Age of a Participant
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The age of a participant determines eligibility and benefit amounts.
Policy
Age is an important eligibility factor for the NA and CA programs because age applies to all of the following:
●Eligibility
●Benefit amount
●Income deductions
●Program compliance requirements
The participant is required to list on the application for benefits the date of birth of each budgetary unit member for whom benefits are applied.
For NA, see all of the following important ages and policies related to eligibility and benefit amounts:
●All of the following ages are important for the NA Work Requirements:
A participant responsible for the care of a dependent child under the age of 6 is exempt.
A participant under the age of 18 and age 60 or older is exempt.
A participant under the age of 16 is exempt.
See NA Work Requirement Exemptions for complete details about each exemption.
●Participants aged 18 through 49 and enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education(g) are required to meet a work requirement or an exemption to be considered potentially eligible. See Adult Student Eligibility for NA for when a participant meets the definition of a student.
●All income for participants aged 18 and older is countable (See Dependent Child Income for more information on income types)
●Dependent Care expenses are an allowable deduction from income when the dependent care is for a child under 18 or an incapacitated adult. See NA Dependent Care for a complete list of allowable expenses.
●Participants are potentially eligible to receive NA separately from the family they are living with at any of the following ages:
At the age of 18, when living with their siblings who are age 18 or older and do not live with their parents.
After the month of their 22nd birthday, when the participant lives with their parents.
See Determining Budgetary Units for who in a household would be considered a mandatory, optional, or nonparticipant.
●A participant who is age 60 or older or has a disability receives special consideration when budgeting and determining eligibility, including all of the following:
A special resource limit
Medical deductions
Not subject to the Gross Income Standard
See Budgetary Units with Special Circumstances for complete considerations and requirements.
For CA, see all of the following ages and related policies that FAA uses to determine eligibility and benefit amounts:
●Dependent Care Expense is allowed for children and the amount of the deduction is based on all of the following:
Whether the child is under the age of two or age two and over.
When the expense is required for the participant to continue to work.
When the wage earner is billed for the expense.
For more information about CA dependent care expense maximum deduction amounts and requirements, see CA Dependent Care.
●Each child aged six through 15 is required to be enrolled in and attending school or be home schooled. School attendance is included in the CA Personal Responsibility Agreement (PRA) that single and two parent budgetary units are required to agree with for CA eligibility. See PRA School Attendance for all the school attendance requirements.
●All CA participants are mandatory referrals in the CA work program, Jobs, except children ages newborn through 17. See CA Jobs Work Program Requirements for more information about services available with the CA work program.
●For CA potential eligibility, an application is required to include a dependent child. A CA dependent child is any child who meets all of the following:
Is under the age of 19, and when age 18 meets the student criteria for CA.
Lives with a caretaker relative or legal permanent guardian who has requested benefits for the child.
See CA Dependent Child for more information about CA eligibility requirements.
●An 18-year-old who meets the full-time student criteria, attending either high school or the equivalent level, and is expected to complete the course of study on or before their 19th birthday are considered potentially eligible dependent children. When a participant is aged 18 and does not meet this CA student criteria, the participant is regarded as an adult for eligibility purposes. See CA Student Criteria for the policies that apply to dependent participants 18 years of age.
Procedures
An accurate date of birth (DOB) is needed for each participant. The DOB is used for and is not limited to any of the following:
●To obtain information from the system interface
●To validate information received from the system interface
●To assign the participant to the appropriate budgetary unit type
At the interview, the Primary Informant(g) may not have the verification. When needed, request date of birth verification, and allow the participant ten calendar days(g) to provide the verification.
NOTE In an unusual situation, when documented proof of date of birth is unavailable for a participant, the Affidavit Attesting Citizenship for Cash and Nutrition Assistance (FAA-1353A) form can be completed by a person meeting all of the following:
●Must be a United States citizen.
●Cannot be applying for or receiving NA or CA benefits with the participant.
●Must have personal knowledge of the participant’s claim of United States citizenship.
As needed, provide any of the following information to the participant:
●When a birth or death occurs in Arizona, provide the participant with the Arizona Department of Health Services – Office of Vital Records website to request a copy of a birth or death certificate. See Vital Statistics Offices for the address and website information.
