On the AOTC Due Diligence worksheet, Question 23   

Were either of the taxpayers parents alive at the end of 2019?

If the answer is no, then they dont qualify for the refundable portion of the credit. (of course the Help file says no help available for this)

I dont understand how this is pertinent if the student is the dependent on the taxpayer/spouse return.....should this question not apply when the AOTC  is for a dependent? 

(I have no clue if the parents of the TP/SP are still alive, seems like a weird question to ask them...but obviously the parents of the dependent student are alive, its their tax return)