Post 60-month sanction policies for 2-parent families.

· If both parents are sanctioned at the same time, that counts as only 1 occurrence.

If both parents reach month 60 at the same time and both are extended, the sanction policies to use will be:

Apply post-60 month sanction policies, if one or both parents are extended under the hard-to-employ or employed categories. If one parent is extended under the ill/injured or incapacitated hardship categories, follow pre 60-month sanction policies. (See 19.27 Link to pre-60 month ESM Chapter).

If 1 parent reaches the 60 month time limit before the other and the case is extended, the sanction policies to use will be:

As long as the parent is extended past 60 months under the hard-to-employ or employed categories, the policies for post-60 month sanction apply no matter which parent is out of compliance. See 19.39 (Post-60 Month Sanctions).

If the parent is extended under the ill or incapacitated hardship category, follow pre 60-month sanction policies. (See 19.27 Link to pre-60 month ESM Chapter).

A household has the option to remove 1 of the parents from the MFIP grant, if that parent is non-compliant.

· Only 1 parent may be removed at a time.

· This decision belongs to the household. The county or tribe MUST NOT automatically remove a non-compliant parent.

· Either parent can make the request to have themselves removed or to have the other parent removed.

· The removal of the parent in non-compliance will take effect the 1st of the month after a 10-day notice of adverse action is sent. See 18.21 Two-Parent Families & Extensions for more information.

Removal does not mean the parent actually has to leave the household. It means that the parent is no longer counted for MFIP benefit purposes.

· If that occurs, the family is treated as a 1-parent household and the sanction policy procedures that apply to the 1-parent families will depend on whether the parent is pre or post 60-months on MFIP. See 19.39 (Post-60 Month Sanctions).

· If the parent is in post 60-months, the hardship extension category will determine which sanction policy to follow. See 19.39 (Post-60 Month Sanctions).

· Any income the removed parent has will count in calculating the household’s benefits. This is called “deeming”.

· If the parent remaining on assistance is employed, that parent must meet the hourly requirements for single parent families.

Before removing a parent, the county or tribe responsible for administering MFIP must:

· Review the participant’s case to determine if the employment plan is still appropriate. See 19.18 (Steps Before Imposing a Sanction).

· Attempt a face to face meeting with that parent. See 19.30 (Closing Cases for 100% Sanction).

The removed parent can be added back on the MFIP grant 1 time.

The household must request to add the removed parent back onto the grant.

The removed parent being added back on the MFIP case must comply for up to 30 days with employment services before the parent can be approved for MFIP benefits.

· If non-compliance leads to this parent being removed from MFIP for a second time, that parent will be permanently disqualified.

Removing 1 parent from the MFIP grant for receiving a sanction in the 60th month:

Parents in sanction in the 60th month are permanently disqualified from MFIP.

When both parents reach month 60 at the same time:

If one parent receives a sanction in the 60th month and the other parent qualifies for an extension, the household may request for the sanctioned parent’s permanent removal from the MFIP grant effective month 61. The case will remain open as a 1-parent household.

If both parents are in sanction the 60th month, they are permanently disqualified from MFIP and the case will close effective month 61. There is no option to remove a parent since there is no eligibility.

When one parent reaches month 60 before the other parent:

If the parent that has reached month 60 receives a sanction in that month the case will close effective month 61, unless the parent is removed from the MFIP grant. If the parent is removed, the removal takes effect month 61 and the case remains open as long as all other eligibility criteria is met.