●When the birth or death occurred outside of Arizona, see Vital Statistics Offices to provide the participant with contact information for each state needed.
NOTE When the participant does not have access to the internet, assist the participant with downloading and printing the appropriate forms the participant needs to obtain the required verification.
The participant is responsible for requesting and for all expenses associated with requesting verification of birth or death certificates from a government bureau of vital statistics.
When verification is not received by the processing deadline, complete one of the following depending on the age and the reason verification is needed:
●Complete the eligibility determination and do not allow the deduction
●Deny the application or consider a participant ineligible
●Stop or decrease benefits allowing for Notice of Adverse Action(g) and send the appropriate notice
NOTE Under unusual circumstances and on a case-by-case basis, when documented proof of age is unavailable, use the FAA-1353A form to verify age. Review the instructions for completion of the FAA-1353A form with the participant.
For NA procedures, see all of the following age-related eligibility factors, as needed:
●Dependent Child Income
Earnings of a child aged 18 and over are countable. Countable income is used to determine an income budget. When a child turns 18 an alert is generated for the NA case. The alert is generated for the benefit month after the child turns 18 (see Deauth – FS 18 ACTS Alert for more information).
NOTE Changes may be reported, or verification may exist in the case file past the current system month (CSM). These known changes should only be worked each month up to and including the CSM. Exceptions only apply to certain situations, see Rolling Past Current System Month Definition(g).
When a change becomes known to FAA that a dependent child with income is turning 18 determine whether the change affects the budgetary unit’s eligibility or allotment. (See When to Effect Changes) Complete one of the following to effect the change:
●When the change results in a benefit decrease or ineligibility, effect the change for the month following the month the child turns 18, allowing for Notice of Adverse Action (NOAA). Verification is obtained at the next renewal or Mid Approval Contact.
●When the change results in no change in benefits, send the appropriate notice.
When age is questionable, the adult student is an NA nonparticipant when the participant’s age is not verified unless the participant meets another exemption.
Do not include the NA adult student in the budgetary unit. Complete the eligibility determination for the remaining participants.
Any of the following are an age-related exemption:
●Participants under the age of 18 and over 49 are not subject to adult student eligibility for NA.
●A participant is responsible for caring for a dependent child under age 12.
The participant statement verification can be the primary verification source unless questionable(g) for any of the following:
●Verification of transportation to and from a care provider
●Needed for employment or SNAP CAN activities
●The dependent care expense amount
When the expense is questionable, the expense is not allowed when the Primary Informant (PI) fails to provide the requested verification. Complete the eligibility determination, and do not allow this expense for the care for any of the following:
●A dependent child under age 18.
●An incapacitated adult, when the cost is not a medical expense (See Allowable Medical Expenses for a list of medical expenses.)
When age is questionable, complete the eligibility determination as a standard NA case without special considerations when the participant’s age is not verified.
To determine who is eligible for a medical deduction, see Budgetary Units with Special Circumstances.
To determine what medical expenses are allowed and how to budget medical expense deductions, see NA Medical Expenses and Deductions.
Unless they are disqualified, any of the following NA participants could receive special considerations when budgeting and determining eligibility for NA benefits:
●Participants 60 years of age or older
●Participants who have a disability
When age is questionable, an NA participant cannot be allowed to be in a separate budgetary unit when the participant’s age is not verified. Do not deny a participant who is applying on their own. Allow the participant to apply for all mandatory NA participants. Request all necessary information from the participant.
(See Determining Budgetary Units for NA case participation requirements for mandatory, optional, or nonparticipant.)
For NA separate budgetary unit status, any of the following is an age requirement:
●When siblings under age 18 live together and do not live with their parents, they are considered one budgetary unit.
●A participant under the age of 18 is under a nonparent adult’s parental control(g). A participant must be included in the same budgetary unit as the nonparent adult when receiving financial support from the nonparent adult.
●When living with their parents, a participant is considered a mandatory NA participant in the same budgetary unit through the month of their 22nd birthday.
When age is questionable, a participant is a work registrant whose age is not verified unless the participant meets another exemption.
