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FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES CERTIFICATION INCOME AND RESOURCES FNS 350 WHOSE INCOME IS COUNTED

4 Section 350 Change #20-2021 November 1, 2021 Treat guardianship payments authorized under the Demonstration Projects Section of Title IV-E the same as foster care payments. Guardianship payments are made to a person who becomes a child’s (under age 18) legal guardian. Further, the guardian can petition the court to have guardianship terminated at any time. Determine if the FNS unit wishes to include the child receiving guardianship payment. 1. If yes, include the child as a member of the FNS unit, count the guardianship payment as unearned income when calculating the FNS unit’s benefits. 2. If no, treat the child as a boarder and exclude the child and the guardianship payment when calculating the FNS unit’s benefits. I. Absent Wage Earner An absent wage earner is defined as one who is absent from the FNS unit because of work-related travel or who resides away from the FNS unit because of the distance to work. 1. Using the best available information, the worker must use their prudent judgement to evaluate each case on its own merit to determine if the FNS unit contains an absent wage earner. If the FNS unit disagrees, the wage earner and the FNS unit are responsible for establishing that the wage earner is not a member of the FNS unit. If the absent wage earner maintains a separate residence, consider whether the individual is separate from the FNS unit. 2. An absent wage earner is included in the FNS unit. Count all (non-prorated) gross income when calculating the FNS unit’s benefits. 3. If the absent wage earner is in the military, determine the length of absence. a. If absent less than 30 days, continue to include the member in the FNS unit and count his income. b. If absent 30 days or more, do not include the individual or his income in the FNS unit. This applies to both temporary duty (TDY) and permanent change of station (PCS). Count any cash contributions made to the FNS unit as unearned income. Also consider any deposits made to a joint account as unearned income to the FNS unit. 4. If the absent wage earner has a joint checking or savings account with a FNS unit member, count any deposits made to that account as unearned income, unless a resulting trust exists. Refer to FNS 390 Resources. J. Non-HH Members Do not count any of the income.