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Chapter: 1600 Assets Program: TCA 25 1620.0539.01 The Home as Principal Place of Residence (TCA) When the individual, couple, child, parent or relative leaves the home and establishes residence elsewhere, the home becomes an asset regardless of how it is considered for tax purposes, unless a legal spouse or dependent child under 18 or under age 19 and in school, resides in the home.

If the individual lives in more than one place or owns more than one residence, further examination is necessary to determine which home can still be regarded as the individual’s principal place of residence. 1620.0539.02 Home Temporarily Unoccupied (TCA) If the home is temporarily unoccupied for six months or less and the individual(s) clearly intends to return, the home continues to be excluded if the absence is due to: physical or mental illness, casualty loss, or natural disaster.

In situations where an absence of more than six months occurs, the eligibility specialist must obtain a signed statement from the individual indicating:

1. where the individual resides most of the time, 2. which residence the individual regards as his principal residence, 3. which residence the individual calls home, and 4. when the individual intends to return home.

If the principal place of residence cannot be determined from the individual’s statement, other sources of verification must be reviewed. This includes documents such as:

1. a voting address; 2. an employer’s record of address; 3. the mailing address; 4. state and county shown on a federal income tax return; 5. statements by the individual’s physician, guardian, representative payee; and 6. addresses shown on a driver’s license, car registration form, or checkbook. 1620.0541.01 Good Faith Effort to Sell (TCA) When the individual is making a good faith effort to sell property, it can be excluded for up to nine months if the family agrees to use the proceeds from the sale to repay the Temporary Cash Assistance received. The individual must provide evidence of good faith effort to sell the property prior to approval for assistance.

The parent or relative must sign a CF-ES 2672 form, Real Property Agreement, in the presence of a witness acknowledging that the family:

1. owns real property the value of which exceeds the $2,000 asset limit (or, when combined with other assets, the total value exceeds the limit), and 2. agrees to dispose of the property and to make repayment of any Temporary Cash Assistance benefits that would not have been received had disposal occurred at the beginning of the exclusion period.

Passages 1620.0541.02 – 1620.0541.04 provide additional policy on the nine month exclusion period.