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302.8 TANF MANUAL 10/18 Page 5a

b. Minor Parent Living with a Relative Who is Not Needy or Who is Not Requesting Assistance

When assistance is requested for an unmarried minor parent and the minor’s child, and the relative is not needy or does not request assistance, form the case with the relative as a caretaker not requesting assistance. The minor parent will be included as a child. The case will be formed with the relative as the protective payee, the minor parent as a child, and the minor’s child as a child. The TANF benefits will be in the name of the protective payee.

3. Unmarried Minor Parent Living with a Person Standing In Loco Parentis (See Definitions of in loco parentis at 201.5A and 201.5D).

When assistance is requested for an unmarried minor parent and the minor’s child by a person standing in loco parentis, the person standing in loco parentis (i.e., will not be part of the assistance unit. On the Relationship – Details screen in the VaCMS, the box under the “In Loco Parentis (TANF)” column for the individual standing in loco parentis for the minor parent must be checked. The TANF benefits will be issued in the name of the protective payee, the person standing in loco parentis.

4. Married Minor Parents

A married minor parent is a minor who is married and living with his/her spouse. A married minor parent living with a spouse is not eligible for assistance as a minor caretaker. If the minor parent and spouse are eligible for assistance, the case will be established as a regular TANF or TANF-UP case.

Note: If a married minor parent, spouse, and child are living with the parent of the minor parent, that parent’s income is not counted when determining the eligibility of the minor parent’s TANF or TANF-UP household.

B. Households With Multiple Groups of Children - A group of children can be a single child, or natural or adoptive siblings, or other children in a household. When the household consists of more than one group of children, the determination of which children will comprise one assistance unit is based on legal responsibility. A natural or adoptive parent is the only person who has legal responsibility for a child.

Children for whom the applicant has legal responsibility will make up one assistance unit. All other children in the home for whom assistance is requested will make up a second assistance unit. If the applicant does not have legal responsibility for any of the children, there will be only one assistance unit. (Exception: While a senior parent has legal responsibility for the minor parent, a household consisting of a needy senior parent, a minor parent, and the minor parent’s child will make up one assistance unit. If the needy senior parent requests assistance for siblings of the minor caretaker, those children, if eligible, will be included in the same assistance unit).

TANF Transmittal 65