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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 10/2016

MILITARY INCOME

0017.15.93

MFIP, DWP, GA, GRH: The military Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) identifies payment types. For more information on military pay see MN DHS Military Income Guide on the SIR web site.

Do not count any military income that is not subject to federal or state income taxes.

Count as earned income any military income that is subject to federal or state income taxes and meets the definition of earned income. For the definition of EARNED INCOME, see 0002.19 (Glossary: Early…).

Count as unearned income any military income that is subject to federal or state income taxes and does not meet the definition of earned income. For the definition of EARNED INCOME, see 0002.19 (Glossary: Early…).

Count as unearned income the military pay the family of a military person receives when that military person is out of the home on military duty. Do not make a Child Support Referral for a MARRIED parent who is called to military duty away from home when there is no breakdown in the marital relationship.

Do not count combat or hazard duty pay received as a result of deployment to a combat zone.

SNAP: Military income is generally made available to the household members through a direct deposit of all or a portion of the military person’s pay into a joint bank account. Occasionally the income is made available to the household members through an allotment arrangement made by the military person for a portion of the pay to be sent to the family. When an allotment arrangement is made, it is the military person who receives the “allotment” with the bulk of the pay being sent directly to the family.

Count as unearned income only that portion of the military pay that the applicant or participant household receives when determining the household’s income, regardless of the arrangement made by the military person. Exclude all combat and/or hazard duty pay. See 0017.06 (Excluded Income), 0017.12.03 (Unearned Income).

Combat pay, also referred to as hazardous or hazard duty pay, is additional payment military personnel receive as a result of deployment to a designated combat zone. If an applicant or participant tells you at application, recertification or contacts you with information that he/she has received or will receive income from military pay or an allotment from an absent member who is deployed to a combat zone, follow the steps below to determine the combat or hazard duty pay exclusion:

1. Establish the amount of the military person’s pay that was actually available to the household prior to the deployment of the military person to a designated combat zone. If the military person was part of the household prior to deployment this amount would be the net military pay. Net military pay means the amount of pay received by the military person prior to being deployed to the combat zone. After the military person is deployed to a combat zone any increase in the money coming to the household would be considered combat or hazard duty pay.

For example, a military member is deployed directly to a combat zone. The predeployment take home pay was $1,000/month. The income increases to $1,200/month after being deployed. When calculating eligibility exclude the $200 combat pay and count only the remaining $1,000 as unearned income to the household. This $1,000 is the net military pay.

NOTE: If the military person was not part of the household prior to the military person’s deployment to a designated combat zone, count the amount the absent military person actually made available to the family prior to deployment.

2. Determine the amount of the military pay that the military person is making available to his/her family.

3. If the amount of military pay made available is equal to or less than the amount the household received prior to deployment to a combat zone, count all of the military pay as unearned income. If the military pay available exceeds the amount the household received prior to deployment, exclude the excess amount.

See TEMP Manual TE02.10.92 (Designated Combat Zones) for a list of designated Combat Zones and the designated effective dates for each Combat Zone.