PM 08-01-07-c
For TANF Cash, certain disability payments received by a parent are exempt up to the one-person SSI Payment Level. These include disability payments received from SSA, SSI, Railroad Retirement, or VA (or combination of these benefits). This exemption applies whether or not the parent is included in the TANF unit.
You must determine whether or not to include a parent who receives disability income in the assistance unit. The following 2 examples show cases in which the parent is excluded.
Example 1: The TANF Cash case includes a parent and 2 children. The Payment Level is 
$725. The parent receives SSA disability benefits of $380 per month. Determine the parent's eligibility to remain in the case as follows:
Payment Level - 1 adult, 2 children = $725
Payment Level - 2 children = $431
Difference = $294
Since the parent's income of $380 SSA Disability benefits is greater than the $294 difference in Payment Levels, the parent is excluded from the case.
The parent becomes the RPY for the TANF case. The parent can receive FamilyCare Assist, Moms and Babies, AABD Cash, or AABD Medical, if eligible.
Example 2: Mr. K and his 2 children are applying for cash benefits. Mr. K, the parent, receives $939 SSA Disability benefits each month. The disability income is greater than the difference ($294) in the Payment Level of 1 adult, 2 children ($725) and the Payment Level for 2 children ($431) so he is excluded from the case. Mr. K is also employed and has gross earned income of $400 per month. Total income received by Mr. K is $1,102. Treat the income as follows:
$939 SSA disability income
-$914 SSI payment level
$25 Countable disability income
+$400 Earned income
$425 Income used in Parental Liability determination
Parental Liability Determination:
$498 Income from previous calculation
-$311 Initial Employment Deduction (see WAG 25-03-02 (1))
$187 Amount compared to 3 times the Payment Level
3 times the Payment Level for one person is $1,275. Since $1,275 is more than Mr. K's countable income of $187, there is no parental liability income to budget.
NOTE: The TANF Payment Level and SSI Payment Level used in this example are based on the amounts appropriate for 10/2023
When the parent's disability income is less than the difference in the Payment Levels, the parent stays in the TANF Cash case.
Example: The TANF case includes a parent and 2 children. The Payment Level is $725. The parent receives $100 monthly SSA Disability benefits. Determine the parent's eligibility to stay in the case as follows:
Payment Level - 1 adult, 2 children = $725
Payment Level - 2 children = $431
Difference = $294
Since the SSA $100 Disability benefit of the parent is less than the difference in the TANF Payment Levels, the parent is included in the TANF case.
