The total countable earned and unearned income of the woman applying for or receiving SelectPlan for Women benefits, her spouse, her children and stepchildren living in the household is used to determine eligibility for SelectPlan for Women family planning benefits.
Pa Family Planning Waiver of 12/29/05
The CAO or CU will count payments received in return for services as earned income. The total amount of gross earned income will be determined before any deductions are given.
The CAO or CU will count income from the following sources as earned income:
Wages (including tips).
Salaries.
Commissions and bonuses.
Sheltered workshop or work activities center.
NOTE: A payment is counted when it is received or when the payment is set aside for the individual's use.
Earnings from therapeutic activities.
Profit from self-employment. See Chapter 352, Self-Employment, for the requirements which apply to TANF/GA related categories of NMP.
Employee sick benefits if the individual plans to return to work.
Rental Income.
NOTE: Rental income may also be unearned. See Section 311.53, Rental Property Income.
The CAO or CU must count the earnings of a child (natural, adoptive or step) of the SelectPlan woman, if the child is living in the household, under age 18 and is unemancipated.
If it benefits the SelectPlan woman the CAO or CU may count the earnings of the child, if the child is living in the household, age 18 or older, financially dependent and under the care and control of the applicant; this includes a disabled adult child. 55 Pa. Code § 140.64
The CAO or CU will consider the gross amount of unearned income when determining eligibility for SelectPlan for Women. If the individual receives a reduced benefit due to a deduction for an insurance premium, court ordered support, recovery of a prior overpayment, etc., the amount of the benefit before the reduction will be counted.
NOTE: Lump sum income, such as personal damage awards, payments of delayed wages, insurance settlements or delayed benefits, is considered a resource and is not counted when determining eligibility for SelectPlan.
The CAO or CU will verify and record all unearned income in the case record.
Unearned income includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Rental Income.
Retirement benefits, private pensions and annuities, including an amount deducted for an insurance premium.
Social Security benefits (RSDI).
Veterans Affairs' (VA) benefits.
Unemployment Compensation (UC).
Workers' Compensation (WC).
Dividends, royalties, and interest in the calendar month posted or received. 55 Pa. Code § 140.61
Court ordered or voluntary support or alimony payments See Section 311.521. 55 Pa. Code § 140.62
Contributions. See Section 311.522. 55 Pa. Code § 140.63
Educational Assistance. See the TANF/GA related requirements of Chapter 314, Students. 55 Pa. Code § 140.41
Income of a child. See Section 311.54. 55 Pa. Code § 140.64
Rental income when the property is managed by a third party. 55 Pa. Code § 140.66
NOTE: Rental income may also be earned. See Section 311.53, Rental Property Income. 55 Pa. Code § 140.61
Prizes and awards.
NOTE: A prize refers to a cash payment won in a contest, lottery or game of chance. An award is usually received as a result of a decision by a court, board of arbitration, etc. A prize or award may be received as a regular recurring payment or as a lump sum. If received as a lump sum, the CAO or CU will consider the payment to be a resource which will not affect SelectPlan eligibility. 55 Pa. Code § 140.61
Inheritance.
NOTE: A cash inheritance received as a nonrecurring payment is treated as a lump sum resource which will not affect SelectPlan eligibility.
The CAO or CU will verify and record all unearned income in the case record. 55 Pa. Code § 140.103
Support paid by an LRR for a child or spouse, whether it is court ordered, voluntary or paid directly to the individual, is counted when determining eligibility. The amount of court ordered support or alimony may be verified by a copy of the court order, a copy of the check or a written statement from the Domestic Relations Office. 55 Pa. Code § 140.62
A cash contribution from an LRR is counted as support income. If the contribution is from a putative father, the CAO or CU will count the payment as support if either the mother or the putative father verifies, in writing, that the payment is child support. 55 Pa. Code § 140.63
NOTE: The CAO or CU will not deduct any amount of the MA support disregard per family of total, current court ordered or voluntary support or alimony received each month. SelectPlan has no unearned income deductions regardless of the source of the unearned income.
Reminder: The CAO or CU will not require the woman to pursue support as a condition of eligibility.
Support paid on arrears to cover payments due in prior months is considered a lump sum resource and does not affect SelectPlan eligibility.
A cash contribution by an individual other than an LRR is unearned income. A cash contribution by an LRR is counted as support. 55 Pa. Code § 140.63
If the contribution is from a putative father, the CAO or CU will count the income as support if either the mother or putative father states, in writing, that the payment is support. See Section 311.521, Support Payments.
The CAO or CU will count income from rental property managed by a rental agency or other third party as unearned income. The individual must have no specific responsibility for management of the property or the capital investment. See Chapter 360, NMP Deductions, for the TANF-related deductions from unearned rental income. 55 Pa. Code § 140.66
If the rental property is not managed by a rental agency or other third party, the CAO or CU will count the income from rental property as self-employment. See Chapter 352, Self-Employment, for the TANF related requirements which apply to NMP. 55 Pa. Code § 140.52
The CAO or CU must count the income of a child (natural, adoptive or step) of the SelectPlan woman, if the child is living in the household, under the age of 18 and is unemancipated.
If it benefits the SelectPlan woman, the CAO or CU may count the income of a child of the SelectPlan woman, if the child is living in the household, age 18 or older, financially dependent and under the care and control the applicant; this includes a disabled adult child.
Income of a child includes, but is not limited to, the following: 55 Pa. Code § 140.64
Earnings of a child.
The child's share of Social Security or veteran's benefits.
Court ordered or voluntary support payments.
Awards.
Trust fund payments.
Income that covers more than one child is considered available to each child in equal shares unless the payer or court order specifies otherwise. The CAO will count only the share of the child who is included in the SelectPlan budget group.
The CAO or CU will not count RSDI income of a child if the benefits are being paid to a representative payee:
Who does not live with the child.
Who does not actually make the money available for the support of the child.
The CAO or CU will exclude certain income when determining eligibility for SelectPlan. Income excluded is listed in Healthy Beginnings Chapter 318.55 Excluded Income.
The CAO or CU will not count income from certain sources when determining eligibility for SelectPlan.
Non-service connected veteran’s benefits
The amount of increased non-service connected veterans benefits which the applicant/recipient or family member was eligible to receive, but elected not to receive, under the Veterans’ Pension Act of 1959 (38 U.S.C. §§ 503, 506, 521, 522, 541—543, 617 and 3203) is not counted. The individual does not have to apply for the increase if the individual qualified for veteran’s benefits on June 30, 1960 and elected not to receive the increase in benefits provided under the Veterans’ Pension Act of 1959. 55 Pa. Code § 140.71
Income of an SSI recipient
The income of an SSI recipient is not considered available to meet the needs of an applicant/recipient except those payments made to the applicant/recipient for goods, services and room and board. The individual receiving SSI is not included as a family member when determining the eligibility of the SelectPlan applicant. 55 Pa. Code § 140.72
Income received as representative payee for a child
If a member of the applicant/recipient group or family member is payee for a benefit for a child and the benefit is legally restricted to the use of that child, the income is not counted in determining income eligibility for the SelectPlan individual. 55 Pa. Code § 140.73
Updated February 14, 2012, Replacing June 4, 2010