Assistance to minors.

(a) If an applicant under AS 47.27.020 is not married, is under the age of 18, and has not been previously emancipated under AS 09.55.590 , the applicant must (1) live in a home maintained by the applicant's parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative, unless the applicant establishes that there is good cause, as established by the department in regulation, to waive this requirement; if the department waives this requirement, the applicant must live in an approved, adult-supervised, supportive living environment;

(2) agree that cash assistance on behalf of the applicant's family may be paid to the applicant's parent, legal guardian, or other adult relative, or, if applicable, to the adult head of the adult-supervised, supportive living environment in which the applicant resides; and

(3) maintain attendance in a secondary school or other appropriate training program unless the applicant has a high school diploma or general equivalent diploma.

(b) The department shall reduce the cash assistance for which an assistance unit is otherwise eligible under this chapter if a minor parent in the assistance unit fails, without good cause, to meet standards of adequate levels of school attendance, as defined in regulations of the department. The reduction under this subsection shall be achieved by disregarding the needs of the person who failed to meet the school attendance standards. The person's needs shall be disregarded until the minor parent complies.