Policy Effective: December 1, 2011

In order to receive Family Employment Program assistance, a household must include at least one dependent child, or a woman must be pregnant and in her third trimester.

A child must meet age and citizenship/non-citizen requirements. The children must live with at least one parent. A child does not meet this criterion if the child is emancipated through a legal marriage or a court order. If the child does NOT live with a parent, but lives with a relative see household composition requirements for the Specified Relative Program, policy 223 .

Age of Child - A child must be under age 18. A child meets this age criterion during the month the child turns 18. Some 18-year-old children continue to meet the “age of child” criteria even after they turn 18. These 18-year-olds are:

A full time student (as defined by the school); and

Taking part in a program of secondary school or equivalent level of vocational or technical training; and

The school has a reasonable expectation that the 18-year-old will complete that educational program before reaching age 19 (or in the month that the child turns 19).

FEP for a pregnant woman who has no other eligible child may begin in the third calendar month prior to the month of expected delivery. An unborn child in the 3rd trimester considered a dependent child for eligibility purposes only. The unborn child is NOT included in the financial assistance payment. See policy 610-4 for pregnancy allowance payment information).

Household members who received Temporary Assistance Needy Families (TANF) in a different household or from another State or a Tribe are not eligible to receive FEP, FEP-Two Parent (FEP-TP), Emergency Assistance, or Adoption Assistance in the same month, and cannot be included as a household member for determining eligibility in the same month. When a parent received TANF in a different household, the entire household is ineligible in the same month. See policy 264 Duplicate Participation

See also policy 221-6 for information on other household members who must be included in the FEP assistance unit.