2243 Hardship Status - There is a twenty-four-month time limit to receive TANF assistance. If all adults in the mandatory filing unit (MFU) do not meet a hardship criterion, the case is to close at the end of the twenty-fourth month. To engage in client driven services sooner, hardship status is to be determined by the twelfth month of TANF assistance or as it becomes known to the agency. This hardship status, which allows families to receive TANF assistance beyond the twenty-four-month time limit, is to be granted when all adults in the MFU meet one or more of the following criteria.
NOTE: Cases which have closed after reaching the 24-month
time limit (either in Kansas or another state) can regain eligibility if they meet a hardship criterion in 1 through 4. Hardships may extend eligibility for TANF assistance to 36 months. Verification of a hardship (1 – 4) is required when reopening a case after the 24-month time limit has been reached.
Hardships may extend eligibility for TANF assistance to 36 months.
If at any time an open TANF household loses hardships 1 through 4, they may be eligible for hardship number 5.
2243.1 Non-Cooperation with Work Programs When in Hardship Status - For individuals who meet hardship status 1 - 5, are mandatory work program participants, and the recipient is not cooperating with Work Programs, the following applies:
TANF eligibility for the entire TANF family will cease, giving timely and adequate notice, when a non-exempt adult recipient is no longer cooperating with Work Programs and does not meet good cause. If the family is over twenty-four months and failed to comply with TANF work related requirements, the current hardship will be ended and the TANF case will close for exceeding the lifetime limit. No penalty will be applied to the TANF case and no comparable penalty will apply to the individual on the food assistance case.
See also Section 3500 for work non-cooperation issues.
2243.2 Non-Cooperation
with Child Support When in Hardship Status - For individuals
in hardship status 1 - 5 who receive a penalty for failing to cooperate
with child support enforcement, the following applies:
TANF eligibility for the entire TANF family will cease, giving timely and
adequate notice, when a non-exempt adult recipient is no longer cooperating
with CSS and does not meet good cause. If the family is over twenty-four months and failed to comply with TANF work related requirements, the current hardship will be ended and the TANF case will close for exceeding the lifetime limit. No penalty will be applied to the TANF case and no comparable penalty will apply to the individual on the food assistance case.
See also Section 3500 for work non-cooperation
issues.