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MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OF MEDICAID Eligibility Policy and Procedures Manual CHAPTER 200A – Income: ABD Categories Page |69 Effective Month: July 2025 Deeming The income used to make court-ordered support payments by an ineligible spouse, ineligible parent or ineligible child is excluded from the deemor’s income. 200A.07.16 SUPPORT PAYMENTS – CHILD SUPPORT A child support payment is payment from a parent to or for a child to meet the child’s needs for food and shelter. Child support can be voluntary, or court ordered. Absent Parent An absent parent is a parent who does not live in the same household as the child. If periods of living together are brief and the child remains independent or under the care and control of another person, agency or institution, or is living in the home of another, the parent is usually considered absent unless the parent retains parental control and responsibility. A parent is not considered absent if the parent is away due to employment, intends to resume living with the child and retains parental control and responsibility. A child (or parent) who is a boarding student in an educational facility is not considered absent. 200A.07.16A TREATMENT OF CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS Child support payments (including arrearage payments) are unearned income to the child. An arrearage payment is one that was due, but not paid timely and is being paid to comply with an unfulfilled past obligation. Exclude one-third of the amount of the child support payment made to or for an eligible child by an absent parent. Verify amount and frequency using court records, records of an agency where payments are made, documents in the individual’s possession or contact with the source of the payment. When a single support payment, e.g., one check, is made for two or more persons, review the legal document that describes the support payments. If the legal document states the amount of each person’s share, divide the payment according to the terms of the document. If not, divide the payment equally. If no legal document exists, contact the payment source to establish intent and allocate the support payment according to that intent. If contact with the source is unsuccessful, accept the