[MARHMIS] Fwd: Question Response for HMIS Question ID 52211 - HUD Exchange Ask A Question

Good Morning,

Here is the response to the question I discussed at last Monday's MARHMIS meeting regarding recording of income for adult children for the APR.  Thanks to Kelli Barker for following up to get me the answer.  Greta

Greta Rolland

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Question Status: Answered

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Question Related To: Homeless Management Information Systems

Question ID: 52211

Question Subject:

Handling of Income for children of PSH participants when they have reached adulthood

Question Text:

We are currently working on the APR for a PSH project that has several children who received SSI or SSDI income for several years.  In the past, this income was listed under the children, but the new HUD data standards specify that the income should be reported for the head of household and not the minor child.  I understand that I need to go back into the history of HMIS data and make these changes to current minor children.  As an example , a 10 year old who has had SSI income for 3 years reported under his/her client id in HMIS will require modification to delete this income from the child and report under the head of household's income.  But, I have two children who are now 18 and 19 who are now adult children of the head of household.  How to do I handle their previous income and current income?  Do I leave it showing as their income with the annual assessments and updates when they receive increases in their SSI?  Or do I need to change their previous income to show under their head of household and end it when they reach 18 and then show it as new income as an adult in the household? I also want to check to determine when HUD determines that a child is now an adult.  Is it upon their 18 or 19th birthday?  Thanks so much.  Greta

Additional Information:

Added by Requestor on 04-28-2015 07:51 AM (CST)

Our APR is due by the end of May and the CoC lead who submits the APR is scheduled for vacation.  We want to submit the APR in the next week or two but need a response to this question before we can finish.  We do not like to be late on required HUD reports. Can you please expediate the response?  Or should we ask for an extension for the APR?   Thank you.  

Response:

Thank you for your question.  For the purposes of HMIS data collection and your APR, an adult is any person 18 years of age or over.  On the APR, the client will be reported as an adult or a child based on the age that the are on their project entry date OR their age as of the first day of the operating year (whichever date is most recent).  Based on the information you've provided, these two clients will appear on your APR as adults.

Income and non-cash benefits should be entered into HMIS for: project entry, annual update, and project exit.  We understand that projects may also chose to update this information as the changes occur, but those three data collection stages are the minimum requirement per the Standards.  If you are back-dating old data for the two clients you mentioned (18 and 19 years old now), you wouldn't associate the income or benefit with them until they are an adult, and would instead associate it with the Head of Household until the client is an adult.  It would then show up on the APR as new income for the clients.