South Carolina TANF and Michigan FIP: whole-dollar rounding next to the $10 minimum is not applied (114-1140(A)(4), BEM 520) #10497

Problem

Two whole-dollar rounding rules next to the $10 minimums that #10261 adds are not modeled. Near $10 they decide whether a payment is made.

South Carolina TANF: S.C. Code Regs. 114-1140(A)(4)

Chapter 114, file page 210:

(4) The FI benefit will be rounded down to the next lower whole dollar when the result of determining the standard of need or the payment amount is not a whole dollar.

TANF Policy Manual 8.15 prints a whole-dollar need standard of $851 for 2 people, and a payment standard of $344 ("multiply the Need Standard by .4046 and drop the cents"). sc_tanf uses the fractional need standard (50% of the monthly FPG, $851.67 for 2 in January 2025) and does not round the benefit.

Fix: round the need standard down (in sc_tanf_need_standard once #10184 adds it) and round the benefit down in sc_tanf, before the $10 test.

Michigan FIP: BEM 520 (lower priority)

BEM 520, file page 1 says "Drop cents before entering any amount used to compute the issuance amount on the worksheet". That would make a PE issuance deficit of $9.01-$9.99 a $10 worksheet deficit, which passes BEM 518's $10 test. The same page also says "Cents amounts are included when computing recouped, vendored and benefit amounts", so check which amounts lose their cents before you change mi_fip_income_eligible or mi_fip.

Not in this issue

• Maryland's COMAR 07.03.03.13 E(1) (net countable income rounded down) is applied in Apply the $10 minimum payment in Michigan FIP, Virginia TANF, South Carolina TANF and Maryland TCA #10261.
• Virginia's whole-dollar standards are tracked in Virginia TANF: va_tanf_grant_standard and the maximum payment are fractional; VDSS pays the whole-dollar Section 304, Appendix 2 amounts #10495.

Found in DTrim99's review of #10261 (2026-10-26, Suggestion 1).