Federal law requires states to reduce TANF Cash Assistance grants by at least 25 percent for failure to cooperate with support requirements. State law requires DHS to reduce the Cash Assistance allowance by 25 percent when a person fails, without good cause, to cooperate with support requirements.
Since 1997, DHS has implemented this requirement by instructing CAOs to remove the noncooperating person from the Cash Assistance grant, creating child-only cases. With the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, parents who are not on the Cash Assistance grant are considered “work-eligible” and must be considered when determining the state’s work participation rate. Given this change in federal law, DHS has decided to implement the 25-percent-reduction policy in a manner that does not result in child-only cases.
Noncooperation with support requirements as described in Section 131.3 will result in a monthly cash benefit reduced by 25 percent. All mandatory budget group members will be eligible and must cooperate with RESET requirements. The "DS" eligibility status code with a 24 exclusion code is no longer valid.
If an applicant or recipient failed, without good cause, to cooperate with support requirements, the noncooperating person was ineligible for Cash Assistance (TANF and GA). The CAO authorized Cash Assistance for the family, excluding the noncooperating person, who was generally assigned a "DS" eligibility status code with a 24 exclusion code.
NOTE: If the noncooperating person was already sanctioned or ineligible for another reason, the CAO further reduced the net grant of the budget group by 25 percent.
Impose 25% cash assistance reduction
When the CAO is accessing the case in eCIS they can impose the 25% cash reduction due to non-compliance with support requirements through the "Absent Relative" screen. Select "No" from the "Cooperating to seek support payment" drop-down menu. Click "Next" and continue to run eligibility.
Remove 25% cash assistance reduction
To remove the 25% reduction when the client regains compliance with support cooperation requirements select "Yes" from the "Cooperating to seek support payment" drop down menu. Select the correct code from the "Support Referral Code" drop down, make sure the Referral date is the current system date. Click "Next" and continue to run eligibility.
Reissued February 8, 2013, replacing January 31, 2012