N.J. Admin. Code § 10:71-5.3

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 10:71-5.3 - Income exclusions

(a) Only the following income shall be excluded in the determination of countable income. Income exclusions shall be applied to unearned income first, then to earned income as appropriate. Exclusions shall be applied in the order of their appearance in this section.

1. Monies received as a result of the sale of a resource shall be excluded. These monies shall be treated as a resource (see N.J.A.C. 10:71-4.2 and N.J.A.C. 10:71-4.4(b)8 ii).

2. Monies received as a result of the settlement of a casualty insurance claim, if such settlement is intended as compensation for the loss or destruction of a previously excludable resource, shall be excluded (see N.J.A.C. 10:71-4.4(b)8 i).

3. Third-party payments for medical care or services, including room and board furnished during medical confinement, shall be excluded.

4. The value of social services (for example, advice, training, consultation) performed by any governmental or private agency shall be excluded.

5. The value of food stamps shall be excluded.

6. All loans which are actually repayable shall be excluded.

i. Regular contributions to an individual by his or her family, which are made over an extended period of time and which would be impossible to repay given the individual's current and/or future financial status, shall not be considered loans. Contributions of this nature shall be treated as income in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:71-5.2.

7. Benefits received under the following Federal programs shall be exempt:

i. The value of benefits received under the Federal WIC program shall be exempt.

ii. The value of meals provided under the National School Lunch Act shall be exempt.

iii. Training incentive payments made under the Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) of 1973 shall be exempt.

iv. Payments received under Title II of the Uniform Relocation and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 shall be exempt.

v. Payments received for services performed in connection with the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 shall be exempt. Such programs include the Foster Grandparents Program, Older Americans Community Service Program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the Active Cooperative Volunteer Program (AVP), the Active Corps of Executive (ACE), and other programs which are coordinated by the Federal ACTION agency.

vi. Payments made by the Disaster Assistance Administration shall be exempt.

vii. The value of assistance to children under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 shall be exempt.

viii. Payments from Home Energy Assistance (HEA) and the Crisis Intervention Program shall be exempt.

ix. Payments received from the Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects, Youth Community Conservation and Improvement Projects, and the Youth Employment and Training Programs under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1978 shall be exempt. However, payments from the Adults Conservation Corps under that Act or any other payments under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) of 1973 (with the exception of (a)6iii above) may not be excluded.

x. The amount of the annual cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits for those individuals who became ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) solely as a result of SSA cost-of-living increases after June 30, 1977 shall be exempt. Individuals eligible for this exemption are entitled to an additional exemption of the dollar amount of all SSA cost-of-living increases subsequent to that increase which created their SSI ineligibility.

xi. For certain individuals, the dollar amount of the October 1972, 20 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits shall be exempt. In order to qualify for this exemption, the individual must have been, for the month of August 1972:

(1) Eligible for or receiving cash assistance under Old Age Assistance, AFDC, Aid to the Blind, or Disability Assistance (including persons who were eligible for such assistance but not receiving such assistance because they had not applied for it or because they were residents in medical or intermediate care facilities); and

(2) Entitled to a monthly insurance benefit under Title II of the Social Security Act (RSDI).

8. That part of the proceeds of a life insurance policy which is used to pay the last illness and burial expenses of the insured shall be excluded.

i. Last illness and burial expenses shall include related hospital, medical, funeral, burial plot, interment expenses, and related costs.

9. Refunds on taxes for food, real property, or income shall be exempt.

10. That portion of a grant, scholarship, or fellowship which is to be used to pay tuition and mandatory fees (as defined by the educational institution) shall be excluded.

11. The value of agricultural produce, if raised for home consumption, shall be excluded.

12. Certain irregular and/or infrequently received income shall be excluded as follows:

i. Unearned income which totals $ 60.00 or less per quarter (any consecutive three-month period), and which is received less frequently than twice per quarter or cannot be reasonably anticipated shall be excluded.

ii. Earned income which totals $ 30.00 or less per quarter (any consecutive three-month period), and which is received less frequently than twice per quarter or cannot be reasonably anticipated shall be excluded.

13. Monies paid to an individual as compensation for the care of a legally assigned foster child shall be excluded. (This income is not excludable if the child is an eligible individual in his or her own right, or if he or she does not reside in the home of the eligible individual(s).)

14. One-third of the amount received as child support from an absent parent shall be excluded.

15. Income received as compensation for services performed as an employee, or from self-employment, by an unmarried student who is under 22 years of age, shall be excluded to the extent that such income does not exceed $ 1,200 in a calendar quarter and/or $ 1,620 per calendar year.

i. A person shall be considered a student if he or she meets the following criteria:

(1) He or she is enrolled in a course or courses of study and attends to the extent required for continued enrollment. Specifically, a person must attend:

(A) A college or university at least eight semester or quarter hours weekly; or

(B) A secondary school at least 12 clock hours weekly; or

(C) A course of vocational or technical training (other than at a secondary school, college, or university) designed to prepare the student for gainful employment involving shop practice, at least 15 clock hours a week; or without shop practice, at least 12 clock hours per week; or

(D) Less than the appropriate requirements in (a)15i(1)(A), (B), and (C) above, if it is determined that there are extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student and he/she is pursuing a course of study comparable to the requirements of (a)15i(1)(A), (B), and (C) above.

(2) A student shall be considered in regular attendance if he or she is engaged in home study provided by a secondary school, college, university, or governmental agency, and a home visitor or tutor supervises the study or training. For purposes of this section, government-sponsored courses in the various self-improvement and anti-poverty programs are considered to be for the purposes of preparing the student for gainful employment.

(3) A student shall be considered in regular attendance during normal vacation periods if he or she is in regular attendance in the month immediately preceding and immediately following the vacation period.

(4) A student shall be considered to be in regular attendance for the month in which he or she completes or discontinues his or her school or training program.

16. Benefits provided under the State's Lifeline Utility Credit Program shall be excluded.

17. Interest on or appreciation in value of burial funds excluded from consideration as resources at N.J.A.C. 10:71-4.4(b)9 shall be excluded from income.

18. The first $ 20.00 per month of income, other than income received as a VA pension based upon need, shall be excluded. This exclusion shall be applied first to unearned income, and any remaining amount of exclusion then applied to earned income. In the determination of countable income of a couple, this $ 20.00 exclusion is applied to the combined income of both.

19. Earned income, in the amount of $ 65.00 per month plus one-half of the remaining sum, shall be excluded. In the determination of countable income of a couple, this exclusion applies to the combined earned income of both.

20. In the case of blind persons only, all expenses reasonably attributable to the earning of income shall be excluded.

21. In the case of blind or otherwise disabled persons, the amount of money which is needed to achieve an approved plan of self-support shall be excluded.

i. In order for this exclusion to apply, the plan of support must have been approved, in writing, by the Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services or the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The plan must also be current.

N.J. Admin. Code § 10:71-5.3

As amended, R.1983 d.167, effective 6/6/1983.
See: 15 N.J.R. 422(a), 15 N.J.R. 925(a).
17. Interest on burial funds added, 17-20 renumbered 18-21.
Amended by R.1995 d.651, effective 12/18/1995.
See: 27 N.J.R. 3543(a), 27 N.J.R. 5046(a).