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3802 Volume III | Chapter 3

MISSISSIPPI [ NON - FINANCIAL CRITERIA: CHILD SUPPORT]

Revised 08-01-0610-01-21 - 2. Gather information on the absent parent or the putative father, absent or not and enter the information on the APRE screen in MAVERICS. 3. If the applicant/recipient wishes to claim good cause not to cooperate, refer him/her to the CSEO to request good cause determination. 4. Deny the application or terminate the TANF case when the individual is required to cooperate and fails to do so. 5. When a court order for support or a voluntary agreement is brought in at application or on an ongoing case, enter the appropriate data in MAVERICS and send a copy of the court order to the Child Support Enforcement Office. 6. Make changes in MAVERICS that affect the IV-D case in a timely manner so that the MAVERICS/METSS interface will allow the child support case to be maintained properly and actions to be taken timely. 7. Budget child support as countable income in the TANF budget for the prospective budget when the individual receives the child support prior to IV-D conversion. Child support payments must be turned in to the Child Support Office beginning with the first payment received by the individual after notification of TANF approval. Failure of the custodial parent to redirect child support to the IV-D Office after approval for TANF benefits will cause termination of the case. 8. Explain the marriage disregard process to the client. The worker will explain the 6- month disregard period for the new spouse’s income and resources and what action will be taken at the end of the disregard period. If the new spouse is the legal parent of at least one child in the TANF budget, the worker will communicate this information to CSE via the change reporting process in MAVERICS. EXPLANATIONS Verbal Explanations When one or both parents are absent and alive, the eligibility worker will explain to the applicant that, as a condition of eligibility for assistance, he/she must assign to the State the rights to support from the absent parent(s) for the children for whom TANF benefits are requested and that he/she must cooperate in child support activities. Also, explain to him/her that: 1. State and federal laws specify that when an individual asks for and receives TANF benefits for the children, they have in fact assigned to the Department of Human Services rights to