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Chapter: 1800 Income

Program: RAP 37 2. SSA award letter, 3. VA award letter, 4. pension or award letter, 5. Unemployment Compensation award letter, and 6. child support court statement and/or current statement from absent parent. 1860.0903 Gross Benefits (RAP) The gross benefit amount received, or anticipated to be received, is considered unearned income. Benefits are owned by the individual for whom they are intended unless the individual is not in the home and the benefits are not redirected. Deductions for optional items such as health insurance and Medicare premiums continue to count as income. 1860.0904 SSA Income (RAP) Benefits that are paid by SSA are unearned income for all programs. These types of benefits include Title II Social Security benefits, SSI, special age 72 payments (PROUTY), and black lung benefits.

For all programs, the gross entitlement amount (prior to any deduction) is entered into the FLORIDA system on AFMI. The cents should not be dropped. (The system automatically drops the cents when calculating the budget for food stamps and SSI-Related Programs.)

Social Security benefits recouped by SSA that are not received by the household are excluded unearned income. 1860.0905 Annuities, Pensions and Retirement (RAP) Annuities, pensions, retirement or disability payments are all included as unearned income. These payments are the result of purchase of an annuity, retirement from employment, survivor benefits for a former employee's dependents, or injury or disability, and may be made by an employer, an insurance company, or public or private fund.

1860.0908 Workers' Compensation Payments (RAP) Workers' Compensation payments are included as unearned income.

Workers' Compensation payments are awarded to an injured employee or to the employee's survivors. Any portion of the payment designated for medical expenses paid or deducted at the source and not controlled by the individual is excluded from the income amount. 1860.0909 Railroad Retirement Payments (RAP) Retirement, survivor, unemployment, sickness and strike benefits from railroad payments are included as unearned income. Premiums for medical insurance under Medicare that may have been deducted must be added to the payment amount in determining the amount of unearned income. Entitlement or potential entitlement for railroad benefits should be suspected if the individual's SSN begins with the number "7".

The following are three different railroad retirement benefits.

1. The retirement benefit is payable only to the railroad employee or the employee's spouse. Benefits may be increased because of dependent children; however, the amount of the increase is considered income to the individual rather than the child(ren). 2. The survivor benefit is payable to widows/widowers and children or to dependent parents if no widow(er) or child qualifies. 3. Checks for unemployment, sickness, and strike benefits cover a period up to two weeks.