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Vermont Department for Children and Families Reach Up Eligibility Rules Economic Services Division 2200 26

1. The household’s combined income will include:

i. Business expense for self-employment;

ii. Child support, except for the $100 family bonus payment (rule 2250.1); and

iii. No other earned income deduction or disregards.

h. For participant errors, the Reach Up household must retain from its combined income 90 percent of the amount payable to a household of the same composition and housing expense with no income, plus up to $90 for the standard earned income deduction and any allowable dependent care deduction.

1. For Reach Up households with no other income, the amount of the recoupment will equal 10 percent of their Reach Up benefit amount.

i. For Department errors, the Reach Up household must retain from its combined income, 95 percent of the amount payable to a household of the same composition and housing expense with no income, plus the earned income disregard specified in rule 2252.3 and any allowable dependent care deduction.

1. For Reach Up households with no other income, the amount of the recoupment will equal 5 percent of the Reach Up benefit amount.

j. If the Reach Up household member responsible for the overpayment is no longer eligible or moves to another Reach Up household, the Department may recover from any or all of the following:

1. The member responsible for the Overpayment;

2. The original Reach Up household;

3. The new Reach Up household.

k. If through the Department’s administrative oversight certain requirements in the Child Support Program are not met, such as support payments not deducted from the Reach Up benefit, the Department may recoup from the individual or the Reach Up household.

l. If a fraud referral is made, recoupment must be delayed pending the outcome of the fraud investigation.

2220 Protective Payments (08/01/2024, 23-28)

a. Protective payments are management of benefits by a third party outside of the Reach Up household to meet the needs of a dependent child and the parent or caretaker with whom the child is living. b. Protective payments are used as follows:

1. Protective payments are used as a temporary measure when difficulty in money management jeopardizes the welfare of the child and when the parent or caretaker living with the child has the capacity to learn through budget assistance to manage the Reach Up household’s funds in a way to assure proper care of the child.