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spouse for his/her spouse when they are living in the same home. The financial responsibility of a spouse who is not a member of the MC assistance unit is determined in accordance with the Spousal deeming formula used in AR. TANF Count as unearned income a portion of the income of the following spouses (who are not the step- parent of a TANF child) who are in the home but outside the group: • spouse of a caretaker relative other than a parent when the relative (for example, an aunt) elects to be in group, • spouse of a TANF child, or • spouse of a pregnant woman with no other children. Deem the income of a spouse of a group member according to the Spousal deeming rules in AR. GC The income of a spouse of a GC child is deemed to the GC child's group according to the Spousal deeming rules in AR. FS N/A

Step-Parent's Income 5.4.5 ALL A step-parent is someone who is legally married to a person's parent but is not the person's biological or adoptive parent. The marriage may be ceremonial or common law. MA A stepparent's income is only considered if the step-parent is in the unit or if the stepparent's spouse (i.e., the child's parent) is in the assistance unit. If the step-parent is out of the group but his/her spouse is in the unit, the stepparent's income is deemed to the spouse, following the parental deeming formula described in AR in Section 5.4.5: Parental Income in this Chapter. If neither the step-parent or his/her spouse is not included in the assistance unit, none of his/her income is deemed. Thus, if the stepparent's income would make the entire MA assistance unit ineligible for MA, the SSR should determine whether the child(ren) would be eligible for MA if his/her parent were not included in the unit. Example A household consists of a mother (Ms. Hough), a step-father (Mr. Griffith), and Ms. Hough's two children (Debra and Adrienne). Ms. Hough has no income, but Mr. Griffith has significant earnings. If Ms. Hough applies for MA for herself, Debra, and Adrienne, Mr. Griffith's income would be deemed following the parental deeming formula to Ms. Hough. If Mr. Griffith's income is high enough to make Ms. Hough and the children ineligible for MA, the SSR should determine whether the children would be eligible for MA if Ms. Hough were not included in the assistance unit. If the children alone apply for MA, Ms. Hough's income would be counted when determining the children's eligibility (following the deemed parent rules), but Mr. Griffith's income would not be considered. TANF Do not include the step-parent in the assistance unit unless: • there is a child-in-common; • there is no child-in-common but the parent has chosen to have his/her needs included in the group; or • the parent is not in the home and the step-parent chooses to be in the unit (in this case, the step-parent is treated like any other caretaker relative). If the step-parent is excluded, none of his/her income is considered in determining eligibility. The income of the child's(ren's) parent is deemed to the TANF assistance unit using the deemed parent formula, described in Section 5.4.3: Parental Income in this Chapter.