Arkansas Administrative Code

20 CAR § 502-314. Claiming good cause. (a)(1) A claim of good cause will be made by the casehead or minor parent by completing Form DCO-105 specifying the circumstance under which good cause is believed to exist. (2) The casehead must provide corroborative evidence to establish t…

20 CAR § 502-315. Circumstances under which good cause may exist. (a) Good cause will be determined to exist only if cooperation in establishing paternity and securing support would be against the best interests of the child due to at least one (1) of the circumstances listed bel…

20 CAR § 502-316. Substantiation of good cause claim. (a) A good cause claim may be substantiated by: (1) Evidence that corroborates the claim; (2) An investigation conducted by the county office when the basis of the claim is anticipated physical harm and no corroborative eviden…

20 CAR § 502-317. Types of corroborative evidence. (a) Good cause claims may be corroborated with the following types of evidence: (1) Birth certificates or medical or law enforcement records that indicate that the child was conceived as a result of incest or forcible rape; (2) C…

20 CAR § 502-318. Investigation. (a)(1) Anticipated physical or emotional harm may be the basis of a claim for which there is no corroborative evidence, particularly in the case of battered women. (2) When no corroborative evidence is submitted in support of past physical or emot…

20 CAR § 502-319. Special consideration related to emotional harm. The following should be considered in every case in which the good cause determination is based in whole or in part upon the anticipation of emotional harm to the child, the mother, or the caretaker relative: (1) …

20 CAR § 502-320. Good cause claim made at application. (a) If the applicant makes a good cause claim, he or she will be advised of the information needed to substantiate it and that the information must be provided within twenty (20) days of the date the claim is made. (b) If th…

20 CAR § 502-321. Providing information for the Office of Child Support Enforcement referral. (a) Unless good cause for refusal to cooperate has been claimed or has been determined to exist, the transitional employment assistance (TEA) casehead must provide information for the Of…

20 CAR § 502-322. Cooperation with the Office of Child Support Enforcement following noncompliance. (a)(1) The sanction for noncooperation with child support requirements will be lifted upon actual cooperation by the person who failed to cooperate. (2) Refer to 20 CAR § 502-914(a…

20 CAR § 502-323. Other explanations. (a) Other explanations to be given during the application interview are listed below. (b) Family cap. (1)(A) A child who is born while the mother is receiving transitional employment assistance (TEA) cash assistance, either for other children…

20 CAR § 502-401. Eligibility determination generally. (a) In addition to the eligibility requirements dealt with during the application interview, i.e., the Personal Responsibility Agreement (PRA), providing or applying for a Social Security number for all family members, and in…

20 CAR § 502-402. TEA family/assistance unit defined. (a) For purposes of the Transitional Employment Assistance Program, the terms “TEA family” and “assistance unit” have the same meaning and are used interchangeably throughout this part. (b) The above terms refer to the under-a…

20 CAR § 502-403. Age and relationship requirement. (a) The non-Supplemental Security Income child or children must: (1) Be under eighteen (18) years of age; and (2) Live in the home of a parent or other adult caretaker who is in a specified degree of relationship to the child. (…

20 CAR § 502-404. Degrees of relationship. The child must be living with a relative who is in one (1) of the following degrees of relationship to the child: (1)(A) A blood or adoptive relative who is within the fifth degree of kinship. (B) Such relatives by degree of kinship are …

20 CAR § 502-405. Methods of proving age and relationship. (a)(1) The child’s age and relationship to the parent or other adult caretaker must be verified. (2) The inability of the casehead to verify the age or relationship of one (1) child does not affect the eligibility of othe…

20 CAR § 502-406. Verifying presence of child in home of relative. (a) The worker will verify that the child or children are living with the parent or other relative. (b) Acceptable methods of verification include: (1) Collateral Statement, Form DCO-76, completed by a friend or n…

