Page 478

BUDGETARY PROCESS:SPECIAL

MISSISSIPPI BUDGETING PROCEDURES

6107

Remember, however, that one-half of the resources of a stepparent is considered available to his spouse, and the amount of the spouse's portion of his cash reserve may result in ineligibility for the TANF budget group until the cash reserve is within the maximum. The income and resources of a TANF parent must be considered available to the children for whom assistance is being requested or received. Do not allocate income of the assistance parent to meet the needs of technically ineligible children born to the current union of the parent and stepparent.

Volume III | Chapter 6 Revised 09-01-10

If one of the parents is incapacitated, is sentenced to work without pay, or meets the definition of an unemployed parent (UP) and deprivation does exist for the children of the current union, follow budgeting principles set out earlier in this material. When a stepparent requests assistance for his stepchildren and wishes his needs included in the budget, work the case in MAVERICS as if he were the own parent, including the stepparent as the PI and entering his resources and income. The system will allow the income disregards as for any other individual whose participation code is IN. When Legal Parent Is Absent When a stepparent requests assistance for his stepchildren and wishes his needs omitted from the budget, his income must be handled as set out above for stepparents. Note that a stepparent living in the home cannot choose to have his income disregarded even though the legal parent is absent from the home. In this situation, the stepparent's participation code in MAVERICS must be ST. FOR ALIENS HAVING INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS Qualified aliens who have a sponsor who signed the affidavit of support prior to December 19, 1997, will have deeming procedures calculated for three years to determine countable income. (See guidelines set out below.) If Form 1-864, INS Affidavit of Support, was signed on or after December 19, 1997, all income and resources of the sponsor and their spouse will be considered until the alien has worked 40 qualifying quarters of coverage or becomes a naturalized citizen. See Chapter 5, RESOURCES, regarding Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility. 6106