minor parent does not comply with this requirement, the entire family is ineligible. Minor parents who do not have a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) must maintain an adequate level of school attendance in a secondary school or other appropriate training program. An adequate level of school attendance is one that meets the program’s graduation or certification requirements. If a minor parent does not comply with this requirement, the family’s benefit is reduced. 4.7 PENALTIES AND SANCTIONS An otherwise needy family may not participate in the ATAP if it is specifically excluded by law. A participating family may have benefits reduced for failure to fulfill program requirements. Families are ineligible for TANF funded ATAP benefits when: • The family includes an adult who fraudulently misrepresented their residence in order to receive TANF-funded benefits in more than one state. The family is ineligible for 10 years beginning at the date of conviction. • The family includes an individual who is determined to be fleeing to avoid prosecution, custody, or confinement after conviction for a crime that is classified as a felony or a class A misdemeanor. Alaska TANF State Plan P lan Effective December 31, 2025 8 | P a g e