Page 2

Subject: Families First Technical Eligibility

Policy 23.03 Date of Last Review: 01/10/2024 Effective Date: 01/15/2024 Date of Next Review: 01/10/2027 RDA: SW22 Page 2 of 6 Citizenship 1. To receive Families First, an individual must be a citizen of the United States or a qualified non-citizen who is lawfully admitted to the United States. 2. The citizenship status of each AU member must be acknowledged on the citizenship section of the HS-0169 Application for Assistance. 3. An ineligible non-citizen will be excluded from the Families First AU but may receive a grant for any eligible children in their care. See Families First Technical Eligibility Procedures for additional information. Age Requirement To be eligible for Families First benefits, a child must be under the age of eighteen (18) unless they meet one of the following conditions: 1. A student under age of nineteen (19) who will complete high school or an equivalent vocational/technical training before their nineteenth (19th) birthday will continue to be eligible through the month of their graduation. 2. A student under age of nineteen (19) with a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will continue to be eligible through the month of their nineteenth (19th) birthday even if they will not complete high school or vocational/technical training. Relationship 1. To be eligible for Families First, a child must be living in the home of a parent or certain relative who is within a specified degree of relationship to the child. Relatives must be within the specified degree of relationship as outlined on the Family Relationship Chart. 2. The relationship requirement cannot be waived. 3. When the child lives with the relative, it is presumed that the relative has care and control of the child. • In certain situations, the caseworker must determine who has care and control of the child on a case-by-case basis. These situations may include but are not limited to the following: i. Joint custody cases. ii. When the relative and the child live in different dwellings. iii. When a temporary absence is claimed. iv. When a relative who is not the parent receives Families First benefits for the child and a parent returns to the home.