If you’re under age 20 and pregnant or even a moms and dad, you really must be in college full-time or have finished from college. You must also meet special living arrangement rules if you are under age 18 years. You still have the right to register your very own application for TAFDC advantages without your mother and father, even though you reside using them.

1. How can the college attendance rules work?

Until you have actually finished, if you should be under 20 you really must be in senior high school, center or elementary school OR a in a full-time GED (twelfth grade equivalency) system of at the very least 20 hours each week. 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 use if you’re within 60 times of switching age 20. You truly must be in college or perhaps a program that is ged minimum 75% of that time period (15 hours away from a 20 hour system) to qualify for TAFDC benefits. If you’d like assist getting into college, pose a question to your DTA worker. The worker is meant to assist you find an application which help you receive time care and pay money for transport costs to school and time care. But, you simply cannot be sanctioned if you’re perhaps not at school due to not enough son or daughter care or as a result of domestic or teen dating physical violence (like where your or previous boyfriend is stalking or has threatened you).

2. Is there reasons that are good lack from college?

Yes. You’ll have good cause of absences as a result of not enough transportation or kid care, inclement weather, a health condition, a crisis or crisis you’ll want to deal with. 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 day period, you are going to lose the entire TAFDC grant. Your SNAP/Food Stamps and MassHealth should carry on.

3. How can the living arrangment guideline work?

You must if you are under age 18 and not married:

• Reside along with your moms and dads, or
• Live with another general (associated with you or your child) that is age 20 or higher, or
• Reside by having a guardian that is legal or
• Be a “graduate of a DSS independent living system,” or
• Be 17 years old and meet”waiver that is special rules (see below).

If you don’t fulfill among the above, you may well be expected to reside in a teenager living program — if a person is present. You must be living with your spouse to be exempt if you are under 18 and married.

Important:

18- and 19- year old teenagers (and teenagers within 60 times of switching age 18) don’t need to live with moms and dads, family members or perhaps in team domiciles. You do have to meet up with the educational college rules above.

4. Who’re the family members you can easily live with?

Teenagers nevertheless meet up with the residing arrangement rules if managing an aunt, uncle, grandparent, older sibling or other relative that is age 20 or older. You can live having a former stepparent—like your father’s ex-wife or perhaps the paternal grand-parents of one’s son or daughter (but this doesn’t consist of coping with the little one’s daddy if you’re unmarried). Your loved ones don’t need to get appropriate guardianship. That person does need to be legal guardian if you live with an unrelated adult.

The earnings of family relations or legal guardians does perhaps perhaps perhaps not count in determining your TAFDC grant.

5. Let’s say you cannot live along with your moms and dads?

If you should be under 18 and can not live along with your mum or dad, tell DTA. A young adult expert under agreement with DSS will contact you and have a look at whether it is possible to carry on with your moms and dads, in a teen living system, or by yourself. You shouldn’t need to live in the home you, there was drug abuse in the house, in the event that house has rule violations, or if perhaps you will find every other “extraordinary circumstances. in the event that you worry punishment, in the event your parent(s) refuse to help” The teenager specialist’s work is always to discover why you simply can’t live in the home and then make a suggestion make sure to inform her all of the reasons. You may want to pose a question to your college guidance therapist or other experts who understand one to phone or write the teen expert. In the event that teenager expert agrees you simply cannot go homeward, DTA could find you a teen living system to get or help you associated with the waiver guidelines for 17 12 months olds.

Waiver:

Teenagers who will be 17 yrs old and should not live together with your moms and dads can request a particular “waiver” to call home by themselves if: a) in good 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.

If you should be within 60 days of switching age 18, you don’t need a waiver and are usually exempt through the rule.

6. Exactly Exactly How is Parental Income counted?

You and your baby get if you are under age 18 and live at home, your parents’ income above 200% of the poverty level counts in deciding how much TAFDC. This degree happens to be $1,990/month for just two individuals. In the event the moms and dads will not inform DTA their income, you might be rejected TAFDC however you can certainly still submit an application for SNAP/Food Stamps and MassHealth.

Your parent’s earnings doesn’t count as soon as you turn age 18. The earnings of non-parent family relations your home is with doesn’t count —regardless of one’s age.

7. Challenging denial of advantages:

When your TAFDC has been cut, you have actually a the ability to an advance written notice.

In the event that you require a hearing within 10 times of the date of notice, your benefits should carry on through the appeal.

You have got the straight to bring in just about any evidence that is new why you simply cannot live in the home. Any information that explains why you missed classes if DTA says you missed too much school, bring to the hearing. You’ve got a directly to see your TAFDC situation record, including college attendance documents and/or reports from the DSS contracted specialist that is teen. There is the straight to make copies of any papers in your file, to inquire about concerns of DTA worker or even the teenager expert during the hearing also to bring a close buddy or advocate to work with you.

Call the local Legal Services to get more advice or legal representation. You could contact the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy: for advice and recommendations.