Definition. A public assistance household is one in which every member receives some kind of public income-maintenance payments. These are payments made under—
Title IV-A of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families);
Title XVI of the Social Security Act (SSI, including federally administered State supplements and State administered mandatory supplements);
The Refugee Act of 1980 (Those payments based on need);
The Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act;
General assistance programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
State or local government assistance programs based on need (tax credits or refunds are not assistance based on need); and
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs programs (those payments based on need).
How the presumed value rule applies. If you live in a public assistance household, we consider that you are not receiving in-kind support and maintenance from members of the household. In this situation, we use the presumed value rule only if you receive food or shelter from someone outside the household.