Child support collected by a State and paid to an AFDC/TANF unit as a payment to "fill
the gap" between the State payment standard and need standard is not child support.
Gap payments are AFDC/TANF payments to the assistance unit.
EXAMPLE: The State's TANF need standard for the SSI child's household size is $300 a month.
The State's maximum monthly TANF payment for the household size is $125.
The State collects $150 a month in child support for the household. $50 a month is
sent to the household as a child support "pass-through" payment. Following the policy
in C.2.a. above, the CR determines that the $50 is not income to the SSI child (i.e.,
the TANF unit would have received the same pass-through payment with the SSI child
removed from the TANF unit). The household receives no income other than TANF and
the child support.
The State makes "gap payments" and pays the remainder of the child support it collects—$100
($150 - $50)—to the household. For SSI purposes, the $100 is considered to be part
of the TANF grant and should be input as Type "F" income which is counted dollar for
dollar. (It is not considered child support.)
In this example, the household receives $225 total TANF. The $125 State maximum monthly
TANF payment plus the $100 gap payment.