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Chapter 2: Household Composition 5 (P) U.S. Citizens and Eligible Aliens Defined

1) Citizenship and Alien Status An adult member of the assistance unit is required to sign a statement attesting to his/her citizenship or lawful alien status. The adult shall also sign the statement, DSS-EA-297, for all household members. In the absence of an adult in the assistance unit, the applicant may sign for all members, including themselves. Workers must report to State Office the name, address, and any other identifying information about any illegal alien residing in the assistance unit’s household. Illegal aliens are individuals whom the applicant/ recipient have indicated are in the US in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 2) Eligibility Criteria 1) Citizen Defined: a. Individuals born in the United States. - Children born in the US are citizens even if the parent is present in the US illegally. b. Individuals who acquire citizenship through the courts by naturalization are US citizens. c. US is defined as the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Swain’s Island. d. An individual’s statement that they are a US citizen should be accepted without additional verification, unless it is questionable. If questionable, verification may be acquired through birth, hospital, or baptismal certifications, US passports, INS certificates of citizenship or naturalization, ID cards for the use of resident citizens in the US (INS Forms I-179 or I-197), or similar documents. 2) Alien Defined: An alien is anyone living in the United States who is not a US citizen. Determining if an alien is eligible for TANF is a two step process. The first step is to determine if the alien meets the qualified alien definition. Only qualified aliens may be eligible for TANF. If the alien meets the qualified alien definition, the second step is to determine if the alien meets the eligible alien requirements. If the individual meets the requirements for both steps, the individual meets the non-citizen eligibility criteria. 3) Qualified Alien Defined: Non-citizens who are not qualified aliens are ineligible for Energy Assist. If SNAP or TANF verifies an individual(s) as qualified, that can be used for EA. A qualified alien is: a. An alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); or b. A refugee who is admitted to the US under INA Section 207; or