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MISSISSIPPI

Volume III | Chapter 3

schedule recommended by the Department of Health. Good cause exceptions may be allowed if there is a legitimate and verifiable reason that the child’s immunizations are not current. School Attendance Dependent children in the TANF budget ages 6 to 18 must attend school satisfactorily until high school graduation or completion of a GED. Failure to attend school or excessive absences, without good cause, will result in penalties being applied to both the TANF and SNAP cases. Child Support Enforcement Requirements Federal and State statutes provide that a parent or other relative who accepts a TANF benefit for children due to the continued absence of a parent must assign support rights to the State. Assistance will be denied to the family who fails or refuses to assign support rights to the State. The parent or caretaker relative must also assist the state by cooperating in obtaining support from the absent parent. This includes providing information to assist in locating the absent parent and establishing paternity. TANF benefits will be denied or terminated for the entire family for failure without good cause to cooperate with the Child Support Enforcement to 3004

[NON-FINANCIAL CRITERIA: INTRODUCTION]

Revised 07-01-19

establish paternity (if child is born out of wedlock) or to obtain child support. The Child Support worker will determine good cause for failure to cooperate and will decide when a sanctioned individual has cooperated satisfactorily and can again be eligible for assistance. TANF Work Program Requirements The parent(s) or other caretaker relative who is included in the assistance unit must participate in the TANF Work Program (TWP) unless he/she meets one of the work exemption criteria. Failure without good cause to participate in TWP for any reason will mean a full family benefit sanction. A penalty will also be applied to the SNAP case when a TWP penalty is imposed. Need The children must not have sufficient income and resources to meet their needs according to agency standards. Refer to the discussion of need based on income and resources in Chapters 4 and 5. Strikers