Because funding for TANF comes partially from Federal block grants, TANF payments
are considered income based on need (IBON). The individual’s share of a TANF grant
is counted dollar for dollar as income and the $20.00 general income exclusion does
not apply to this income.
RI DHS issues a statement to TANF beneficiaries showing: the current TANF amount as
of the statement date; a total amount for the last 3 months; a total amount for the
year to date; a total amount for the last 12 months; and the family members included
on the grant. Use this statement and/or the recipient’s allegation to determine the
recipient’s share of the TANF grant amount if the statement and/or allegation cover
the period requiring verification and the grant amount matches exactly to a grant amount in the standard payment chart in SI BOS00830.407E. Use the grant amount in the chart for the number of household members included in
the TANF benefit (as indicated in the statement). Exclude any other individuals listed
on the statement that do not have a TANF designation.
NOTE: The payment standard is reduced by fifty dollars ($50) for any family residing in
subsidized housing. Subsidized housing is defined as housing for a family whose rent
is restricted to a percentage of its income. Therefore, if using the chart, you must
determine from the individual whether they reside in subsidized housing. See the example
in SI BOS00830.407F.
It is possible to use a combination of the allegation and the TANF statement in order
to verify the entire applicable period, as long as there is an exact match between
the statement/allegation and the chart after determining the monthly amount. From
the TANF statement, divide any total amounts by the number of months the total represents
(i.e., the “last 3
months” total is divided by 3 or use the applicant’s allegation as to the monthly amount
for the period requiring verification).
If you are verifying the first month of TANF using the TANF statement and/or recipient’s
allegation, determine the prorated amount for the first month using the proration
method described in SI BOS00830.407B.6.
If the current grant amount on the statement/allegation or any applicable past grant
amounts (divided by the appropriate months) do not match the grant amount in the chart, you must contact RI DHS to verify the grant amounts
and then determine the individual’s share of the TANF payment. Generally, if a household
has wages or other income, it is unlikely that the TANF grant amount will match an
amount in the chart exactly. Direct contact with RI DHS is necessary in these situations.
Record all pertinent information related to the TANF grant on a Report of Contact
page, or complete a paper SSA-5002 with the information below and scan it into Evidence
Portal for Non-MSSICS cases. Specifically, record the following:
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Agency name and contact person (if applicable);
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Source used to verify TANF grant (e.g., DHS statement, phone contact with DHS employee,
etc.);
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Amount of TANF grant paid to the household unit for each month of SSI eligibility;
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Amount the grant would be without the SSI claimant/recipient for each month of SSI
eligibility;
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Explanation of any discrepancies between the grant amount verified by DHS against
the standard grant amount chart in Section E of this reference (e.g., payment standard
was reduced due to subsidized housing);
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If you are using the Report of Contact screen, lock the Report of Contact page to
secure the information.
Input the grant information on the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families page per
MS 08114.008. For Non-MSSICS inputs, input the individual's countable share as type
"F" income in the UM field per SM 01005.180-SM 01005.185.