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Families and Children Manual Policy Manual Number: 010.020 Section: Financial Eligibility Chapter: Countable and Excluded Income

September 1, 2026 Division of Tenncare 17 k. Gifts Occasional monetary gifts to the household, such as money received as a birthday, anniversary, graduation or Christmas present, are excluded. Irregular or infrequent gifts received are excluded. l. Income Not Pursued Income not pursued includes payments for which an individual could apply on an ongoing or one- time basis that could include annuities, pensions, retirement benefits or disability benefits. These payments are excluded.

m. Military Allowances Military allowances are cash payments made to service members and their families to compensate the service member, at least in part, for the expenses of housing, food, clothing, and special situations during periods of active-duty service. Examples include the basic allowance for housing (BAH) and the basic allowance for subsistence (BAS). Military allowances for food, clothing, housing, travel, and moving and other in-kind military benefits are excluded. n. Payment from FEMA due to a Disaster or Emergency FEMA payments issued as a result of a presidentially declared emergency or major disaster are excluded. Payments made by comparable disaster assistance programs by states, local governments and disaster assistance organizations are also excluded. o. Parent Mentor Income Parent Mentor Income is income received by a parent or guardian of a Medicaid or CHIP-eligible child who is trained to assist families with children who have no health insurance coverage with respect to improving the social determinants of the health of such children. These individuals provide education about health insurance coverage (including obtaining health insurance, eligibility criteria, and application and renewal processes), assist with the completion and submission of applications for health insurance, are a liaison between families and the State of Tennessee, provide guidance on identifying medical and dental homes and community pharmacies for children, and assistance and referrals to successfully address social determinants of children’s health, including poverty, food insufficiency, and housing. Any nominal amount received by the parent or guardian as Parent Mentor Income is excluded. p. Protective Payee A Protective Payee is someone designated by the SSA to help a beneficiary manage his benefits. Funds received by a protective payee and used for the care and maintenance of a third party beneficiary (adult or child), who may or may not be part of the protective payee’s household, are excluded.