Complete the eligibility determination and do not allow an NA work requirement exemption based on age for the participant whose age is questionable.
All of the following ages apply to determining whether a participant is an NA work registrant or has an exemption from the NA work requirements:
●An adult participant responsible for a dependent child under the age of six is exempt. This exemption can only apply to one adult in the budgetary unit.
●A participant under age 16 or age 60 and older is exempt from the NA work requirements.
●Participants ages 16 to 59 are subject to the NA work requirements unless they meet an exemption.
For CA procedures, see all of the following age-related eligibility factors, as needed:
When the child's age or the number of hours the participant who pays the expense works is not verified, do not allow the dependent care deduction based on either age of the child or hours the adult participant works.
For the maximum dependent care deduction amount, all of the following apply:
●The deduction amount is determined by whether a child is under age two or age two and over.
●The deduction amount is determined by the number of hours worked by the participant who pays for the dependent care.
An application must include a CA dependent child or be denied. A dependent child is any child who meets all of the following:
●Is under the age of 19 and when 18 meets the CA Student Criteria. (See Student Criteria for CA for potential eligibility for CA as a dependent child.)
●Lives with a caretaker relative or legal Permanent Guardian who has requested benefits.
A CA application must be denied when the application does not include a dependent child.
All children under the age of 18 are exempt from the Jobs Program. For a child that is age 18 and does not meet the CA Student Criteria, see Age 18 -Not Referred.
A participant who is 18 and is not a dependent child is subject to LIBL.
All of the following are limited to 60 countable months of CA in any state:
●Spouse(g) of the Primary Informant (PI)
●Another adult
Each child ages six through 15 must be enrolled in and attending school or home-schooled.
See PRA School Attendance for complete procedures when a child is not enrolled in school or home-schooled when the child's age is questionable and was not verified.
Before taking any action to sanction a participant with the School Attendance Requirements, see CA PRA School Attendance Good Cause for Noncompliance.
An 18-year-old participant must be a full-time student and expected to graduate before the participant's 19th birth date to be considered a dependent child and be potentially eligible for CA.
When any of the following is not verified, the 18-year-old is not eligible for CA as a dependent child:
●Verification of full-time attendance
●Verification of the participant’s age
Verification
System interface and the case file(g) must be reviewed before verification is requested. No additional verification is needed when AZTECS interface has verified the date of birth provided on the application. On CLIS, the CLIS VR field displays V (verified) for the date of birth.
For NA and CA, when a Deemed Newborn (DNB) is reported to FAA by AHCCCS, CADO is automatically documented with information about the newborn, including the DNB date of birth. When no other document is available, use the CADO DNB documentation to verify a participant’s date of birth.
Date of Birth Verification
For NA and CA, FAA requests age verification when a participant's age is questionable(g), and age is a factor in determining eligibility and benefit amount.
Any of the following documents verify the date of birth for NA and CA:
●Adoption records
●Baptismal certificate before age five
●Bureau of Vital Statistics
●Certificate of Indian Blood
●Certificate of Live Birth signed by a hospital official and a parent
●Certified Birth Certificate issued by the United States (U.S.), state, or local governmental Bureau of Vital Statistics
●Hospital Birth Certificate
●Social Security records
●Tribal Census Card
●Completed Tribal Records Request (FAA-0061A) form
●U.S. Passport
When the previously listed documents are not available, any of the following forms can be used to verify the date of birth for both NA and CA:
●Affidavit Attesting Citizenship for Cash and Nutrition Assistance (FAA-1353A) form needs to be acquired from FAA. See the instructions on the form for completion requirements.
●Child wellness agency records
●Court order for child support
●Doctor's statement
●Family Bible record
●Federal or state census records
●Insurance policy
●Juvenile court records
●School records
●Voluntary social service agency records
When the previously listed documents are unavailable, a participant can use a driver’s license to verify the date of birth.
When the previously listed documents are not available, one of the following can be used to verify the date of birth for CA:
●Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) document assigning a person to an institution of higher learning
●A minister's statement
A participant can receive a birth or death verification from a state vital statistics office. See Vital Statistics Office for address and website information.
NOTE The participant is responsible for requesting and for all expenses associated with requesting verification of birth or death certificates from a government bureau of vital statistics.
