Workforce Services, Employment Development

Section R986-200-214

Assistance for Specified Relatives

Notice of Proposed Rule

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 33356
Filed: 01/28/2010 05:05:13 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The purpose of this amendment is to make it easier for the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to make appropriate placement of children.

Summary of the rule or change:

The Department has been working with DCFS to help allow more appropriate placement of children. Currently, specified relative assistance is only available for children who are related by blood or law to the specified relative. This has resulted in some half siblings being removed from the home or not eligible for assistance which is not an optimum result. With this change, children who are related to the qualifying child can be eligible for assistance resulting in keeping families together.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Section 35A-1-104
• Subsection 35A-3-302(5)(b)
• Subsection 35A-1-104(4)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

This applies to federally-funded programs so there are no costs or savings to the state budget.

local governments:

This is a federally-funded program so there are no costs or savings to the local government.

small businesses:

There will be no costs to small businesses to comply with these changes because this is a federally-funded program.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

There will be no costs of any persons to comply with these changes because there are no costs or fees associated with these proposed changes.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no compliance costs associated with these changes for any persons because this is a federally-funded program and there are no fees or costs associated with these proposed changes.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

There are no compliance costs associated with this change. There are no fees associated with this change. There will be no cost to anyone to comply with these changes. There will be no fiscal impact on any business.

Kristen Cox, Executive Director

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Workforce Services
Employment Development
140 E 300 S
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111-2333

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Suzan Pixton at the above address, by phone at 801-526-9645, by FAX at 801-526-9211, or by Internet E-mail at spixton@utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

03/17/2010

This rule may become effective on:

03/24/2010

Authorized by:

Kristen Cox, Executive Director

R986. Workforce Services, Employment Development.

R986-200. Family Employment Program.

R986-200-214. Assistance for Specified Relatives.

(1) Specified relatives include:

(a) grandparents;

(b) brothers and sisters;

(c) stepbrothers and stepsisters;

(d) aunts and uncles;

(e) first cousins;

(f) first cousins once removed;

(g) nephews and nieces;

(h) people of prior generations as designated by the prefix grand, great, great-great, or great- great-great;

(i) brothers and sisters by legal adoption;

(j) the spouse of any person listed above;

(k) the former spouse of any person listed above;

(l) individuals who can prove they met one of the above mentioned relationships via a blood relationship even though the legal relationship has been terminated; and

(m) former stepparents.

(2) The Department shall require compliance with Section 30-1-4.5

(3) A specified relative may apply for financial assistance for the child. If the child is otherwise eligible, the FEP rules apply with the following exceptions:

(a) The child must have a blood or a legal relationship to the specified relative even if the legal relationship has been terminated or have a blood relationship to a dependent child who in the home and who is included in the household for assistance purposes;[,]

(b) Both parents must be absent from the home where the child lives. This is true even for a parent who has had his or her parental rights terminated;

(c) The child must be currently living with, and not just visiting, the specified relative;

(d) The parents' obligation to financially support their child will be enforced and the specified relative must cooperate with child support enforcement; and

(e) If the parent(s) state they are willing to support the child if the child would return to live with the parent(s), the child is ineligible unless there is a court order removing the child from the parent(s)' home.

(4) If the specified relative is currently receiving FEP or FEPTP, the child must be included in that household assistance unit.

(5) The income and resources of the specified relative are not counted unless the specified relative requests inclusion in the household assistance unit.

(6) If the specified relative is not currently receiving FEP or FEPTP, and the specified relative does not want to be included in the financial assistance payment, the specified relative shall be paid, on behalf of the child, the full standard financial assistance payment for one person. The size of the financial assistance payment shall be increased accordingly for each additional eligible child in the household assistance unit excluding the dependent child(ren) of the specified relative. Since the specified relative is not included in the household assistance unit, the income and assets of the specified relative, or the relative's spouse, are not counted.

(7) The specified relative may request to be included in the household assistance unit. If the specified relative is included in the household assistance unit, the household must meet all FEP eligibility requirements including participation requirements and asset limits.

(8) Income eligibility for a specified relative who wants to be included in the household assistance unit is calculated according to R986-200-241.

 

KEY: family employment program

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [November 3, 2009]2010

Notice of Continuation: September 14, 2005

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 35A-3-301 et seq.