Minor Parent Under Age 18 Student Eligibility Requirements 400-19-45-65-15

(Revised 1/1/11 ML #3246)

View Archives

 

 

A minor parent is defined as an individual who has a marital status of never married, is under age 18, and is a father or mother to a child. An individual under age 18 and in the third trimester of pregnancy is not considered a minor parent. An individual is considered age 18 on the first day of the month of their 18th birthday.

 

All minor parents who have not received a High School or General Education Diploma (GED) are required to attend school full-time as a condition of eligibility for TANF. A minor parent is considered in regular attendance for months in which the individual is not in school because of official vacation, illness, convalescence, or family emergency if the plan is to continue training when the event that prompted the interruption has run its course.

 

A minor parent is exempt from the school requirement from the newborn’s date of birth through two (2) calendar months following the month of birth.  

Example: If a child is born in July, the minor parent is exempt beginning the date of birth through September 30th. In a household consisting of two minor parents, only one parent can claim the exemption due to the age of their child. The exemption applies to the non-disabled or non-incapacitated parent.

 

There may be some reasons when a minor parent may have good cause for not attending school.  Some reasons, applicable only to minor parents, are:

1. Incapacity of child;
2. Temporary Illness;
3. Unable to find adequate and appropriate child care;
4. Disability, as verified by medical evidence; or
5. Incapacity, as verified by medical evidence.

A minor parent is exempt from the requirement to attend school if their education level equals 12 years.  However, they are not exempt from JOBS Program participation.