Lifetime Limit

MANUAL REFERENCES:

 4.5 TA Time Limits

MEMOS:

IM-#104, 12/01/2015: Temporary Assistance Lifetime Limit Reduction

HELP GUIDES:

TA Work Requirement: Hardship Extension User Guide

REQUIREMENT:

Cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance program is limited to 45 months in the payee’s lifetime beginning January 1, 2016. From July 1, 1997 through December 21, 2015, the lifetime limit was 60 months. Any month in which an adult receives a cash grant, from any state or in any amount, counts toward his/her lifetime limit, with few exceptions. (See Exemptions from the Forty-Five (45) Month Lifetime Limit above.)

PROCEDURE:

Months of Temporary Assistance benefits are tracked on the Time Limit Tracking (TIMETRAK) screen. When corrections are needed, or months received from another state are verified, entries must be made on TIMETRAK to capture the new information. Specific security access is required for such entries.

Recipients of Temporary Assistance receive notices at regular intervals reminding them of the lifetime limit. In the final notice two months before the limit is reached, recipients are notified that their benefits are nearing exhaustion, and informed of the possibility of an extension to Temporary Assistance benefits due to hardship. Extensions may be granted to allow the individual time to overcome barriers causing the hardship.

ELIGIBILITY SPECIALIST ACTIONS WHEN MONTHS ARE EXHAUSTED:

APPLICANT EU:

When an individual whose Lifetime Limit is exhausted reapplies:

• • Determine whether the individual meets an exemption
  • If not, determine whether the individual potentially meets an extension for hardship
    • If yes, applicant completes IM-2EH Extension for Hardship
    • If no, process application through rejection
      • Process the application to determine eligibility on all other factors
      • Fastpath to SELAUTH and select the TA EU only
      • Press F20 = REJECTEU and confirm rejection
      • On each Action Authorization, change Reason to LIF = 45 Month Lifetime Limit has Been Reached
      • Authorize the rejection and Record a comment at EUMEMROL summarizing the case action.
  • See TA Work Requirement: Hardship Extensions for COMPACT entry and hand off instructions

RECIPIENT EU:

When the final notice is sent (two months before reaching the lifetime limit):

• • review the case to determine if the participant meets an exemption or qualifies for an extension
  • If an exemption is found, immediately update the work requirement indicator on the TA Work Requirement (COMPACT/FM8B) screen

NOTE: Hardship extensions may ONLY be approved by TA/CC Processing Center staff.

Record IM-2EH Extension for Hardship requests for an active case in a comment on the COMPACT screen and forward to the TA/Child Care Processing Center. The TA case remains open until a decision is made. Processing Center staff update the TA Work Requirement (COMPACT/FM8B) screen to indicate approval or denial of an extension and notify the participant. All extensions must be re-evaluated and the reasons re-verified every 90 days.

On the first day of the final month, FAMIS automatically starts the adverse action process to close the TA case if neither an exemption reason from the lifetime limit nor extension reason is entered on the TA Work Requirement (FM8B/COMPACT) screen. FAMIS will close the case on the last day of the final month.