You must be in school full-time or have graduated from school if you are under age 20 and pregnant or a parent. If you’re under age 18 years, you have to additionally meet unique residing arrangement guidelines. You’ve kept the right to register your application that is own for advantages without your mother and father, even although you reside using them.

1. Just how do the college attendance rules work?

Until you have actually finished, if you should be under 20 you should be in twelfth grade, center or elementary college or perhaps a in a full-time GED (twelfth grade equivalency) system of https://datingrating.net/positivesingles-review at the least 20 hours per week. When your GED system is lower than 20 hours per week, you may well be expected to complete community solution or other training also. This guideline will not use if you should be within 60 times of switching age 20. You need to be at school or perhaps a program that is ged minimum 75percent of times (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 that will help 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 if you’re maybe not at school due to not enough son or daughter care or as a result of domestic or teen relationship physical violence (like where your overall or previous boyfriend is stalking or has threatened you).

2. Are there any reasons that are good lack from school?

Yes. You could have cause that is good absences because of not enough transport or kid care, inclement weather, a medical condition, a crisis or crisis you will need 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 days, you certainly will 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
• Reside with another general (associated with you or your child) that is age 20 or over, or
• Reside with a appropriate guardian, or
• Be considered a “graduate of the DSS independent living system,” or
• Be 17 years old and satisfy unique “waiver” rules (see below).

You may be asked to live in a teen living program — if one is available if you do not meet one of the above. You must be living with your spouse to be exempt if you are under 18 and married.

Essential:

18- and 19- year teens that are oldand teenagers within 60 times of switching age 18) need not live with moms and dads, loved ones or in team domiciles. You do have to meet with the college rules above.

4. That are the family members 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 relative who’s age 20 or older. You are able to live having a former stepparent—like your father’s ex-wife or even the paternal grandparents of the youngster (but this doesn’t consist of managing the kid’s daddy if you’re unmarried). Your family relations do not need to get appropriate guardianship. If you reside having an unrelated adult, see your face does should be legal guardian.

The earnings of family members or appropriate guardians does not count in determining your TAFDC grant.

5. Imagine if you cannot live along with your moms and dads?

If you should be under 18 and cannot live together with your mum or dad, tell DTA. A teenager expert under agreement with DSS will contact both you and have a look at whether it is possible to carry on together with your moms and dads, in a teen living system, or by yourself. You shouldn’t be required to live in the home in the event that you fear punishment, in the event the parent(s) will not give you support, there was drug abuse in your home, in the event that house has rule violations, or if perhaps you will find virtually any “extraordinary circumstances.” The teenager specialist’s task is always to discover why you can not live in the home and work out a suggestion make sure to inform her all of the reasons. It is possible to pose a question to your college guidance therapist or any other experts who understand you to definitely phone or compose the teenager professional. In the event that teenager professional agrees you can’t go homeward, DTA could find you a teen living system to get or help you associated with the waiver guidelines for 17 year olds.

Waiver:

Teenagers who’re 17 yrs old and cannot live along with your moms and dads can request an unique “waiver” to call home by themselves if: a) in a great living situation, b) at school full-time in good standing, c) have actually stable son or daughter care and d) are taking part in a teenager parenting system.

You do not need a waiver and are exempt from the rule if you are within 60 days of turning age 18.

6. Exactly How is Parental Money counted?

If you’re under age 18 and live in the home, your moms and dads’ earnings above 200percent associated with the poverty level matters in deciding simply how much TAFDC both you and your child get. This level happens to be $1,990/month for just two people. If the moms and dads will not inform DTA their income, you may be rejected TAFDC however you can nevertheless 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 loved ones your home is with will not count —regardless of one’s age.

7. Challenging denial of advantages:

If for example the TAFDC has been cut, you have actually a the best to an advance written notice.

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

You’ve got a directly to bring in just about any evidence that is new why you can not live in the home. If DTA claims you missed an excessive amount of school, bring towards the hearing any information which explains why you missed classes. You’ve got a directly to see your TAFDC instance 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 specialist during the hearing also to bring friend or advocate to work with you.

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