WAG 04-01-05-a: Set Up One Case

PM 04-01-05-a.

Set up one case when the caretaker is the parent of all or none of the children or all the children are required to be in the same filing unit.

If the caretaker relative is not the parent of any child for whom TANF Cash is requested, set up only one 04 case, regardless of the relationships between the children. Include the caretaker relative in the case only if doing so will not reduce the cash benefits.

Following are examples of combined family situations.

Example 1: The family includes Mr. and Mrs. H and their 2 children and Mrs. H's 2 children from a previous marriage. Mr. H just had major surgery and is unable to work. Include everyone in the family in one 04 case. When Mr. H recovers, change the case to an 06.

Example 2: Mr. and Mrs. S have 3 children. Mrs. S also has one child from a previous marriage. Mr. and Mrs. S are both able to work, but unemployed. Mr. S receives $141 per week Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits.

Since all the children are blood-related, include all 4 children and Mr. and Mrs. S in one 06 case. Budget Mr. S's UI benefits. Eligibility for cash does not exist because Mr. S's UI is enough to meet the entire family's needs.

Example 3: The family includes Mr. and Mrs. W, Mr. W's 10 year old son, Mr. W's 15 year old daughter and her baby, Mrs. W's 16 year old daughter and her baby. If Mr. and Mrs. W request TANF Cash for all 7 persons, include them all in one 04 case.

Mrs. W's daughter is not blood-related to Mr. W's children, so she could request TANF Cash separately for herself and her child. If the 16 year old has her own case, Mrs. W. may be included in Mr. W's case as an optional adult, if she is needy.

Example 4: Ms. C requests TANF Cash for herself, her grandchild, and her 2 nieces (her sister's daughters).

Ms. C has retirement benefits from SSA; if she is included in the case and her income is budgeted, the cash benefit will be less than the amount she would get for just the 3 children.

Set up an RPY 04 cash case for the 3 children. Set up an adult-only 94 case for Ms. C.

If Ms. C had less SSA and budgeting it did not reduce the benefit below the amount the 3 children receive in a child-only case, you would include Ms. C in the same cash case with the children.

Never set up an adult-only cash case for Ms. C and an RPY cash case for the children.

Combining Cases

Take the following actions when combining cases.

  1. Cancel the case that is being combined with the other case using TAR 49. Form 157C is centrally sent to the payee with the following message.

    Child No Longer Eligible in this Type Assistance Unit. Your Case has Been Combined with Another TANF Case. 

  2. Determine ongoing eligibility for the combined case.
    1. If the combined case is eligible, add the persons from the canceled case to the remaining case effective for the month of cancellation. If necessary, change the case to Category 06. When adding the persons, make sure that there is no break in benefits. See WAG 18-03-06 for the addition of persons to a case.

      NOTE: Do not complete a Request for Assistance for Additional Family Member (Form 243) for the additional persons. 

    2. If the combined case is ineligible, cancel the case.
  3. Remove the most recent application and required verifications from the canceled record, and file them in the combined unit's case record.
  4. Make an entry in the canceled record cross-referencing the case record with the items that have been removed.