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Data Dictionary

Categories:

Activities exemptions Activities requirements Activities sanctions Asset test Benefit computation Child support Child support sanctions Components Contracts and agreements Countable income

Deemed income Diversion Dollar amounts Earned income disregards Eligibility by number/type parents Eligibility of individual family members Eligibility of pregnant women Eligibility of two-parent families Eligibility of units headed by minor parents Family caps

Immunization and health screening policies In kind income Inclusion of non-citizens in the unit Income and assets of children Income eligibility tests Minor parent activities and bonuses School policies for dependent children Time limits Transitional benefits Treatment of Additional Adults in Household

Activities exemptions

This category identifies which individuals in an assistance unit are exempt from participating in Activities Requirements. The exemptions reflect the exact description in the states' manuals and/or regulations. If an individual does not have any of the characteristics outlined in these variables, they are considered non-exempt and must participate in the requirements described in the Activities Requirements category. [Full category documentation]

Table III.B.1	Work-Related Activity Exemptions for Single-Parent Head of Unit
Table L6	Work-Related Exemption When Caring for a Child under X Months (longitudinal)

Activities requirements

This category outlines each state's activity/work program exactly as the state manual describes the program. The category includes the rules that require applicants and/or recipients to participate in education, job training, and/or work in order to maintain eligibility or avoid a sanction. There are three major aspects of activities requirements: when is the requirement imposed, who must meet the requirement and what must the recipient and/or applicant do in order to meet the requirement. [Full category documentation]

Table III.B.2	Work-Related Activity Requirements for Single-Parent Head of Unit

Activities sanctions

This category captures the sanctions imposed on non-exempt recipients that do not comply with the activities requirements outlined in the Activities Requirements category. [Full category documentation]

Table III.B.3	Sanction Policies for Noncompliance with Work Requirements for Single-Parent Head of Unit
Table L7	Most Severe Sanction Policy for Noncompliance with Work Requirements for Single-Parent Adults (Longitudinal)

Asset test

The Asset Test category includes information on the type and amount of assets an assistance unit may hold, including the limit for Individual Development Accounts and the limit on the value of a vehicle. [Full category documentation]

Table I.C.1	Asset Limits for Applicants
Table IV.A.3	Asset Limits for Recipients
Table L8	Asset Limits for Recipients (longitudinal)
Table L9	Vehicle Exemptions for Recipients (Longitudinal)

Benefit computation

Benefit Computation examines how benefits are calculated for an assistance unit. This category describes the state’s benefit formula, as well as which dollar amounts are used in the formula. It also captures whether a state prorates benefits for assistance units who share a living space with non-recipients. Finally, the category includes information regarding the benefit calculation for assistance units who have recently moved to the state. [Full category documentation]

Table II.A.2	Benefit Determination Policies
Table II.A.3	Benefit Standards
Table II.A.4	Maximum Monthly Benefit for a Family of Three with No Income
Table L5	Maximum Monthly Benefit for a Family of Three with No Income (Longitudinal)

Child support

This category contains information on each state's child support enforcement rules that impact welfare recipients. The variables focus only on the requirements and policies affecting the custodial parent and do not concentrate on license suspension, new-hire reporting, and other rules that affect the non-custodial parent. [Full category documentation]

Table IV.A.2	Treatment of Child Support Income for Recipients

Child support sanctions

The child support sanctions category includes information on sanctions resulting from the failure to meet child support cooperation requirements. [Full category documentation]

Components

This category summarizes the components in effect in a given state for a given year. Components exist in a state if the state divides its caseload into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive groups that are treated differently across more than one category of rules. Furthermore, the definitions of the groups involve more than one characteristic, eliminating the possibility of coding the different groups using the Unit Type variable. [Full category documentation]

Table Appendix 1	Component Description

Contracts and agreements

This category fulfills a dual purpose. First, it identifies whether a state has a formal contract, agreement, or plan with recipients. If so, this category outlines the requirements included in that agreement. In addition, this category provides a summary of a state's behavioral requirements. [Full category documentation]

Table I.A.2	Mandatory Job Search at Application

Countable income

The Countable Income category examines the kinds of income that are counted in determining eligibility and benefits. Specifically, it covers the treatment of interest income, dividend income, EITC income, lump sum income and casual/inconsequential income. [Full category documentation]

Deemed income

Deemed Income outlines the deeming process for stepparents, grandparents who live in the household and grandparents who live outside of the household. In general, only the income of assistance unit members is used to determine the unit's eligibility and benefit. But under certain circumstances, income from persons outside of the assistance unit is "deemed" available to the unit (regardless of whether or not it is in fact available). This "deemed" income is added to the unit's own income when determining eligibility and benefits. [Full category documentation]

Table I.D.1	Treatment of Grandparent Income
Table I.D.2	Treatment of Stepparent Income
Table I.E.3	Eligibility Standards

Diversion

Diversion captures whether a state has a formal program to divert eligible applicants or recipients from ongoing welfare receipt and provides details regarding the level of cash payment and support services offered. Although some states employ a variety of strategies to divert applicants from ongoing AFDC/TANF receipt (such as requiring an applicant to participate in job search) only those programs that provide either a cash payment or support services are identified as “diversion programs” in this database. [Full category documentation]

Table I.A.1	Formal Diversion Payments
Table L1	Formal Diversion Payments (Longitudinal)

Dollar amounts

Dollar Amounts captures the financial standards (referred to as dollar amounts) and any special needs amounts used in determining eligibility and benefits for an assistance unit. Under AFDC, these standards included: the need standard, payment standard and maximum benefit. [Full category documentation]

Table I.E.3	Eligibility Standards
Table II.A.3	Benefit Standards
Table II.A.4	Maximum Monthly Benefit for a Family of Three with No Income
Table L5	Maximum Monthly Benefit for a Family of Three with No Income (Longitudinal)

