IM-104 December 1, 2015; IM-23 April 2, 2010
13 CSR 40-2.350 was amended with Senate Bill 24 from 2015 and provides the basis of the lifetime limit of forty-five (45) months of receipt of Temporary Assistance (TA).
Cash assistance provided through the TA program is time limited. TA is not provided to a family that includes an adult who has received assistance for more than forty-five (45) months. In Missouri, the forty-five (45) month lifetime limit for receiving TA began January 1, 2016. Prior to this change, the lifetime limit for receiving TA was sixty (60) months beginning July 1, 1997
The forty-five (45) month limit for receiving TA is calculated as a cumulative total of forty-five (45) months, whether or not consecutive. Any month in which an adult receives assistance counts toward their forty-five (45) month time limit except for exemptions in Section 0205.075.10 Exemptions From the Forty-Five (45) Month Lifetime Limit. Families receiving assistance should be informed of the impact of receiving any amount of TA by the following methods:
- Discuss at application, review or interim change information on the Time Limit Tracking (FM6H/TIMETRAK) screen;
EXAMPLE: An employed household of five is determined eligible for a $40.00 TA grant. Without income the family would receive $388.00. The months in which the family receives the $40.00 will count against the time limit the same as months in which they would have received $388.00. Discuss with the family their option to close the case in order to save the months, and of other benefits they would remain eligible for.
- Mailings from the Family Support Division (FSD) on how long the participant has received.
EXAMPLE: FAMIS generates the Temporary Assistance Lifetime Limit Notice (FA-257) at the 18th, 27th, 36th, 39th and 43rd months of receiving TA. This notice is directly mailed to the Eligibility Unit (EU). It informs the family of how many months of TA they have used and how many months they have left. The FA-257 also lists exemption and extension reasons and advises the EU of the need to provide verification to support a request for an exemption or extension.
NOTE: The Temporary Assistance 45-month lifetime limit does not impact eligibility for any other programs offered through the Family Support Division such as MO HealthNet, Food Stamps, or Child Care.