Page 14

14 ii. the custodial parent has good cause for not establishing paternity or pursuing a child support order; iii. despite a diligent effort by the custodial parent, a child support order is not available in a reasonable period of time for reasons outside the custodial parent’s control; or iv. the child resides with both parents and paternity has been acknowledged or adjudicated. The program’s financial eligibility guidelines are structured so that an enhanced disregard structure is provided to participants. While program participants must meet the FA resource test at initial certification for CAP, no assets test is applied thereafter, allowing participants to acquire assets in excess of the ordinary FA limits. 20. A SNA program will provide assistance for certain categories of persons. To the extent such persons are otherwise eligible for TANF-funded assistance, the State may elect to use Federal funding. 21. New York has opted to use the TANF Block Grant transfer provision and will transfer TANF funds to both the Title XX and Child Care Development Block Grants (CCDBG). 22. New York offers child care assistance to eligible families applying for or in receipt of public assistance to enable a child’s parent or caretaker relative to engage in work or to participate in an activity, orientation, assessment, or work activity as required in their employment plan or if child care is needed for the child to be protected. For FFY ‘99 and following, New York provides child care under a separate State program, and as a TANF program in the case of specifically defined State initiatives, to eligible families with income at or below established eligibility levels, which have increased over the past few years, provided the family income does not exceed 85% of the State median income, who are transitioning from public assistance with earned income if child care is needed for the parent or caretaker to work; or who are at risk of becoming dependent on public assistance who need child care for the parent or caretaker to work or who are working and need child care to participate in educational activities. Effective October 1, 2023, where services are provided through a separate State program, program eligibility has been established for families with income at or below 85% of the State median income. The State Income Standard is based on the Federal Poverty Level. The assets test in paragraph 10, the disregard provisions in paragraph 11, and the standard of need provisions in Attachment E do not apply to eligible individuals who are not receiving a cash grant. 23. The State has adopted the Family Violence Option and will provide comprehensive screening and referral for victims of domestic violence. These procedures (Attachment F) enable victims of domestic violence to receive appropriate alternative services and allow for good cause waivers to certain program requirements. 24. For FFY ’99 and following, the State will provide a fully refundable State and/or local EITC to families eligible during the previous calendar year. This may be done as a TANF program or as a separate State program. Families eligible for TANF or State funded EITC payments during a fiscal year are those that included a child living with a parent or other adult relative (or a pregnant woman), if the family met the State’s financial criteria established under the State or local EITC program, whichever is appropriate, during the year in which they qualified for EITC.