Cash benefits of a client paid to a representative payee and spent on behalf of the client are counted as vendor payments and are considered available income to the client.

Do not count all other vendor payments made for a client unless specific program provisions below require otherwise.

Do not count court-ordered vendor payments made by a 3rd party on behalf of a client.


MFIP:
Do not count vendor payments for goods and services made for a client, unless the client had the option of receiving the payment in cash.

Count vendor payments that are part of the monthly benefit for a public assistance program unless otherwise specified in 0017.15.06 (Assistance Payments Income).

The unit must make a good faith effort to change court-ordered vendor payments to direct payments. If the person making the vendor payments is a non-custodial parent, consider the client's cooperation with IV-D to be a good faith effort.


SNAP:
Count the following vendor payments:

●	Payments made for a unit if the payor is otherwise obligated to pay the unit directly.
●	GA and MSA vendor payments that are part of the monthly benefit for those programs.
●	State-funded payments for energy assistance for SNAP units without an elderly or disabled unit member.
●	Transitional housing payments for the homeless.

Do not count:

●	Any type of vendor payments to domestic violence shelters.
●	HUD payments made to a utility provider and Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) Rental Assistance Program utility payments. See 0017.15.81 (Utility Payments).
●	Federally funded payments from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or other federally funded energy assistance program.
●	State-funded payments for energy assistance for SNAP units with an elderly or disabled unit member.

MSA:
No action is required for SSI recipients.

For non-SSI recipients, follow GA.


GA:
Count payments for tuition, fees, or room and board made for a full-time student by the student's parents.


HSP:
Follow MSA for aged, blind, or disabled clients. Follow GA for all other adults.