(a) In emergency situations, payments can be made temporarily to a person acting in place of a parent when no eligible payee is immediately available, provided:

1. (1) The payee has been removed from the home by:

   1. (A) Death;
   2. (B) Desertion;
   3. (C) Imprisonment; or
   4. (D) Confinement to:

(i) The Arkansas State Hospital;

1. (ii) A residential substance abuse facility; or

   1. (iii) Another medical institution;
2. (2) Payments are on a temporary emergency basis for the child or children receiving transitional employment assistance (TEA) at the time the emergency occurred; and
3. (3) Payments are made only for the period of time necessary to make and carry out plans for the child or children, including the transfer of responsibility for the child to another relative, agency, or community program, or for the eligible caretaker relative to return to the home.

(b) No such temporary payment will be made for longer than ninety (90) days.

1. (c) The county will follow procedures outlined in the electronic benefits transfer (EBT) handbook for obtaining an EBT card for the emergency payee.