Earned income disregards

This category outlines the amounts of earned income an assistance unit may deduct when determining eligibility and benefits. The amounts an assistance unit can deduct are referred to as disregards. [Full category documentation]

Table I.E.2	Earned Income Disregards for Income Eligibility Purposes
Table II.A.1	Earned Income Disregards for Benefit Computation
Table L4	Earned Income Disregards for Benefit Computation (Longitudinal)

Eligibility by number/type parents

Eligibility by Number/Type of Parents outlines the eligibility restrictions for certain types of families. Eligibility may be restricted based on the number or type of parents/caretakers. [Full category documentation]

Eligibility of individual family members

Eligibility of Individual Family Members describes which family members are part of the assistance unit, given that the unit as a whole is potentially eligible for benefits. [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.4	Stepparent Eligibility

Eligibility of pregnant women

Eligibility of Pregnant Women captures whether pregnant women are eligible and if so, when eligibility begins. [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.1	Eligibility of Pregnant Women with No Other Children

Eligibility of two-parent families

Eligibility of Two-Parent Families captures employment-related eligibility criteria for two-parent, non-disabled families. These criteria include rules regarding employment status and labor force attachment. [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.2	Eligibility Rules for Two-Parent, Nondisabled Applicant Units
Table IV.A.1	Eligibility Rules for Two-Parent, Nondisabled Recipient Units
Table L2	Types of Special Restrictions on Two-Parent, Nondisabled Units Eligibility (Longitudinal)

Eligibility of units headed by minor parents

Eligibility of Units Headed by Minor Parent outlines eligibility rules for units headed by minor parents. This information includes the oldest age a residency requirement is imposed and the acceptable living arrangements that meet the residency requirement. [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.3	Special Rules Imposed on Minor Parent Eligibility

Family caps

Family Caps captures whether a state limits the incremental increase in benefits for units which give birth to another child while receiving aid. The category also provides details regarding the percentage by which the incremental benefit is reduced, how long an assistance unit must be on AFDC/TANF to be affected by the family cap and the children that are exempt from the policy. [Full category documentation]

Table IV.B.1	Family Cap Policies
Table L10	Family Cap Policies (Longitudinal)

Immunization and health screening policies

The Immunization and Health Screening category contains information on requirement and sanction policies. The variables include information on both children and adults, although the requirements usually apply only to children. [Full category documentation]

Table III.A.1	Behavioral Requirements

In kind income

In-kind Income captures whether or not a state counts the value of housing assistance and/or food stamps as unearned income for purposes of determining welfare eligibility and benefits. [Full category documentation]

Inclusion of non-citizens in the unit

This category contains information on when and which immigrants may receive welfare benefits. [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.5	State Practices Regarding Eligibility of Nonexempt, Pre-PRWORA, Qualified Aliens
Table I.B.6	States Using State Funds to Help Noncitizens who Entered after Enactment and Are Ineligible for Federal TANF Assistance
Table I.B.7	State Practices Regarding Eligibility of Nonexempt, Post-PRWORA, Qualified Aliens after Five Years

Income and assets of children

Income and Assets of Children indicates whether the income, earned and unearned, of children in an assistance unit is excluded when determining the unit’s eligibility or benefit. In states where children’s income receives special treatment, details are provided concerning the specific type of children involved and the length of time their income is excluded. [Full category documentation]

Income eligibility tests

Income Eligibility Tests outlines the details of any income eligibility tests in a state, including gross income tests, net income tests, gross earnings tests, net earnings tests or unearned income tests. [Full category documentation]

Table I.E.1	Income Eligibility Tests for Applicants
Table I.E.3	Eligibility Standards
Table I.E.4	Maximum Income for Initial Eligibility for a Family of Three
Table IV.A.4	Income Eligibility Tests for Recipients
Table IV.A.5	Maximum Income for Ongoing Eligibility for a Family of Three
Table L3	Maximum Income for Initial Eligibility for a Family of Three (Longitudinal)

Minor parent activities and bonuses

This category is designed to capture activities and school bonuses that apply only to minor parents, as defined by each state. While some states capture activities required of minor parents in their activities/work programs (information coded in the Activities Exemptions, Activities Requirements, and Activities Sanctions categories), other states consider minor parent requirements a separate issues/policy. This category insures that the database captures the requirements specific to minor parents, regardless of their exemption status in the Activities categories. However, these requirements may also be captured in the Activities Requirements categories if the state considers these requirements part of their overall work/activity program. [Full category documentation]

School policies for dependent children

This category includes information on school-related requirements, school-related sanctions and school-related bonuses. All variables in the category only apply to dependent children in the assistance unit. [Full category documentation]

Table III.A.1	Behavioral Requirements

Time limits

The Time Limits category describes the various limits that either terminate or reduce an assistance unit's benefits due to the amount of time that they have received aid. Note that time limits which require a unit head to do something in order to continue receiving assistance, such as work activity time limits are not captured in this category. Only time limits that affect the unit's benefit are discussed in this category. [Full category documentation]

Table IV.C.1	State Lifetime Time Limit Policies
Table IV.C.2	Other State Time Limit Policies
Table IV.C.3	State Time Limit Exemption Policies
Table IV.C.4	State Time Limit Extension Policies

Transitional benefits

The Transitional Benefits category describes the services that assistance units are eligible for after losing AFDC/TANF benefits. This category focuses on transitional child care and transitional Medicaid; however, any other transitional benefits a state offers are also captured in this category. [Full category documentation]

Treatment of Additional Adults in Household

This category handles the Treatment of Additional Adults in Household [Full category documentation]

Table I.B.8	Treatment of Noncaretaker Adults in Household