SOMERSET COUNTY

• A household is defined as a group of people who live together, buy food and prepare their meals together.
• Everyone in the household MUST be included on the application.
• A household consists of parents and any children, married or unmarried under the age of 22, and any children they may have residing in the home.
• Adult children (22 or older) can be a separate household if they purchase and prepare their meals separately. The adult child would need to file a separate application.
• There can be several different household units in the same family, in the same home.

For example: A 3 generational home can have 3 separate households if all the generations are purchasing and preparing their food separately.
Monthly benefits depend on:

• number of people in the household
• amount of GROSS household income
• certain allowable expenses

Please Note: GROSS income is before taxes or anything else is taken out
Food Supplement is only part of the household’s monthly food budget! Households must spend some of their own cash along with their Food Supplement benefits in order to buy enough food for the whole month.

• Provides financial assistance to families with children under 18 years of age
• Applicants MUST have a face-to-face interview.
• Family must meet income guidelines and complete specific requirements before the case can be approved.

TCA Requirements:

• Pursue Child Support
  Applicants must:
  • Provide all available information on any non-custodial parent(s)
  • Cooperate fully with Child Support Enforcement Agency and the State’s Attorney’s Office
    • Establishing paternity
    • Enforcing court orders

  Only certain circumstances may be determined as good cause for not meeting this requirement.
  Please Note: You cannot receive Child Support and Temporary Cash Assistance! When you receive TCA, you assign your right to receive Child Support to the State of Maryland, who will collect and retain payments owed by the non-custodial parent(s) for the duration you receive TCA.

• Cooperate with Substance Abuse Screener
• Participate in Work Activity
  • Prepares participants for independence through employment
  • Includes job readiness program, volunteer work experience placement, and/or vocational education/training. Applicants must:
    • Begin before case is approved
    • Complete number of assigned hours each week
    • Provide attendance verifications on a weekly basis – Only certain circumstances may be determined as an exemption from this requirement.

• Cannot be working
• Cannot have the capacity to work for at least 3 months
• Cannot be receiving unemployment benefits
• Disability (physical or mental) must be verified
• May have to apply for SSI and SSDI
• Must agree to reimbursement from SSI payment
• Must be U.S. Citizen or legally admitted alien for permanent residency

• Eligible households are issued an Independence Card, similar to a bank card, to use at the store.
• Cash benefits can be accessed from the ATM.
• Benefits are applied to the card monthly.
• If you would like to check the balance on your card or request a replacement card, please call: 1-800-997-2222. Please do not call the local office with questions about your EBT card!

• Provides emergency cash assistance to families who need help paying an eviction notice, emergency fuel/heating shortage
• Must have at least one related child under 21 living in the household
• Must provide proof household can maintain on-going monthly rent and utilities
• Available to a household only once in a 24-month period

Child Care Scholarship Requirements:

• Parent must be engaged in an approved work, education and/or training activity
• Meet all eligibility requirements
• Pursue court-ordered, voluntary or have “Good Cause” for not pursuing child support

What type of child care provider can I use?

• Licensed child care center or home
• Informal child care, non-relative child provider
• If a non-relative provider is selected, care must be provided in home of the child
  • Relative provider must be at least 18 years of age
  • The Informal Provider must consent to Criminal Background Check, Out-of-State Criminal Background Check for any residency outside of Maryland within the past 5 years and complete a Child Protective Services (CPS) clearance.
  • Provider must successfully pass a Health and Safety exam
  • Home of the child must be inspected annually and pass the Health and Safety Monitoring
  • Payment will not be made until all documentation is received, all clearances are returned without any disqualifying events, and the provider has been approved by the Office of Child Care. Process could take at minimum 60 days. Parents meeting all CCS eligibility requirements have the option of using licensed care until the informal provider is approved.

Informal child care, relative child care provider

• If a non-relative provider is selected, care can be provided in the home of the child or the relative provider
• Maryland defines a relative provider as the following relationship to the child: Grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and older siblings not in the household count of the customer applying for CCS services. Any other relationship, for example, cousin or great-aunt, will be considered as a non-relative information provider and must meet the above criteria
• Everyone residing within the home that is age 18 or older must consent to Criminal Background Check, Out-of-State Criminal Background Check for any residency outside of Maryland within the past 5 years and complete a Child Protective Services (CPS) clearance.
• Informal provider must be at least 18 years of age
• Payment will not be made until all documentation is received, all clearances are returned without any disqualifying events, and the provider has been approved by the Office of Child Care. Process could take at minimum 60 days. Parents meeting all CCS eligibility requirements have the option of using licensed care until the informal provider is approved.

For an application or additional information on the program visit: Money4ChildCare.com

• Comprehensive health care insurance for aged, blind, and/or disabled adults and families with low income
• Amount of coverage varies based on income, and assets for certain types of coverage
• You MUST be US citizen or meet alien status and be a Maryland resident

Families with Children

• Children under 19 only
• Families with unmarried children under 21 residing with parents
• Pregnant women
• Receiving SSI, TCA, foster care benefits, or DJS (Juvenile Services)

Adult Households

• Aged (65 or over)
• Verified Blind
• Verified Disabled
• Receiving SSI or SSDI
• Receiving Medicare Part A or B from SSA

Effective January 2014 for Adult Households

• Aged (19 yrs-64 yrs)
• Not disabled
• Former Foster Care Child

• You can apply for Medical Assistance even if you have:
  • Private health insurance
  • Third party coverage
• You can apply for Medical Assistance to cover medical bills for the 3 months prior to the month of your Medical Assistance application (retroactive coverage) if you have outstanding medical expenses.
• If your income is over the limit, you may still qualify under a “spend down” provision, which would require you to be responsible for a certain amount of medical expenses before coverage begins.
• Covered Services may include:
  • Doctor appointments
  • Inpatient and outpatient hospital care
  • X-ray and laboratory services
  • Prescription medication
  • Emergency dental care
  • Family planning services
  • Limited transportation to providers of covered services
  • Home health services, physical therapy, personal care services