20 CAR § 502-407. Citizenship or alienage requirement. (a) Each individual for whom application is made must be one (1) of the following: (1) A United States citizen (native born or naturalized); (2) An alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence prior to August 22, 1996; (3)…

20 CAR § 502-408. Methods of proving citizenship or alienage status. (a) A declaration of citizenship will be accepted unless the county office determines that the declaration is questionable, in which case verification such as birth certificates or naturalization papers will be …

20 CAR § 502-409. SAVE. (a)(1) Under the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services examines documentation provided by noncitizens to ensure the documentation is authentic and accurate. (2) SAVE uses a web…

20 CAR § 502-410. Declaration of citizenship. (a) As a condition of eligibility, a declaration of citizenship, or lawful alien status, must be made in writing, under penalty of perjury, for each transitional employment assistance (TEA) family member. (b)(1) The Immigration Reform…

20 CAR § 502-411. Fugitive felons and parole or probation violators. (a) An individual who is fleeing to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, of a felony offense is ineligible for transitional employment assistance (TEA) benefits. (b) An individual who i…

20 CAR § 502-412. Residence requirement. (a) The family must presently reside in Arkansas and intend to make it their home. (b)(1) No specific duration of residence is required. (2) If the applicant has the present intention to make the state his or her home, current eligibility …

20 CAR § 502-413. Initial compliance with the Personal Responsibility Agreement requirement. (a) The Personal Responsibility Agreement requires the adult caretaker, or minor parent, to ensure that: (1) School-age children attend school regularly; and (2) The children receive immu…

20 CAR § 502-414. School attendance. (a)(1) If the adult or minor parent reports at application that all school-age children are enrolled in and satisfactorily attending school, the worker may accept the statement of the applicant. (2)(A) Enrollment and satisfactory attendance wi…

20 CAR § 502-415. Preschool-aged immunizations. (a)(1) Proof of current immunizations of all preschool-age children will be requested prior to approval of the application. (2) See Appendix A for the immunization schedule. (b) If such proof is provided, the case record will be doc…

20 CAR § 502-416. Exemptions due to medical or religious beliefs. (a)(1) An applicant who refuses to have a child immunized because of religious beliefs or because of a medical problem, e.g., allergic reaction, must provide verification that an exemption has been granted by the D…

20 CAR § 502-417. Resource requirement. (a) The countable resource limit for all family sizes is three thousand dollars ($3,000). (b)(1) The resources of all persons included in the assistance unit must be determined. (2) This includes all: (A) Adults; (B) Children; and (C) Minor…

20 CAR § 502-418. Definition of a resource. (a)(1) A resource is any real or personal property available to an individual to meet his or her needs, i.e., can be turned into cash. (2) Only those resources currently available, or which the individual has the legal ability to make a…

20 CAR § 502-419. Verification of a resource. (a) The countable value of a resource that is not disregarded must be verified. (b) See 20 CAR § 502-420 for disregarded resources.

20 CAR § 502-420. Resources to be disregarded. The following resources are not considered in determining the family’s transitional employment assistance (TEA) eligibility: (1)(A) The family’s homestead. (B) See 20 CAR § 502-421 for more information regarding the homestead; (2) On…

20 CAR § 502-421. Homestead. (a)(1) A homestead is a house and tract of land that a person considers his or her home. (2) A mobile home or trailer used as a home will be considered as a homestead, regardless of whether the person also owns the property on which the mobile home is…

20 CAR § 502-422. Resources considered in full. (a)(1) Except for property specifically disregarded in 20 CAR § 502-420 and excess motor vehicles, the equity value of any other real or personal property available to the family will be considered in full. (2) If the family has mor…

20 CAR § 502-423. Requesting a legal opinion on resource ownership or availability. (a)(1) There are situations in which the client’s ownership interest or ability to access the resource are not clearly evident. (2) In such situations, it may be necessary to request a legal opini…

20 CAR § 502-424. Sale of a resource. (a) The sale of a resource, including disregarded resources, is considered a conversion of one (1) type of resource (property) to another type (cash) except when the terms and conditions of the sale preclude the seller’s ability to obtain ful…

20 CAR § 502-425. Excess real property. The equity value of any real property not used as a homestead (excess property) will be considered a resource in determining transitional employment assistance (TEA) eligibility.

