Parents Under 20 Introduction
The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) provides financial assistance to pregnant and parenting individuals under 20 who meet financial and non-financial TAFDC eligibility requirements. The term parent under 20 includes an individual under 20 who is pregnant with no other children.
A parent under 20 may be the grantee of their own case or be a dependent in a parent’s case. A parent under 20 who would not be included in the TAFDC assistance unit, and would be considered an Ineligible member if they are:
- receiving SSI benefits
- receiving foster care payments
- an ineligible noncitizen, or
- ineligible due to a program sanction
For a parent under 20 and their dependents to be eligible for TAFDC, the client must meet school attendance and living arrangement rules. They must have a high school diploma, high school equivalency certificate, or be attending high school or a high school equivalency program and be making satisfactory progress towards graduating.
A parent under 20 and their dependent child must live:
- with their parent(s), except if circumstances in the parent(s)’ home create an apparent threat to the health or safety of the parent and/or their dependent child(ren)
- with an adult age 20 or older who meets the Relationship requirement
- with an approved foster parent, or
- with a legal guardian
When a parent under 20 and their child(ren) are not in one of the living situations described above, they must be referred to a Young Parent Living Program(YPLP).
See the Relationship for TAFDC relationship requirements.
Important: Parents under 20 who are the head of household in their own TAFDC case must be assigned to a Self-Sufficiency Specialist as early as possible, if not done at the initial TAFDC application. If a TAFDC application is completed by an economic assistance case manager, the case must be transferred upon approval. A popup will appear that states “It appears that this client may benefit from a Self-Sufficiency Specialist.” The case manager must Select the Yes radio button and speak to their supervisor about transferring the case to the appropriate SSS.
Exceptions to the Parent under 20 School Attendance and Living Arrangement Rules
The following circumstances are exceptions to the school attendance and living arrangement rules:
- A parent under 20 who gives birth is not required to meet the school attendance rules until the child turns three months old
- A TAFDC applicant who applies within 60 days of their 18th birthday meets the living arrangement rules if the school attendance rules are met, and
- A TAFDC applicant who applies within 60 days of their 20th birthday is not required to meet the school attendance and living arrangement rules.
Note: For parents under 20 who have had a new baby, the compliance reason of Child Under <3 months must be selected in the Pathways Participant section of the Work Requirements TAFDC page to excuse them from school and prevent a sanction for not meeting school rules.
Note: If a person under 20 who is pregnant with no other children has already met their school rules by attaining a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate, select Teen Parent – Pregnant from the Required status reason drop-down box on the Work Requirement TAFDC page for use in this specific situation.