Teen Moms And Dads: Your Legal Rights Under Welfare Reform
If you should be under age 20 and expecting or even a moms and dad, you should be in school full-time or have finished from college. If you should be under age 18 years, you need to additionally meet unique residing arrangement rules. You’ve still got the right to register your very own application for TAFDC advantages without your mother and father, even though you reside with them.
1. Just how can the educational college attendance rules work?
If you are under 20 you must be in high school, middle or elementary school OR a in a full-time GED (high school equivalency) program of at least 20 hours per week unless you have graduated. A week, you may be asked to do community service or other training as well if your GED program is less than 20 hours. This guideline will not apply if you should be within 60 times of switching age 20. You should be at school or A ged system at minimum 75percent of that time (15 hours away from a 20 hour system) to qualify for TAFDC advantages. If you’d like assist getting into college, pose a question to your DTA worker. The worker is meant to assist you find a course which help you receive time care and pay money for transport expenses to college and time care. But, you can’t be sanctioned you) if you are not in school because of lack of child care or because of domestic or teen dating violence (like where your current or former boyfriend is stalking or has threatened.
2. Are there any reasons that are good lack from college?
Yes. You’ll have cause that is good absences because of not enough transport or youngster care, inclement weather, a health condition, a crisis or crisis you’ll want to focus on. You are absent more than 25% of the time, you will first lose about $92 of you TAFDC grant for 30 days if you do not have good cause and. After thirty days, you may lose the entire grant that is TAFDC. Your SNAP/Food Stamps and MassHealth should carry on.
3. So how exactly does the living arrangment rule work?
You must if you are under age 18 and not married:
- Live along with your parents, or
- Live with another general (pertaining to you or your infant) that is age 20 or higher, or
- Reside with a appropriate guardian, or
- Be described as a “graduate of the DSS separate living system,” or
- Be 17 yrs old and fulfill unique “waiver” rules (see below).
If you don’t satisfy among the above, perhaps you are expected to reside in a young adult living program — if one is present. You must be living with your spouse to be exempt if you are under 18 and married.
Significant:
18- and 19- year teens that are oldand teenagers within 60 times of switching age 18) need not live with moms and dads, family members or perhaps in team domiciles. However you do want to meet up with the college rules above.
4. Who’re the relatives you can easily live with?
Teenagers nevertheless meet up with the arrangement that is living if coping with an aunt, uncle, grandparent, older sibling or other general who’s age 20 or older. You may also live with a stepparent—like that is former father’s ex-wife or the paternal grand-parents of one’s son or daughter (but this doesn’t consist of living with the kid’s dad if you should be unmarried). Your loved ones do not need to get appropriate guardianship. If you’re by having an unrelated adult, that individual does should be appropriate guardian.
The earnings of family members or appropriate guardians does perhaps not count in determining your TAFDC grant.
5. Imagine if you cannot live along with your moms and dads?
If you’re under 18 and cannot live along with your father or mother, tell DTA. A teenager expert under agreement with DSS will contact both you and glance at whether you’ll carry on along with your moms and dads, in a teen living system, or all on your own. You shouldn’t be required to live in the home if you fear punishment, when your parent(s) will not give you support, there was drug abuse in the house, in the event that home has rule violations, OR if there are any kind of “extraordinary circumstances.” The teenager specialist’s task would be to discover why you can not live in the home and work out a suggestion make sure to inform her all of the reasons. You’ll be able to pose a question to your college guidance therapist or other experts who understand one to phone or compose the teenager professional. In the event that teenager expert agrees you simply cannot go back home, DTA might find you a teen living program to get or give you advice associated with the waiver guidelines for 17 12 months olds.
Waiver:
Teenagers that are 17 years old and cannot live along with your moms and dads can request a unique “waiver” to reside by themselves if: a) in a great living situation, b) at school full-time in good standing, c) have actually stable kid care and d) are taking part in a parenting program that is teen.
You do not need a waiver and are exempt from the rule if you are within 60 days of turning age 18.
6. Just Just Just How is Parental Money counted?
If you should be under age 18 and live in the home, your parents’ income above 200percent of this poverty degree matters in deciding just how benaughty.com much TAFDC both you and your infant get. This degree is $1,990/month for just two persons. If the moms and dads will not inform DTA their income, you might be rejected TAFDC but you can still make an application for SNAP/Food Stamps and MassHealth.
Your parent’s earnings will not count as soon as you turn age 18. The earnings of non-parent family relations your home is with will not count —regardless of the age.
7. Challenging denial of benefits:
If the TAFDC has been cut, you have a the ability to an advance written notice.
In the event that you request a hearing within 10 times of the date of notice, your advantages should carry on through the appeal.
You have got a right to bring in every evidence that is new why you simply cannot live in the home. If DTA claims you missed a lot of college, bring to the hearing any information which explains why you missed classes. You have got a directly to see your TAFDC situation record, including college attendance documents and/or reports from the DSS contracted specialist that is teen. You’ve got the directly to make copies of every papers in your file, to inquire about concerns of DTA worker or perhaps the teenager expert during the hearing also to bring buddy or advocate to help you.
Call the local Legal Services to get more advice or representation that is legal. You can contact the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy: for advice and recommendations.