Section 112.2  Time Limit on Receipt of Benefits for Clients Enrolled in Post-Secondary Education

a)         Months in which the caretaker relative in a Category 04 case is enrolled in Post-Secondary Education that meets the criteria listed in this Section will not count toward the 60-month limit on the receipt of benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program set out in Section 112.1 regardless of the number of hours the client works.

b)         In order for a month to not count towards the 60-month limit, the client's educational program must meet the following criteria:

1)         The program must be considered Post-Secondary Education working toward a degree in an accredited institution and must be approved under Section 112.78(h).

2)         The client must be in the program full-time, as defined by the institution.

3)         The client must be attending the program during that particular month. For example, if a client attends school from September through May and then returns to school the next September, the months of June through August will count toward the 60 month limit.

4)         The client must be maintaining at least a 2.5 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).  Under this requirement, a client may not take advantage of this Section until the client has attended the school for a sufficient time to receive a grade point average (e.g., for at least a semester).  If a client's grade point average falls below 2.5 at any time, the following months will then count towards the 60-month limit.  Once a client's grade point average is again at least 2.5, the client may once again take advantage of this Section.

c)         A client may take advantage of this Section for no more than a total of 36 months.

(Source:  Added at 23 Ill. Reg. 7091, effective June 4, 1999)