The specified relative is eligible for TANF-related MA when the child and the specified relative are apart for a certain period of time (but not permanently) if:
55 Pa. Code § 151.43(d)(2)&(3)
The absence does not change the relative's role for being responsible for the care and control of the child.
The specified relative will be responsible for the care and control of the child when they are back together.
Example: Mrs. M. is in the hospital to give birth. She continues to be responsible for the care and control of her other children. Mrs. M. is responsible for the children's needs and is in contact with them, even though her sister is temporarily watching them.
The child must continue to meet TANF age and deprivation rules during the period of separation. If the dependent child lives at a school he or she is attending, the child and the specified relative remain eligible for PC or TC as long as parental control is not given to school authorities.
A specified relative can get TANF-related NMP MA for a minor child who is not in the home or is expected to be absent from the home for up to 180 days in a row. 55 Pa. Code § 151.43(d)(1) P.L. 104-193 Title I, SSA § 408(a)(10)
NOTE: The 180 day limit count stops if the child comes home for the holidays.
NOTE: When it becomes clear to a specified relative that a minor child will be absent for more than 180 days in a row, the relative must report the child’s absence within 5 days. The specified relative cannot get TANF-related NMP MA for 30 days if he or she does not report a child absent from the home within 5 days of the 180-day limit, if the child will continue to remain absent beyond the 180-day limit.
The following are other examples of temporary absence:
A child is temporarily living away from home because that makes the most sense for his or her education through the first 12 grades, undergraduate college or vocational training.
A family is temporarily separated because of a fire, a flood, the sudden illness of a parent or another reason.
A child is making a court-ordered visit with a parent in another county or state.
Updated February 14, 2012, Replacing July 8, 2008