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Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota House Research Department Page 13 lives in Indian Country,21 months when at least 50 percent of the adults in Indian Country are not employed do not count towards the 60-month limit. Months when a family receives payments provided to meet short-term needs under the MFIP consolidated fund or diversionary work benefits also do not count towards the 60-month limit. (See Eligibility for Other Programs, page 18.) For an MFIP caregiver who is a victim of family violence, months when the person is complying with a safety plan, an alternative employment plan, or a family violence waiver do not count towards the 60-month limit. (See Special Provisions for Victims of Family Violence, page 26.) Participants extended for this reason are required to participate in Family Stabilization Services and meet that program’s requirements. (See Family Stabilization Services, page 19.) For custodial parents who are under age 20, time spent on MFIP as a teen caregiver does not count towards the 60-month limit, as long as the teen complies with the program’s special requirements for teen caregivers. (See Special Requirements for Caregivers under Age 20, page 23.) Some families may be eligible for MFIP after they reach the 60-month limit. An extension is when assistance is provided to families who are subject to and who reach the time limit if the family meets certain criteria. Under the federal TANF law, a state may provide TANF-funded assistance to families who have reached the 60-month limit, for up to 20 percent of the state’s caseload on the basis of hardship, or if the family includes someone who has been subject to domestic violence. A state may also provide assistance to more than 20 percent of its caseload if it uses state-only funds. The 2001 Legislature authorized the extension of assistance to certain groups of hardship cases.22 Families that reach the time limit and meet the following criteria are eligible for an extension:  Ill or incapacitated. Participants who are ill or incapacitated; are needed in the home to care for a household member who is ill or incapacitated; or have a household member who meets certain disability or medical criteria. Participants extended for this reason are required to participate in Family Stabilization Services and meet that program’s requirements. (See Family Stabilization Services, page 19.)  Hard to employ. Participants who: are diagnosed as having a developmental disability or mental illness, and that condition severely limits the person’s ability to obtain or retain suitable employment; are considered unemployable or are employable, but employability is limited due to a low IQ; have a learning disability; or have been granted a family violence waiver and are complying with an employment plan. Participants extended for this reason are required to participate in Family Stabilization Services and meet that program’s requirements. (See Family Stabilization Services, page 19.)

21 Indian Country is a term that is generally defined under federal law as including Indian reservations, dependent Indian communities, and Indian allotments (18 U.S.C. § 1151). 22 See Minn. Stat. § 142G.42.