Page 62

Chapter: 1400 Technical Requirements Program: TCA 57

Any VA pensioner who is applying for or receiving Temporary Cash Assistance cannot be required to file for or receive the December 1978 VA pension increase as a condition of eligibility. 1420.1700 CHILD SUPPORT COOPERATION (TCA) Under state and federal law, the state must take action to locate non-custodial parents, establish paternity, and secure all child support, medical support, or other benefits for children receiving public assistance.

Applicants for and recipients of Temporary Cash Assistance (including caretaker relatives receiving Temporary Cash Assistance) must cooperate with Child Support Enforcement (CSE) as a condition of eligibility unless it is determined that good cause for non-cooperation with CSE exists. 1420.1702 Child Support Cooperation Requirements (TCA) Cooperation with Child Support Enforcement (CSE) by a parent or caretaker relative is required when:

1. the parent or caretaker relative is applying for or receiving Temporary Cash Assistance for a child(ren), 2. paternity has not been established and the alleged father is not in the home, 3. but one or both parents are absent from the home, and 4. good cause for non-cooperation does not exist as determined by CSE.

The parent or caretaker relative must cooperate with the following:

1. identifying and locating the parent(s) of the child, 2. establishing the paternity of the child, and 3. obtaining child support payments for the child. 1420.1704 Definition of Cooperation (TCA) Cooperation includes the following:

1. providing complete information required to obtain child support (if information about the non-custodial parent is known by the individual but is withheld, the individual may face a possible penalty of perjury); 2. completing and signing affidavits attesting to paternity of the child; 3. making court appearances and providing testimony in paternity hearings and support actions; and 4. reporting to the eligibility specialist within 10 calendar days payments of child support made directly to the parent or caretaker relative. 1420.1705.01 Definition of Non-custodial Parent (TCA) The term “non-custodial parent” refers to non-custodial (absent) legal fathers, non-custodial (absent) mothers, and all putative (nonlegal biological) fathers. 1420.1705.02 Legal Father and Natural Father (TCA) If both a legal and putative father exists, or the responsibility for support is not clear, the parent or caretaker relative must provide information on each parent. 1420.1706 Cooperation by a Pregnant Woman (TCA) A pregnant woman with no other children will not be required to cooperate with Child Support Enforcement (CSE) until the child’s birth. No sanctions will be imposed for the pregnant woman