Department of Human Services: Chapter2: Sections 2.4 thru 2.5.1
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IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART VI: FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Chapter 2: Whose Assets Are Counted
 
Deeming Assets   2.4 
 
ALL
All or part of the assets of certain people outside an assistance unit are counted toward the asset limit. Those assets are 'deemed' available to a unit.  Count assets deemed available to a unit even if the unit does not actually have access to the assets.
 
MA 
AR (excluding Poverty Level Families and Children and Foster Care/Department Wards/Adoption Assistance Recipients):  If a child is in the AR unit, the parents' assets are deemed available to the child even if the parent is not in the unit.  If an adult is in an AR unit, the assets of the adult's spouse are deemed available to the unit even if the spouse is not in the unit. 
 
If a parent is not in the assistance unit (that is, the parent will not receive MA if the group is found eligible), then the assets of the parent's spouse who is not also the parent of a child in the unit (that is, a step-parent) are not deemed available to the unit.  A step-parent's assets are only considered when the children's parent is included in the unit.  A step-parent's assets are not included even if the parent is included provisionally in the unit for purposes of determining eligibility of actual assistance group members.
Example
Mrs. Belden applies for MA for her daughter, Tara.  Mrs. Belden is included provisionally in the unit.  However, no income from Mr. Belden, who is Tara's step-father, is deemed to Tara.
 
If Mrs. Belden was also applying for MA, then Mr. Belden's income would be deemed to her and Tara.
AX:  N/A
 
SR (excluding SSI Recipients):  The assets of relatives who have financial responsibility for members of an SR assistance unit are deemed available to the SR group.  The following is a list of individuals considered to be financially responsible for SR group members:
 
Spouse for his/her spouse when they are living in the same home,
 
Spouse for his/her spouse when both are applicants for or recipients of SSI and cease to live together,
 
(Note:  If spouses cease to live together because of the institutionalization or hospitalization of one spouse, their assets are considered as available to each for the first 30 days of hospitalization/institutionalization.  After this 30-day period, only the assets that are actually contributed by one spouse to the other are considered.)
 
Parent for his/her unmarried child under age 21 when they are living in the same home.
 
If a child is separated from his/her parent(s) due to institutionalization or hospitalization, the parents' assets are considered available to the child for the first 30 days of the separation.  After this period, only assets actually contributed by the parent(s) are considered.
 
The deemed amounts of the spouse's assets are considered available to the assistance unit whether or not the assistance unit actually receives them.
 
The amount of assets to be deemed is the spouse's total countable assets, determined in accordance with the SR policies governing countable and non-countable assets.  If any assets are deemed, the size of the assistance unit is increased by one for the comparison of the assistance unit's total countable assets to the appropriate asset limitation.  Assets are deemed whether or not any income is deemed.
 
When a financially responsible parent is not a member of the SR assistance unit, the parent's assets must be deemed to the assistance unit.  The deemed amounts of the parent's assets are considered available to the assistance unit whether or not the assistance unit actually receives them.  The amount of assets to be deemed is the parent's total countable assets in excess of the SSI asset limitation for the number of parents involved.  The parent's total countable assets are determined in accordance with the SR policies governing countable and non-countable assets.  Assets are deemed whether or not any income is deemed.
 
QM:  See SR
 
MC:  See AR.
 
TANF 
Include all countable assets of a parent living in the home (except parents receiving SSI), whether or not the parent is in the unit, and all assets of an otherwise mandatory group member who is disqualified from receiving TANF.  Disqualified individuals include those individuals excluded due to immigration status, failure to comply with program requirements, or an IPV.
 
GC
Do not deem any assets from non-group members.
 
FS  
Persons may live with the FS group or applicant group who are not group members.  The resources of a non-group member are counted in their entirety if the non-group member purchases and prepares food with the FS household and has been disqualified or determined ineligible because of: 
 
  An IPV
  Failure to participate in FSET
  Failure to provide an SSN
  Immigration status
 
If the above persons do not purchase and prepare food with the FS household, the SSR should not include their resources.
 

The SSR should not consider the resources of all other non group members including an ineligible student, boarder, or individual disqualified for failure to comply with TANF work program requirements.
 
 

Sponsored Alien Assets   2.5
 
ALL The assets of alien sponsors who have signed legally binding affidavits of support must be counted when determining the eligibility for federal means-tested benefits of households that contain immigrants that they sponsored. Only immigrants whose sponsors signed I-864 Affidavits on or after December 19, 1997 are subject to deeming of their sponsors’ assets. If the sponsor signed a I-864 Affidavit, his or her assets and the assets of his or her current spouse must be deemed.  Assistance units that include sponsored immigrants must still meet regular asset limits.
 
 
Determining the Amount of Deemable Assets    2.5.1
 
ALL Any type of asset that is countable when determining an applicant’s eligibility for a specific program, is countable when controlled by the sponsor of a sponsored immigrant included in the applicant’s assistance unit. When determining the value of a specific type of asset owned by the sponsor, use the regular rules for valuation of assets for the programs involved.  The net value of the sponsor’s assets minus program specific disregards is countable and should be added to the applicant’s own assets when determining asset eligibility.
 
MA 
N/A
 
TANF 
Pending
 
GC
There is no requirement to deem assets from an alien sponsor to the immigrant.
 
IDA
There is no requirement to deem assets from an alien sponsor to the immigrant.
 
FS   Exclude up to $1500 of the alien sponsor’s total net assets.  The value of assets exceeding $1500 is deemed to the assistance unit that includes the sponsored immigrant.  The value of the alien sponsor’s assets is  not affected by the size of the sponsor’s family or their sponsorship of additional immigrants.
 
 
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