When adding a child who receives child support to an active case, follow the same budget procedure as for applications. Determine the retroactive payment amount by following the same procedure as for an application.
EXAMPLE: An eligible payee and two eligible children receive a $292 Temporary Assistance payment. They have no earned or unearned income. On 5/6, the payee requests to add a 17-year-old mandatory assistance group member (who has not received a cash grant in the last four months) who is a part-time student, works part-time, and returned home 5/3. The 17-year-old’s earned income is $100 gross per month and he/she receives child support of $10 per month. Determine eligibility on 5/16, adding the child to the case. Using 34.526 percent of need, perform the following.
- Complete the 185 percent gross income eligibility limit test: $675 – $110 ($100 gross earnings plus $10 child support = $565 deficit. The case is eligible on this test.
- Complete the 100 percent budget to determine need: $365 – $20 ($100 – $90 standard work expense = $10 + $10 child support) = $345 deficit. The case is eligible on this test.
- Complete the percentage of need/grant amount budget to determine the amount of retroactive payment for May: $342 – $10 = $332 grant amount. (Exclude earned income of the 17-year-old child employed part-time and who is a part-time student.) The May prorated retroactive payment is $38.
- Complete a third budget, using percentage of need of $342, to determine June grant amount: $342 – 0 = $342 grant amount. (Exclude child support from this budget as it will be assigned and paid to the State.)
NOTE: Notify the family of the month (the first month the increased grant is recommended on the regular payroll) the Temporary Assistance grant amount increases (due to excluding child support as the absent parent will pay the State). Inform the family to send any child support received in and after the month the grant increases (June in the above example) to DCSE.