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DIVISION OF WELFARE AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Child Care Policy Manual • Pay stubs which clearly verify a deduction is for child support and the amount of the deduction. Note: Documents used to verify the household’s legal obligation to pay child support are not acceptable verification of actual payments. When budgeting the deduction, consider any anticipated changes in the legal obligation and any other changes that would affect the payment. Note: If an absent or estranged parent returns to the household and continues to pay legally obligated support (current or arrearages) and this payment is received by the Child Care household, do not budget as income and do not allow the support payment as a deduction. 302.3 Budgeting Child Support Deductions If the required household member is just starting to pay the child support payments and the verification received is for only a partial payment, allow the verified monthly obligation only. Example: Court order verifies monthly obligation of $500 per month plus $50 per month in arrears and the required household members first payment is made on 7/15 for $250. Allow only the $500 at approval. If the required household member has been paying, use a calendar month history of 2 months or longer and average to a monthly amount. Example: Court order verifies monthly obligation of $500 per month plus $100 per month for medical support. The last two (2) calendar month history verifies payments made for $250, $275, $250 and $300. The total is $1,075 divided by two (2) equaling $537.50 which is allowed as the monthly deduction. 303 Verification of Income Current verification of countable income is required at initial application, reapplication, and any time a change in income requires an action to the ongoing case. Refer to MS 500 for more information on changes. Exceptions: • Income verification is not required if a NEON referral is received from DWSS. Accept the income statement that is provided on the NEON Referral. Refer to MS 116.1 for additional information on NEON referrals. • Income verification is not required for Wraparound cases. The Head Start or Early Head Start Agency verifies household income for Head Start eligibility and that income will be used for Wraparound eligibility. Refer to MS 800 for additional information on Wraparound cases. The case manager should not verify income if the amount reported makes the household ineligible. Example: The applicant reports monthly income of $5,000 for a household of four. This amount exceeds the maximum income limit; therefore, benefits should be denied without requesting further verification. Verification of countable income already received is used to determine the gross monthly amount for initial and subsequent eligibility. If income fluctuates to the extent a 30-day period cannot provide an 300- Income and Assets [3] MTL 01/24 July 1, 2024