Can states align the definitions of what counts as a resource among benefit programs?
Yes. States can align resource-counting rules across those benefit programs in which the state elects to have a resource test; there are some minimum federal requirements in the rules states can adopt for the Food Stamp Program. Similar to the income area, different benefit programs also have different resource limits. (Many states do not have resource limits for participation in certain programs such as Medicaid for children, SCHIP, or child care). While different dollar limits on countable resources do not pose great administrative difficulty, disparate rules for the treatment of particular types of resources can cause confusion and administrative errors. As in the income area, the 2002 Farm Bill allows states to conform their resource-counting rules to those in either their family Medicaid program or their TANF cash assistance program. Since states have full flexibility to establish resource rules in Medicaid and TANF as well as SCHIP and child care, states essentially can construct
