10:87-6.13 Averaging expenses

(a) Households may elect to have fluctuating expenses averaged. Households may also elect to have expenses which are billed less often than monthly averaged forward over the interval between scheduled billings, or, if there is no scheduled interval, averaged forward over the period the expense is intended to cover. For example, if a household receives a single bill in February which covers a three-month supply of fuel oil, the bill may be averaged over February, March and April. (b) The household may elect to have a one-time only expense, such as an installation charge for utilities, averaged over the entire certification period in which it is billed. Households reporting one-time only medical expenses during their certification period may elect to have a one-time deduction or to have the expense averaged over the remaining months of their certification period. Averaging would begin with the month the change becomes effective. The CSSA worker shall explain to the household the advantages of averaging the expense or treating it as a one-time deduction. (c) If a household provides adequate verification at the time of certification, the household may elect to have a medical expense averaged over the entire certification period. If a new medical expense is reported during the certification period, the household may elect to have a one-time deduction or to have the expense averaged over the remaining months of the certification period. If the reported expense is incurred in the last month of the certification period, it may also be averaged over the following certification period. (d) For the purpose of determining a household's child support deduction, the CSSA shall anticipate the household's child support payments for the certification period, including anticipated payments on arrearages, and then arrive at an average deduction amount to apply for each month of the certification period. The average may be adjusted during the certification period to reflect any changes that are reported by the household, or which otherwise become known to the CSSA and are considered to be verified upon receipt. At recertification, the CSSA shall obtain updated information on which to base a new average for the new certification period. History HISTORY: As amended, R.1979 d.459, effective January 1, 1980. See: 12 N.J.R. 40(c). (b): Added second and third sentences. Amended by R.1989 d.121, effective February 21, 1989. See: 20 N.J.R. 2689(a), 21 N.J.R. 511(b). Amended by R.1998 d.498, effective October 5, 1998. See: 30 N.J.R. 1928(a), 30 N.J.R. 3669(b). Added (c) and (d). Amended by R.2004 d.181, effective May 17, 2004. See: 36 N.J.R. 28(a), 36 N.J.R. 2425(a). In (b), deleted the introductory phrase; in (d), inserted "and are considered to be verified upon receipt" following "CSSA" in the second sentence.