1. A. The Office of Family Support shall deny FITAP cash benefits to families if the parent has received FITAP for at least 24 months, whether consecutive or not, during the prior 60-month period. Only months of FITAP receipt after the January 1, 1997 date of implementation count toward the
   24-month limit.

2. B. The following situations represent exemptions from the 24-month time limit:

   1. 1. effective October 1, 2004, all adults included in the assistance unit are incapacitated or disabled; or
   2. 2. months after June 1999 in which a recipient receives the earned income disregard shall not count toward the 24-month time limit.

3. C. An extension of the 24-month time limit may be granted in the following situations effective October 1, 2004:

   1. 1. an individual maintains compliance with the Family Success Agreement (FSA);
   2. 2. factors relating to job availability are unfavorable;
   3. 3. an individual loses his job as a result of factors not related to his job performance;
   4. 4. other hardships have occurred which affect the individual's ability to obtain employment.

4. D. Eligibility for cash assistance under a program funded by Part IV of the Social Security Act is limited to a lifetime limit of 60 months. No cash assistance will be provided to a family that includes an adult who has received assistance for 60 months (whether or not consecutive) unless one of the following hardships exist (in households with two caretaker relatives, both caretaker relatives must meet at least one of these criteria) effective October 1, 2004:

   1. 1. factors relating to job availability are unfavorable;
   2. 2. an individual loses his job as a result of factors not related to his job performance;
   3. 3. other hardships have occurred which affect the individual's ability to obtain employment.

5. E. Any month for which such assistance was provided will be disregarded from the 24- and 60-month time limits with respect to the individual, if the individual was:

   1. 1. a minor child; and
   2. 2. not the head of a household or married to the head of a household.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq., R.S. 36:474, R.S. 46:231.6 and R.S. 46:460.5(A)(3), Act 58, 2003 Reg. Session; Act 675, 2004 Reg. Session.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support, LR 25:2453 (December 1999), amended LR 26:349 (February 2000), LR 27:2263 (December 2001), LR 30:494 (March 2004), LR 31:102 (January 2005), LR 33:1686 (August 2007).