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4. Participate in the TANF Work Program, unless temporarily exempt; 5. Accept a bona fide offer of work/training/education unless there is good cause. 6. Claim unemployment compensation benefits when eligible. Explanations Relating to TANF-UP Assistance Unit (AU) The dependent child(ren) must be living with both parents, and the relationship verified. If the mother is legally married to someone else, the family is ineligible for TANF-UP unless the paternity of the natural father in the home has been established by court order. In stepparent Volume III | Chapter 3 3223

situations where there is a common child, the PWE, second parent, mutual child, and the children of each parent must be included in the TANF-UP budget. In either situation, the entire assistance unit (AU) is ineligible if the family fails or refuses to cooperate in determining TANF-UP eligibility. NOTE: The term “common child” is used to identify families in which both parents of at least one child reside together with that child(ren), regardless of the marital status of the parents, when the father has completed an admission of paternity (except when the mother is legally married to another) or when the court has established paternity. If deprivation is claimed based on continued absence, death, or incapacity and there is no common child in the stepparent family, eligibility for TANF cannot be based on UP as the deprivation reason. PWE Designation Accept the individual's statement regarding the designation of the principal wage earner unless questionable. If both parents earned the same, establish PWE by discussion with individuals. In either case, document the case to justify designation of PWE. Work History When establishing work, training, or education quarters for recent connection to the labor force, verification is required only to the extent necessary to prove earnings of at least $50.00 per quarter or enrollment in the training/education during that quarter. Bona Fide Offer of Employment or Training At application, accept the individual's statement for case documentation unless questionable that (1) no offer was made, or (2) the offer was refused. A bona fide job offer is an offer at or above minimum wage for such work in the area, even if the work is unrelated to the PWE's previous work history or the pay is less than previous earnings. A bona fide training offer would be for training for a specific job, not necessarily related to prior work history or previous earnings. After approval for TANF, the case manager or Job Readiness Trainer will provide verification of MISSISSIPPI [ NON - FINANCIAL CRITERIA: DEPRIVATION]

Revised 08 - 01 - 06