Work First 106 - Family Cap

Change # 4-2010

June 1, 2010

I. WHAT IS A FAMILY CAP

A. Whenever a parent (recipient or payee only) has a newborn child ten or more months after a month in which the family receives cash assistance, the family cap provision applies. The Family Cap is a North Carolina policy that does not apply to parents who received assistance from another state in the tenth month prior to the child’s birth. To determine whether family cap is applicable, evaluate all children born June 1, 1997 or later.

NOTE: The family cap provision does not apply to a child who has been adopted.

This means that the Work First Family Assistance payment will not be increased for that child with certain exceptions. These exceptions are discussed in II. below.

A child subject to the family cap is a member of the Work First Family Assistance family unit and is included on the case in EIS. Therefore, the child is also subject to the provisions of the Mutual Responsibility Agreement and is automatically entitled to:

• Medicaid
• Child Support Services
• Other supportive services (such as Medicaid transportation)

B. A child subject to the family cap is assessed like all other children in the family in relation to, income, resources, child support, etc.

C. Once a child is subject to the family cap provision, the family cap applies even if the child moves to the home of another caretaker. The family cap is lifted in this instance if one of the exceptions in II. D. or E. apply.

Review the family cap provision with every family at application and at each review.