The following policy clarification is related to the treatment of income in cash assistance cases of a noncaretaker stepparent who is out of the household due to military service. This clarification rescinds our policy of considering such a stepparent's income as being available to the household. Effective April 1, 1992, the income of a noncaretaker stepparent who is out of an assistance household due to military service shall no longer be considered available to the household for cash assistance purposes. This new interpretation will be applied to all cases in the payment month of April, regardless of pro or retro budgeting status and the household will be considered to be in nonshared living if this criteria is otherwise met.

Case examples:

1. Mother and 2 children apply for TAF. Her husband who is not the father of the children is in the military and stationed at an Army base in Arkansas. In determining eligibility and amount of payment, the husband/stepfather's income would not be considered available to the" household and the mother and children would be budgeted as a nonshared living household;

2. Mother and 2 children apply for TAF. Mother is pregnant. Her husband who is not the father of the 2 children but who is the father of the unborn, is stationed at an Army base in Germany. As in example (a), his income would not be considered available as stepparent income in determining TAF for the mother and the 2 children. However, when the mutual child is born, and if cash assistance is requested for the mutual child, the income and needs of the father must be considered. In this circumstance the need standard would be based on a family of 5 and the father's income counted. The family wou1d be budgeted as a non shared 1iving househo1d .

There are no changes in our policies for Medical Assistance. The income of a stepparent is not considered in determining eligibility for his/her stepchildren regardless of place of residence. In addition, in example (b) above, the income of the husband of the pregnant woman would be considered available to her in determining her eligibility for MP and he would be included in the poverty level standard.

There is no change in our policy for Food Stamps. The income of an individual who is not living with the Food Stamp household is not considered available to the household, however, if the parent returns home at least one day of the month, he/she is considered part of the household.

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