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IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART VI: FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Chapter 4: Determining Countable Income
Lease of Natural Resources 4.24
| ALL |
Count money received for leasing rights to natural resources as unearned income. This includes storage rights. Examples of natural resources include timber, gravel, oil, and natural gas. |
Loans (Non-Educational) 4.25
| ALL |
Exclude any loans including U.S. Repatriation Assistance if the group declares an intent to repay it. Otherwise, count it as unearned income.
In a questionable circumstance or when private loans are recurring, the SSR may require a signed statement by the lender regarding the repayment obligation. |
Lump Sums and Accrued Benefits 4.26
| ALL |
A lump sum is defined as a non-recurring one-time only payment which excludes money that applicants receive through the DPP. Some examples of lump sums are the following:
- Winnings
- Inheritances
- Insurance settlements
- Retroactive payments of SSDI, VA benefits
An accrued benefit is a one-time payment intended to cover a retroactive period of time or to cover a future period of time but not the current payment period.
Certain lump sums and accrued benefits are assets, not income (for policy on lump sums which count as assets see Section 1.21: Non-Recurring Lump Sums and Accrued Benefits in this Part).
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| MA |
Exclude lump sum or accrued benefit payment in the month received. In future month, consider them as a resource (See Section 1.21: Non-Recurring Lump Sums and Accrued Benefits in this Part.)
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| TANF |
Lumps sums and accrued benefits not considered as assets are windfall income.
Count a windfall, except an excluded portion, as unearned income. Exclude any lump sum or portion of a lump sum earmarked and used for the purpose for which it is paid. Examples include money for overdue medical bills resulting from accidents, funeral and burial costs, replacement or repair of damaged property, and so on.
See Section 8.4.1: Future Ineligibility Based on Receipt of a Lump Sum or Accrued Benefit in this Part for an explanation of how to calculate a period of ineligibility due to receipt of a windfall.
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| GC |
See TANF.
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| FS |
Count as unearned income the portion of non-recurring benefits which are not considered assets and are intended to cover needs in the current month. |
Military Pay and Allotments 4.27
| ALL |
Pay received by active duty members of the Armed Forces is counted as earned income.
Allotments are payments for the support of dependents of military personnel, usually initiated by the service member.
Count the gross payment amount of an allotment as unearned income.
It is possible to obtain an involuntary allotment if a court or administrative order for support exists and payments are past due.
CSSD staff can provide information on involuntary allotments.
Allotments are considered child support if paid by the parent of a child in the group (see Section 4.9: Child Support in this Chapter).
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FS
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Combat Duty Pay and Allotments
Additional pay received by members of the Armed Forces who are deployed to a combat area is not countable income. To determine the amount of income to count, follow the following procedures:
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For FS groups that included a member of the Armed Forces prior to the member being deployed to a combat area;
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Determine the member’s take home military pay prior to deployment, and
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During deployment count the lesser of these two amounts:
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For FS groups that received an allotment or direct deposit from a member of the Armed Forces prior to the serviceperson’s deployment to a combat area, but the serviceperson was not a part of the FS group:
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Determine how much income the absent serviceperson was making available to the FS group prior to deployment to a combat area, and
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During deployment, count the lesser of these two amounts:
“Combat areas” are defined as any of the following:
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Effective January, 1991:
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Bahrain,
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Gulf of Aden,
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Gulf of Oman,
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Iraq,
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Kuwait,
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Persian Gulf,
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Qatar,
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Oman,
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Red Sea,
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Saudi Arabia, and
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United Arab Emirates.
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Effective November, 1995:
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Bosnia,
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Herzegovina,
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Croatia, and
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Macedonia
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Effective March 24, 1999:
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Turkey effective January 1, 2003
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Israel from January 1 through July 31,2003
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Eastern Mediterranean from March 19 through July 31, 2003
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Jordan effective March 19, 2003
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Egypt effective March 19 through April 20, 2003
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Afghanistan, effective September 19, 2001
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Pakistan effective September 19, 2001
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Tajikistan effective September 19, 2001
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Jordan effective September 19, 2001
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Incirlik AFB Turkey effective September 19, 2001
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Kyrgyzstan effective October 1, 2001
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Uzbekistan effective October 1, 2001
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Philippines (only troops w/orders that reference OEF) effective January 9, 2002
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Yemen effective April 10, 2002
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Djibouti effective July 1, 2002 |
Money Received by a Third Party 4.28
| ALL |
Money received by a third party for a group member is counted as income only if the group member actually receives the money from the third party. If the money is not turned over to the group member, then it is not counted. The Department may require the group member to take steps to obtain money not turned over to the group. |
Money Received on Behalf of Others 4.29
| ALL |
Money received as a third party on behalf of others is not counted as income received if it does not reflect the needs of the person receiving the money. |
Native American Payments 4.30
| ALL |
Exclude payments made to Native Americans under the following laws:
- P.L. 92-203: Tax exempt portions of payments under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
- P.L. 92-254: Judgment funds to members of the Blackfeet Tribe of Blackfeet Reservation, Montana and Gros Ventre Tribe of the Fort Belknap Reservation, Montana
- P.L. 93-134: Funds distributed to members of Indian tribes and the purchases made with such funds.
- P.L. 93-531: Relocation assistance payments to members of the Hopi and Navajo Tribes
- P.L. 94-114: Receipts distributed to members of certain Indian tribes.
- P.L. 96-420: Payments to the Passamaqaoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation.
- P.L. 94-433: Payments received by the confederated tribes and Bands of Yakima Indian Nation Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation.
- P.L. 95-531: Relocation payments to the Navajo and Hopi Tribes.
- P.L. 94-189: Payments received under the Sac and Fox Indian agreements.
- P.L. 94-540: Judgment funds to the Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians.
- 23 U.S.C.A. 460d - 460d-31: Financial assistance to Navajo and Hopi Indians.
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| ALL |
Exclude benefits issued through the following programs:
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Title VII Nutrition Program for the Elderly of the Older Americans Act of 1965
- Child Nutrition Act of 1965
- National School Lunch Act of 1946
- Food Stamps Act of 1977
- Section 32 of P.L. 94-320
- Section 416 of the Agriculture Act of 1949
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Pursuit of Potential Income 4.32
| ALL |
Individuals or groups applying for or receiving Medical Assistance, TANF, Food Stamps, or GC cannot be required to apply for or pursue other benefits or income sources (except with respect to child support-related requirements in the TANF and Medicaid programs). IMA staff should strongly encourage customers who appear potentially eligible for other benefits such as SSI, unemployment compensation, or Social Security retirement/disability benefits to apply for these benefits. IMA must not, however, require groups to apply for these benefits as a condition of eligibility for benefits.
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