PDFWAC 388-470-0055
How do my resources count toward the resource limit for basic food?
(1) For basic food, if your assistance unit (AU) is not categorically eligible (CE) under WAC 388-414-0001, we count the following resources toward your AU's resource limit to decide if you are eligible for benefits under WAC 388-470-0005:
(a) Liquid resources easily changed into cash, including but not limited to:
(i) Cash on hand;
(ii) Money in checking or savings accounts;
(iii) Money market accounts or certificates of deposit (CD) less any withdrawal penalty;
(iv) Stocks, bonds, annuities, or mutual funds less any early withdrawal penalty;
(v) Available trusts or trust accounts; and
(vi) Lump sum payments, which is money owed to you from a past period of time that you get but do not expect to get on a continuing basis;
(b) Nonliquid resources, personal property, and real property not specifically excluded in subsection (2) of this section;
(c) Vehicles as described in WAC 388-470-0075; and
(d) The resources of a sponsor as described in WAC 388-470-0060.
(2) The following resources do not count toward the resource limit described in WAC 388-470-0005(8):
(a) Your home and the surrounding property that you, your spouse, or your dependents live in;
(b) A home you do not live in, if you plan to return to the home and are out of the home because of one or more of the following circumstances:
(i) Employment;
(ii) Training for future employment;
(iii) Illness; or
(iv) Natural disaster or casualty;
(c) Property that:
(i) You are making a good faith effort to sell;
(ii) You intend to build a home on, if you do not already own a home;
(iii) Produces income consistent with its fair market value, even if used only on a seasonal basis;
(iv) Is essential to the employment or self-employment of a household member;
(v) Is essential for the maintenance or use of an income-producing vehicle; or
(vi) Has an equity value equal to or less than half of the resource limit as described in WAC 388-470-0005;
(d) Household goods;
(e) Personal effects;
(f) Life insurance policies, including policies with cash surrender value (CSV);
(g) One burial plot per household member;
(h) One funeral agreement per household member, up to $1,500;
(i) Pension plans or retirement funds not specifically counted in subsection (1) of this section;
(j) Sales contracts, if the contract is producing income consistent with its fair market value;
(k) Government payments issued for the restoration of a home damaged in a disaster;
(l) Indian lands held jointly with a tribe or land that can be sold only with the approval of the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(m) Nonliquid resources that have a lien placed against them;
(n) Earned income tax credits (EITC) or Washington's working families tax credit (WFTC) for 12 months, if you were a basic food recipient when you got the EITC or WFTC and you remain on basic food for all 12 months;
(o) Energy assistance payments or allowances;
(p) The resources of a household member who gets supplemental security income (SSI), temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), state family assistance (SFA), aged, blind, or disabled (ABD) cash assistance, or pregnant women assistance (PWA) benefits;
(q) Retirement funds or accounts that are tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code;
(r) Education funds or accounts in a tuition program under Title 26 U.S.C. Sec. 529 or 530 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;
(s) All funds in an achieving a better life experience (ABLE) account;
(t) Resources specifically excluded by federal law; and
(u) Federal income tax refunds for 12 months whether or not you were receiving basic food assistance at the time you got the refund.
(3) Property excluded under subsection (2)(c)(iv) of this section used by a self-employed farmer or fisher retains its exclusion for one year after the household member stops farming or fishing.
(4) If you deposit excluded liquid resources into a bank account with countable liquid resources, we do not count the excluded liquid resources for six months from the date of deposit. Exception: Federal tax refunds are not counted for 12 months even when mixed with countable resources.
(5) If you sell your home, you have 90 days to reinvest the sale proceeds into an exempt resource. If you do not reinvest within 90 days, we will determine whether there is good cause to allow more time. If we determine you have good cause, we will give you more time based on your circumstances. If you do not have good cause, we will count the sale proceeds as a resource. Some examples of good cause include:
(a) Closing on your new home is taking longer than anticipated;
(b) You are unable to find a new home that you can afford;
(c) Someone in your household is receiving emergent medical care;
(d) Your children are in school and moving would require them to change schools.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.300, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, 74.08A.120, and 82.08.0206. WSR 23-06-039, § 388-470-0055, filed 2/23/23, effective 3/26/23. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, 74.08A.120, and 74.04.300. WSR 17-17-097, § 388-470-0055, filed 8/18/17, effective 9/18/17. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.005, 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, 74.08A.100, 74.04.770, 74.04.0052, 74.04.655, 74.04.770, 74.08.043, 74.08.335, and 2011 1st sp.s. c 36. WSR 12-08-002, § 388-470-0055, filed 3/21/12, effective 4/21/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090, chapter 74.12 RCW, and The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. WSR 11-21-025, § 388-470-0055, filed 10/11/11, effective 10/29/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090, and Public Law 110-234. WSR 08-18-043, § 388-470-0055, filed 8/29/08, effective 10/1/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.04.510. WSR 03-05-015, § 388-470-0055, filed 2/7/03, effective 3/1/03; WSR 99-16-024, § 388-470-0055, filed 7/26/99, effective 9/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. WSR 98-16-044, § 388-470-0055, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]