20 CAR § 502-426. Determining ownership. (a) Ownership may be verified by any of the following: (1) Deeds; (2) Wills; (3) Contract of purchase; or (4) Other documentary evidence. (b)(1) When two (2) or more persons own an interest in the property, the client’s ownership interest …

20 CAR § 502-427. Forms of ownership. (a) Fee simple ownership. (1) When property is held in fee simple, the owner has sole ownership interests. (2) He or she alone, or his or her legal guardian if mentally incompetent, may sell or transfer ownership interest without conditions i…

20 CAR § 502-428. Determining value of ownership interest. (a) In determining the equity value, i.e., current market value less encumbrances, of real excess property, the type of ownership, the number of additional owners, and the individual’s actual ownership interest must all b…

20 CAR § 502-429. Determining market value and net equity of real property. (a)(1) The market value of real property is determined by obtaining an estimate of current market value from a knowledgeable source. (2) Knowledgeable sources include: (A) Real estate brokers; (B) Local o…

20 CAR § 502-430. Personal property. (a) Personal property is property other than real property and consisting primarily of liquid assets. (b) Ownership of personal property can be in the same form as real property. (c) The following sections describe more commonly held types.…

20 CAR § 502-431. Cash and money on deposit. (a) Cash on hand and money on deposit, less the amount received during the month and counted as income, is a countable resource. (b)(1) Cash on hand includes amounts that the individual has on his or her person and amounts that he or s…

20 CAR § 502-432. Trust or restricted accounts. (a) A trust or restricted account is one in which moneys are held by a person (trustee) for another (beneficiary) with specific instructions for withdrawal. (b) Trust funds that are legally available to help meet a transitional empl…

20 CAR § 502-433. Motor vehicles. (a)(1) One (1) car or other mode of personal transportation owned by the family is totally disregarded, without regard to its market or equity value. (2) The market value of any other vehicle is counted in full. (3) The vehicle with the highest m…

20 CAR § 502-434. United States Savings Bonds. (a) A United States Savings Bond is an obligation of the federal government that is nontransferable. (b) These bonds are normally owned by the owner or owners shown on the front of the bond. (c) If bond ownership is shared, each pers…

20 CAR § 502-435. Stocks and bonds. (a)(1) Shares of stock represent ownership in a corporation. (2) Stock value is determined by the closing price. (b)(1) Verification of stock value may be made by consulting the financial section of a newspaper for stock that is listed in eithe…

20 CAR § 502-436. Other types of personal property. (a) Any other available property not specifically disregarded is counted as a resource. (b) See 20 CAR § 502-420 for disregarded resources.

20 CAR § 502-501. Income eligibility and payment determination generally. (a) The family must be economically needy, which means, in part, that the family’s countable income is below the income eligibility standard established by the state. (b)(1) If income and all other requirem…

20 CAR § 502-502. Persons whose income must be determined and verified. (a)(1) The income of all persons included in the assistance unit must be determined. (2) This includes all: (A) Adults; (B) Children; and (C) Minor parents. (3) In addition, the income of a non-Supplemental S…

20 CAR § 502-503. Potentially eligible for other income benefits. (a) If any member of the family appears to be potentially eligible for any other benefit that would provide additional income to the family, e.g., unemployment, Supplemental Security Income, etc., the applicant wil…

20 CAR § 502-504. Unearned income. (a) Unearned income is generally money paid to or on behalf of an individual that does not represent any type of payment for work or services rendered by an individual. (b) Except for that specifically disregarded in 20 CAR § 502-506, unearned i…