Individuals who are eligible in the TANF related categories of PC/TC, PU/TU, and PS include the following:
55 Pa. Code § 178.11 55 Pa. Code 178.12
An individual under age 21
An individual meets the age requirement until the end of the month in which their 21st birthday occurs.
55 Pa. Code § 141.81(c)(3)(ii)(A)
A specified relative of a child who meets the TANF age and deprivation requirements (Chapter 327, Specified Relative)
A pregnant woman
A pregnant woman who is eligible for and has MA at the end of the pregnancy is eligible through the end of the month in which the 60-day postpartum period ends. 55 Pa. Code § 140.122
The following eligible people are assigned category PC/TC:
An individual under age 21 who is not permanently and totally disabled (whether or not he or she attends school or is emancipated)
55 Pa. Code § 178.11(4)(i) 55 Pa. Code § 178.12(5)(i)
NOTE: An individual under age 21 who meets the requirements of permanent and total disability is category PH, PJ, or TJ.
The specified relative who lives with a child.
An individual age 21 or older is a specified relative if he or she lives with a child who:
Is under age 18 or is 18 years old and is a full-time student in a secondary school (or at the same level in a vocational or technical school).
42 USC § 619 (2)
Meets one of the TANF deprivation conditions (Chapter 329, Deprivation).
A specified relative who cares for a dependent child.
That individual can receive PC/TC or PU/TU even though the child is not receiving cash or MA.
A pregnant woman.
The pregnancy must be medically proven. 55 Pa. Code § 178.11(4)(iii) 55 Pa. Code § 178.12(5)(iii)
NOTE: A single, pregnant woman with no children must first be considered for eligibility for NMPF (PC 27). If her income is over the NMPF limit, then she must be considered for eligibility for Healthy Beginnings.
The spouse of a pregnant woman if:
55 Pa. Code § 140.121
The couple have no other children.
The unborn child would be deprived because of incapacity.
NOTE: A boyfriend or someone who is believed to be the father of the child is not considered a spouse.
The CAO must verify the following when it seems appropriate:
How old the individual is if he or she is under 21. 55 Pa. Code § 201.3
How the specified relative is related to the child.
Whether the deprivation factor is met.
Whether the woman is pregnant.
The following people are assigned category PU/TU:
Parents through age 64 in a two-parent household with a child who meets the TANF age and deprivation requirements of unemployment.
NOTE: The Principal Wage Earner (PWE) determination is no longer necessary for a child to be considered deprived because of unemployment. Regardless of the work history of either parent, a child is considered deprived when the net income of the applicant/recipient group, after allowable deductions, is less than the TANF-related NMP or MNO income limits.
A child age 20 or younger who lives in a two-parent household if the net income of the applicant/recipient group, after allowable deductions, is less than the TANF-related NMP or MNO income limits.
A pregnant woman age 21 or older and her spouse, who live together and who have no other children, if the net income of the applicant/recipient group, after allowable deductions, is less than the TANF-related NMP or MNO income limits.
NOTE: Spouse includes common-law spouse, if the relationship began before January 1, 2005.
NOTE: Per Act 144 of 2004, Pennsylvania will no longer recognize a common law marriage entered into after January 1, 2005. If an applicant is alleging that he or she is a common law spouse, the CAO must obtain documentation that the couple was holding themselves out to the community as a married couple prior to January 1, 2005. The CAO must obtain documentation, which includes, but is not limited to, the deed to their residence, income tax records, bank records, leases, utility bills, or statements from knowledgeable individuals. In the case of recipients whose record indicates that they have been presenting themselves to be married under common law prior to January 1, 2005, the CAO should continue to recognize the common law marriage.
The following people who are found eligible for Healthy Beginnings are assigned category PS: 55 Pa. Code § 140.121
A pregnant woman.
A woman who was eligible for and getting PS at the end of her pregnancy.
NOTE: The woman is eligible for PS through the end of the month in which the 60-day post-pregnancy period ends.
