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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 5000 5700 Unearned Income 5708 Foster Care Payments/GuardianshipPayments

EXAMPLE 1:Public assistance grants (TEA cash assistance or SSI) diverted to a protective payee for the purpose of managing the household’s expenses. EXAMPLE 2: Monies diverted from court-ordered support or alimony payments to a third party for a household expense - e.g. the rent payment is made from the support payment by the court. (This applies only when there is not a court order or other legally binding agreement which requires direct payment to a third party.) EXAMPLE 3: Monies diverted from funds owed to the household to pay a third party for a household expense - e.g. VA deposits the Veteran’s check in a special account and the bank authorized payments for household expenses. Some states have a General Assistance (GA) Program. (Arkansas does not have a GA Program.) In those states, some GA vendor payments are provided for living expenses. Only those GA vendor payments provided to cover housing expenses, exclusive of energy or assistance expenses, will be included as income. GA vendor payments provided for the purpose of energy assistance will be excluded as income. (Also see SNAP 5405, item 4.) 5708 Foster Care Payments/Guardianship Payments SNAP Manual 01/01/00 This policy applies only to those households into which foster care placements have been made by a Federal, State or local governmental foster care program - e.g., Division of Children and Family Services or Mental Health Services (Children “taken in” by neighbors, friends or relatives without any type of formal placement are not considered foster children for the purpose of applying this policy. They will be included as household members if otherwise eligible.) Households which provide foster care will have two options. OPTION 1:The household may elect to consider the person in foster care as a boarder. If the person in care is considered to be a boarder, the foster care payment will be excluded as income to the household. OPTION 2: The household may elect to include the person in foster care as a household member. If the person in care is included as a household member, the foster care payment will be included as income to the household. Guardianship payments are payments made to a person who becomes a child’s legal guardian. There are two types of guardianship payments – Kinship Care and subsidized guardianships.