Temporary Cash Assistance is one of three cash assistance programs included in the family Investment Program (FIP). The federal and State funded program is available to families with children under 18 years old when other resources and services do not fully meet the family's needs. TCA programs emphasize achieving total independence from the FIP and the value of employment.
If you are applying for TCA you must:
File for and cooperate with child support
Comply with any job search requirements (unless exempt)
Complete the needs assessment process
Adhere to the mutually agreed upon Family Investment Plan
Apply for all potential resources for which you may be eligible
Provide verification for all members that you are applying for
Families eligible for federally funded TCA are automatically eligible for Medical Assistance but not all families eligible for federally funded TCA are eligible for Food Stamps.
Financial eligibility requirements test all income and assets of the members in the assistance unit unless they are otherwise excluded. Income earned or unearned, cannot exceed the allowable benefit amount for the assistance unit size. Assets cannot exceed the current limit of $2000. If financial eligibility is not met, the entire assistance unit is ineligible.
In your lifetime, you can get 60 months of TCA benefits unless you meet the requirements for a hardship exemption. You can go on and off of TCA as often as needed but your 60 months of benefits never start over. For example, if you get TCA for 10 months and you get a job, you only have 50 months of TCA benefits left if you become eligible for TCA again. After the 60th payment, your TCA benefits stop for the rest of your life. So use TCA wisely and only as a last resort.
Maryland has two programs; one is Work Participation in which a significant percentage of all mandatory TCA recipients must be in a federally defined work activity and the other is Universal Engagement. Universal Engagement requires that all TCA recipients be in an activity at all times.
In Maryland, recipients may access their benefits through a plastic card known as an Independence Card. This card can be used at an automated teller machine (ATM) or at a point-of-sale (POS) machine at participating grocers or retailers. A representative may receive training in the use of the card.
Revised September 11, 2006
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