129.23 Support Requirements

Support requirements as a condition of eligibility apply to applicant/recipients of cash assistance if there is:

The reported absence of a parent due to desertion, separation, or divorce, from the home of an un-emancipated minor child for whom cash/Medicaid is claimed

The existence of a putative father for an un-emancipated child

The absence of a spouse from the home due to desertion or separation

Applicants/recipients must cooperate in determining paternity and establishing/enforcing a support order. Failure to cooperate without good cause will result in:

55 Pa. Code § 153.44(b)(2)(i)(B)

55 Pa. Code § 187.23(b)

55 Pa. Code § 187.23(d)

The reduction of the FSA in an amount of 25 percent or more; and

The imposition of a protective payment for cash assistance

See Chapter 131, Support , for specific support requirements and procedures.

NOTE: In situations where a marriage is intact, but one parent cannot return to the home for an undetermined amount of time, absence could be considered the deprivation criterion for the child. Because of one parent’s inability to return home, they would not be considered a mandatory household member because they do not reside with the child. The parent residing with the child would be required to apply for child support from the absent parent or be subjected to the 25% reduction to the TANF grant.

Example: A parent visiting a foreign nation and unable to return due to pandemic health concerns.

55 Pa. Code § 153.44(b)(2)(i)(C)

Updated January 20, 2026, replacing September 27, 2024