A qualified child
For more information, Chapter 318, Healthy Beginnings.
This category is for TANF-related MA. A family is eligible if (a) it is considered a family according to the state’s former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) state plan in effect as of July 16, 1996 and (b) any family member is considered deprived according to the former AFDC state plan. Program Status Code 27 identifies TANF-related budget groups that meet the requirements for NMP for the Family.
NOTE: Everyone in the family does not have to apply for NMP. However, to be eligible for NMP, a family must include the income of everyone who is mandatory based on the former AFDC rules as if they are applying for MA. (Chapter 310, Applicant/Recipient Groups, Appendix B.)
This applicant/recipient group may qualify for an automatic extension of MA coverage (EMC) if the case is closed because an individual has found a new job, the family has more income from employment (PU/PC 71), or there is an increase in child support (PU/PC 23).
John (age 22) and Mary (age 21) are unmarried and applying for MA for themselves and their children. Mary has a son, Joseph (age 3), who gets $300 a month in child support. John and Mary have a daughter Jasmine (3 months of age). John is currently employed at ABC Distributors, earning $250 per week. The applicant/recipient group is ineligible for NMP for the Family (PU-27) because the applicant/recipient group's net income is over the NMP limit. Jasmine is not considered deprived.
PC-27 is explored for Mary and Joseph on the basis of Joseph being a TANF-deprived child because he has an absent parent. Also explored are PS-16 for Jasmine and appropriate categories for John. Mary and Joseph are eligible for PC-27, and Jasmine is eligible for PS-16. John is explored for PU-00 and TU-00 and found ineligible. John’s income is not counted as part of Mary’s in deciding if she is eligible for PC-27, as TANF deprivation is based on absence and John is not legally responsible for her, because they are not married.
NOTE: Some cases may involve unmarried parents and common children (children they have together). Here are two examples:
When determining if a child is deprived because one parent is unemployed, the CAO must count both parents’ income. If the unemployed girlfriend is applying for TANF-related MA, the boyfriend’s income must also be counted. If the child does not meet TANF deprivation on this basis, GA-related categories would have to be explored for the girlfriend (unless she is under age 21, in which case PC/TC could be explored).
If only the girlfriend is applying for MA, she is incapacitated, which is the deprivation factor, then the boyfriend’s income is not counted (because TANF deprivation has been met and he is not legally responsible for her because they are not married).
There is an application for a boyfriend, girlfriend, common child, and the girlfriend’s child from a previous relationship. All are applying for MA. The boyfriend works 40 hours a week, earning $7.25 per hour. The girlfriend’s child gets $500 a month in child support.
Eligibility for NMP for the Family is explored, with PU27 for the whole family explored first. The family fails because it has too much income. Explored next is eligibility for PC27 for just the girlfriend and her child, because the child has an absent parent. This also fails because the family’s income is too high.
Eligibility for Healthy Beginnings for the children is explored. The children are the Healthy Beginnings applicant/recipient group, and all four people are included in the Healthy Beginnings family. Both children are found eligible for Healthy Beginnings.
Eligibility for TANF-related NMP is explored. The applicant/recipient group includes the girlfriend, the boyfriend, counted common child, and the girlfriend’s child as an optional member, as the child is eligible for but not yet approved for Healthy Beginnings. The family is found ineligible for NMP because income is too high.
Eligibility for TANF-related MNO for both the girlfriend and the boyfriend is explored. The applicant/recipient group includes the boyfriend, the girlfriend, the common child, and the girlfriend’s child as an optional member (because the child is eligible for but not yet approved for Healthy Beginnings). The parents are found ineligible for TANF-related MNO because their income is too high.
Eligibility for GA-related MNO for the boyfriend and girlfriend is explored on the basis of eligibility factors for a custodial parent of a child under age 21. Both fail because their income is too high.
Updated February 14, 2012, Replacing June 28, 2007