Guardian Subsidy Payments
  |
This section includes information about guardian subsidy payments provided to children placed in the care of a legal permanent guardian (LPG).
Policy
The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) Guardianship Subsidy Program provides a subsidy payment for children placed in the care of a Legal Permanent Guardian (LPG).
FAA considers subsidy payments the income of the child, and all of the following applies:
●For NA, all of the following applies to guardian subsidy payments:
The subsidy payment is countable income when the NA budgetary unit includes the child.
The subsidy payment does not count when the NA budgetary unit does not include the child.
FAA considers the child a boarder when not included in the budgetary unit. (See Determining Budgetary Units for more information about optional NA participation.)
●For CA, guardian subsidy payments do not count.
Countable income is used to determine an income budget. (See Income Budgeting to see how FAA determines the income budget.) FAA needs to know about income that is both countable and not countable to determine whether a budgetary unit’s income is exceeding their expenses. (See Income Eligibility for more information about how FAA uses countable and not countable income.)
Procedures
See Budgeting Foster Care and Adoption or Guardian Subsidies to determine the budget amount.
When the participant is present, have them sign the Authority to Release (FAA‑1765A) form to contact any companies or businesses involved. The FAA-1765A can be faxed or emailed to the participant's employer when it is not possible to use the Application for Benefits (FAA-0001A) or the HEAplus Authority to Release signed statement.
Verification
System interface and the case file(g) must be reviewed before verification is requested. No additional verification is needed when AZTECS interface or HEAplus hubs have verified the information.
The participant has the primary responsibility for providing verification. (See Participant Responsibilities – Providing Verification for additional policy.)
For NA, all of the following income is required to be verified before eligibility is determined:
●Reported on a new application, during the interview of a new application, or changes reported before the eligibility determination of a new application.
●Changes after an eligibility determination of a new application (e.g., a renewal application, mid approval contact, etc.) and any of the following apply:
The source of the income has changed.
The income is questionable(g) or unclear(g).
The reported income amount has changed by $51 or more.
The previous verification in the case file is more than 59 calendar days old.
For CA, all income is required to be verified before determining eligibility.
Examples of verification that can be used for unearned income include, and are not limited to, any of the following:
●Assistance payments records
●Absent Parent
●AZTECS INTERFACE INQUIRY MENU (ININ) for verification of SSA or SSI income
●Benefit award letters from SSA, Statement of Earnings VA, and other agencies
●Bank records
●Court records or court orders
●DCSS documents or print outs
●Divorce or separation papers or contact with the Clerk of the Court
●Current check reflecting gross income (Do not copy federal government checks)
●Federal or state tax forms
●Household System Check (HOSC) information
●Insurance policies
●Mortgages and Sales Contracts
●Statement from the agency or payer providing the income
●State Data Exchange (SDX) microfiche
●Unemployment Insurance records
●Participant statement verification when one of the following occur:
Obtaining documented or collateral contact verification may cause harm or undue hardship(g) for the participant.
When all of the following occur:
●Other attempts to obtain the verification have failed. This includes documented and collateral contact verification.
●The participant has requested assistance from FAA.
●The worker has evaluated the request for assistance and cannot obtain the verification from another acceptable source.
●The participant statement is not questionable(g).
When unable to obtain proof from the sources listed above in unearned income verification to verify receipt of State of Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) Guardian Subsidy payments, send a request via email to the DCS Verification Contact information.
AZTECS Keying Procedures
When the LPG’s budgetary unit includes the child, key all of the following on UNIC:
●For NA, complete all of the following:
Key the income next to the child for whom the payment is intended.
Key the GS in the INC TYP field.
Key FI in the TYP SUB field.
Key MO in the FREQ field.
●For CA, complete all of the following:
Key the income next to the child for whom the payment is intended.
Key GS in the INC TYP field
Key FO in the TYP SUB field
Key MO in the FREQ field.
Document the case file(g) thoroughly to support keyed codes, amounts, and frequencies. See the AZTECS Data Entry Guide for instructions on keying the AZTECS income screens.
NOTE Documentation must support determinations of eligibility and benefit level. Document in sufficient detail to ensure that any reviewer can assess whether the determination is reasonable and accurate. Include specific information regarding the reason the income is determined to be normal. (See Budgeting Income Documentation Requirements for additional information.)
Legal Authorities
AAC R6-12-503
7 CFR 273.9(b)(2)(ii)
last revised 10/02/2023