AZTECS Keying Procedures
Key the date of birth (DOB) on SSDO as one of the following:
●When the DOB is known, key as MMDDYYYY (e.g., 06091996 for 06/09/1996).
●When the DOB is unknown, key the pseudo DOB of 07071977. When a pseudo DOB is used, complete all of the following:
Document the casefile(g) that a pseudo DOB was used.
Replace the pseudo DOB with the actual DOB when the information is obtained from the participant.
●Key the expected delivery date (EDD) for an unborn child as the DOB.
When stopping benefits due to the DOB, complete all of the following:
●Stop or decrease benefits allowing for Notice of Adverse Action(g) (NOAA).
●Send the appropriate notice.
For NA, when decreasing or denying benefits because a child with income turns 18 complete one of the following:
●When working the Deauth – FS 18 ACTS Alert see Deauth – FS 18 ACTS Alert for AZTECS keying instructions.
●Key the earnings on EAIC using the WA Earned Income Code or OF on SEEI for the month following the month the child turns 18, allowing for NOAA. Complete one of the following:
When the income exceeds the gross allowable limit key the EI Denial Closure Reason Code on FSED in the DENIAL CLOSURE field. Send the NA DENIAL/CLOSURE – INCOME (F201) notice.
When the income causes a decrease, send the DECREASE – NA BENEFITS (F701) notice.
When the change results in no change in benefits, send the No Change on Reported Information (C705) notice to the participant.
NOTE When the change was not reported by the participant, do not send the C705 notice.
For NA, see all of the following age-related eligibility factors when either denying or stopping benefits because age was not verified:
When an Adult Student does not meet NA student work requirements, or a student exemption, and the participant’s age is questionable and cannot be verified, complete one of the following:
●Key OU in the PT field on SEPA.
Allow for Notice of Adverse Action (NOAA) for changes
Send the Decrease - NA Benefits (F701) notice
●When the ineligible adult student is the only participant in the budgetary unit, key the FS Denial Closure Reason Code on FSED in the DENIAL CLOSURE field.
Allow for NOAA for changes.
Send the NA – Ineligible (F210) notice.
When a participant chooses not to include a parent or parents and does not provide requested verification of their age to be considered a separate budgetary unit, complete all of the following:
●Deny the application.
●Key the SH Denial Closure Reason Code on FSED.
●Send the F210 notice.
Consider the participant a work registrant when age is questionable, and verification is not received. Complete one of the following on WORW:
●Key WR in the PAR/EXEM field next to FS
●Key RA in the PAR/EXEM field next to FS when the participant is subject to the ABAWD policy.
For CA, see all of the following age-related eligibility factors when denying or stopping benefits because age was not verified:
For CA, an application must include a dependent child. When no eligible deprived dependent child is included on the application, deny the application by completing all of the following:
●Key the DC Denial Closure Reason Code in the DENIAL/CLOSURE REASON field on AFPD.
●Send the CA Denial Closure (A200) notice.
When the participant is 18 years old and does not meet the student criteria, complete one of the following:
●When the participant is the only child on the application, complete all of the following:
Deny the application or stop benefits.
Key DC Denial Closure Reason Code in the DENIAL/CLOSURE REASON field on AFPD.
When stopping benefits, complete the INELIG DATE field on AFPD.
Send the A200 notice.
●When other deprived dependent children are included on the application, complete all of the following:
Key the OU Participant Code in the PT field on SEPA next to the participant’s name.
Key the AG Denial Closure Reason Code in the INELIG RSN field on SEPA when a participant’s benefits are being stopped or denied.
Authorize benefits for the remaining eligible participants.
Send the Decrease CA Benefits (A701) notice.
HEAplus Procedures
In HEAplus, when the date of birth (DOB) is unknown during data entry of a paper application, leave the DOB blank. The application can be submitted with a blank DOB.
Legal Authorities
AAC R6-12-205
AAC R6-12-504(21)
7 CFR 273.2(f)(5)
7 CFR 273.9(c)(7)
7 CFR 273.2(h)(1)(i)(C)
7 CFR 273.2(h)(2)
last revised 07/01/2024