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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 4

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 52 Chapter 4 Income

• The rate of pay or the number of hours worked for an old source is expected to change during the certification period. Income that normally fluctuates does not require use of future income. Future income is used for old sources only when the hourly, weekly, monthly, etc. rate of pay changes or the number of hours worked during a pay period increases or decreases permanently.

Fluctuating Work Hours Example: The Thorn family members have the following income: Mr. Thorn has earnings that fluctuate greatly from week to week. He expects no change in his earnings. Mrs. Thorn was earning a substantial monthly salary but was laid off last week. She will begin work next week at a job that pays $9.00 per hour. She does not know how many hours she will work, but her employer has told her she will work a minimum of 20 hours per week. Mr. Thorn’s income is anticipated by using his past income as an indication of what he can expect to receive during the certification period. Mrs. Thorn’s income from an old source cannot be used because it will not be received during the upcoming certification period. Instead, the Worker must anticipate what her future earnings will be based on the best information available at the time. Mr. Thorn’s source of income meets the requirements for using past income to anticipate the future income, but Mrs. Thorn’s source is new and must be projected. 4.4.1.B Consideration of Past Income The Worker must consider information about the client’s income sources before deciding which income to use. The Worker must follow the steps below for each old income source. Step 1: Determine the amount of income received by all persons in the Income Group (IG) in the 30 calendar days prior to the application/redetermination date, or interview date when the interview is completed on a different day than when the application is received. The appropriate time period is determined by counting back 30 days beginning with the calendar day prior to the date of application/redetermination. However, if the interview is completed on a different day than when the date the application/redetermination is received, the 30-day look-back period could begin the day before the interview date. The income from this 30-day period is the minimum amount of income that must be considered. When, in the Worker’s judgment, future income may be more reasonably anticipated by considering the income from a longer period of time, the Worker considers income for the time