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Volume III | Chapter 3

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SUMMARY OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA A child or children under 18 years of age and their parent(s) or other caretaker relative must meet all technical and financial eligibility requirements in order to qualify for a TANF benefit. These requirements are briefly discussed below and are covered in detail later in this chapter and in other chapters of this manual. NOTE: Federal regulations prohibit the granting of TANF benefits to individuals who are inmates of public institutions. TANF Time Limits The 60-Month time limit is based on federal regulations, is applicable nationwide, and transfers from state to state; however, some states do not allow for the full 60 months. Months which have been used in other states count towards the 60-month time limit for Mississippi recipients. Transfers from other states who apply in Mississippi and who have received less than 60 months of assistance may be eligible for the remaining portion of the maximum limit. Individuals transferring from Mississippi to a state with a lower maximum time limit will be subject to the time limit for the new state of residence. • 60-Month - Beginning October 1996, any TANF case that includes an adult or teen head of household is limited to a lifetime maximum of sixty (60) months of financial assistance; the 60 months are cumulative but do not necessarily run consecutively. Any month for which the recipient family is receiving a TANF benefit, and/or a TANF Work Program (TWP) transportation payment, will be included in the 60-month count. The first month of the count for an applicant household is the first month of benefit eligibility. Families who have received TANF cash assistance for five (5) cumulative years (60 months total) will no longer be eligible for cash assistance. The 60-month counter will increment for all exempt and non-exempt families as long as the case contains an individual with a relationship code of "PI", "SP", or "LP" and a participation code of "IN", "DI" or "DF". If the eligible individual is receiving a TANF benefit (TANF grant or transportation stipend) for that particular month, the 60-month counter will increase by one. TANF Transitional Services (transitional transportation and transitional child care) provided to employed families are not defined as assistance and will not affect the 60-month counter. The 60-month time limit does not apply to child only cases. For example, if a child resides MISSISSIPPI [ NON - FINANCIAL CRITERIA: INTRODUCTION] Revised 10 - 01 - 14