AU Composition

Definitions

[EAS 80-301]

Alternatively Sentenced Parent (ASP)

An ASP is a parent who is a convicted offender permitted to live at home while serving a court imposed sentence that precludes the parent from providing support through paid employment.

Applicant

The APPLICANT is a person who requests aid or on whose behalf a request for aid is made.

Applicant Child

Applicant child means a child for whom aid has been requested but whose eligibility has not yet been determined.

Assistance Unit (AU)

The AU is a group of related persons living in the same home who have been determined eligible for CalWORKs and for whom cash aid has been authorized.

Caretaker Relative

The CARETAKER RELATIVE is the individual who:

Has the appropriate relatedness to the child, and
Lives with the child who is part of the filing unit, and
Exercises responsibility for the day to day care and control of the child.

For additional information refer to Refer to Chart of Relatives Who May Be Caretaker Relatives for Eligible Child.

Household

A group of AU and non-AU members who are living in the home.

Filing Unit

Filing Unit is a group of persons required to be on the statement of facts. In addition, optional persons must be included on the Statement of Facts when aid is requested for them and they are living in the home of the applicant child. Refer to Completion of Intake Interview for a listing of persons who are in the filing unit.

Half-Sibling

The HALF SIBLING is a brother or sister having only one biological and/or adoptive parent in common with the applicant child.

Mandatory Inclusion

MANDATORY INCLUSION is the requirement that a parent, sibling, or half-sibling be included in the filing unit and the requirement that an eligible parent, sibling or half-sibling be included in the AU with the applicant or eligible child.
A CalWORKs eligible child must be both deprived and needy, meaning that the child meets the requirements of all necessary linking and non-linking eligibility factors.

Non-AU Members

Non-AU members are persons in the CalWORKs family whose income is considered in the budget computation, when determining the “family” MAP. The needs of these persons and others, for whom they are financially responsible, may also be considered, depending upon why the individual is excluded from the AU. These persons are generally found in the stepparent unit, the senior parent unit, second parent of the unborn in a PPO case, or the ineligible Non-Citizen parent unit. Refer to Senior Parent/Minor Parent, Stepparents, and Ineligible Noncitizen Parents. These individuals may also have been excluded from the AU by law.

Optional Person

An OPTIONAL PERSON is an otherwise eligible person who is not required to be included in the filing unit or the AU.

Otherwise Eligible

OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE is the status when a person has been determined to meet all eligibility requirements for aid, other than the eligibility factor being considered.

Parent

The PARENT is the biological parent, married or unmarried, of the child unless the child has been adopted or relinquished for adoption or the parental rights are terminated. If the child is adopted, the person who adopts the child is the parent. If the child is relinquished for adoption or the parental rights are terminated, that parent is no longer considered the parent except for the purpose of determining a caretaker relative.

Registered Domestic Partners (RDPs)

RDPs are individuals who have a registered declaration of domestic partnership with the California Secretary of State or is a member of a legal union formed in another jurisdiction. For CalWORKs purposes, these individuals are to be treated as Stepparents, if they are not the natural or adoptive parents of the children of their partner.

Reunification Parents

REUNIFICATION PARENTS are those parents who are eligible to continue to receive CalWORKs services on the basis that their child(ren) are considered temporarily absent when ALL of the following conditions are met:

The child(ren) has been removed and placed in out-of-home care by DFCS, and
When the child was removed, the family was receiving CalWORKs assistance, and
DFCS has determined that CalWORKs services is necessary for reunification.

Same-Sex Spouses

On June 16, 2008 the ruling in the case In re Marriage Cases became final and stated that the California Constitution could not limit marriage only to opposite-sex couples. However on November 5, 2008 Proposition 8 took effect, which amends the constitution and states that “only marriage between a man and woman is valid or recognized in California.”

For CalWORKs purposes, all same sex spouses who where issued marriage licenses between June 16, 2008 and November 4, 2008 have the same rights and responsibilities as stepparents of the children of their partners. Refer to Stepparent.

Second Parent

The SECOND PARENT is the parent living in the home who is not the caretaker relative parent.

Senior Parent

The SENIOR PARENT is the parent of a:

Minor parent when the minor parent applies for aid or receives aid for his/her child, or
Minor pregnant person.

Sibling

A SIBLING is a brother or sister of the applicant child who has both parents in common with the applicant child. This includes siblings by adoption. Half-siblings have only one parent in common, and step-siblings are related only by marriage.

Stepparent

The STEPPARENT is the person who is not the biological parent and who is married to the parent of the child.

Unrelated Adult Male (UAM)

An UAM is a male who is 18 years old, or older, and not related by blood or marriage to any member of the AU or to the unaided unborn of an aided woman. Refer to Unrelated Adult Male (UAM).

Unmarried Parent

An unmarried parent is a parent of a child included in the FBU who is not married to the child’s other natural parent. Refer to Unmarried Father.

Unwed Minor Parents

Aid shall be denied or discontinued to the unwed minor parent if he/she refuses to provide necessary information which can be verified regarding his or her parent’s ability to support, or in lieu of such information, refuses to consent to having his/her parent’s contacted for purposes of determining their ability to provide support for their child. Unwed parents who refuse to provide necessary information or to consent to parental contact may be eligible for Medi-Cal despite their refusal.