Date of Adoption: March 15, 2004.

     Purpose: Amend WAC 388-414-0001 Some food assistance units do not have to meet all eligibility requirements, to update program language, clarify who is categorically eligible for Basic Food, and explain how categorical eligibility impacts clients.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-414-0001.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 04-04-076 on February 2, 2004.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
     Effective Date of Rule: May 1, 2004.

March 15, 2004

Brian H. Lindgren, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

     (a) ((Some food assistance units do not have to meet all of the eligibility requirements for food assistance. The department calls this CE. If your food assistance unit is CE, you do not have to meet the following food assistance requirements because you have met them for another program:

     (i) Resources;

     (ii) Gross and net income standards;

     (iii) Residency; and

     (iv) Sponsored alien information.

     (b) If you are a CE food assistance unit, you will still have your income budgeted to determine the amount of food stamps your assistance unit is eligible for.

     (2) Who is CE for food assistance?

     Your household is CE when:

     (a) All members of your food assistance unit are getting general assistance (GA) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cash benefits on their own behalf;

     (b) A member of your food assistance unit is getting or is authorized to get payments from the following programs and you all benefit from the assistance:

     (i) Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) cash assistance;

     (ii) State family assistance (SFA); or

     (iii) Diversion cash assistance (DCA). You are CE for the month you receive DCA and the three following months as long as you have one adult relative caretaker with a dependent child in the food assistance unit.

     (c) You are receiving TANF/SFA cash assistance and no longer get assistance because your earnings are over the earned income limit in WAC 388-478-0035. You are CE for twenty-four months after your TANF/SFA cash assistance ends as long as you have one adult relative caretaker with a dependent child in the food assistance unit.

     (3) Who are not considered CE even though the above criteria is met?

     (a) A member of your food assistance unit is not CE who:

     (i) Is not eligible because of his/her alien or student status;

     (ii) Fails to follow work requirements;

     (iii) Fails to provide or apply for a Social Security Number;

     (iv) Is a SSI recipient in a cash-out state (state where SSI payments are increased to include the value of the food stamp allotment);

     (v) Is not eligible for SSI on his/her own behalf since he/she is getting SSI as an essential person or as an ineligible spouse; or

     (vi) Is living in an institution.

     (b) If a person is not CE, he/she is not included as member in your CE food assistance unit.

     (c) Your entire food assistance unit is not CE when your assistance unit:

     (i) Is not eligible because of striker provisions;

     (ii) Knowingly transferred resources for the purpose of qualifying for benefits;

     (iii) Refuses to cooperate in providing information that is needed to determine your eligibility;

     (iv) Has a head of the household that failed to meet work requirements; or

     (v) Has a member that is not qualified because of an intentional program violation)) Categorical eligibility (CE) means that you have already met requirements for a program. If you are CE, you do not have to meet every program requirement to be eligible for Basic Food. If your assistance unit (AU) is CE, you automatically meet the following requirements for Basic Food:

     (i) Countable resource limit under WAC 388-470-0005;

     (ii) Maximum gross monthly income under WAC 388-478-0060; and

     (iii) Maximum net monthly income under WAC 388-478-0060.

     (b) Being CE does not mean that your AU is guaranteed to get Basic Food benefits. If your AU is CE:

     (i) You must still meet the other Basic Food program requirements under WAC 388-400-0040; and

     (ii) If you meet the other program requirements, we must budget your AU's income to determine the amount of benefits your AU will receive.

     (2) Who is categorically eligible for Basic Food?

     Your Basic Food AU is CE when:

     (a) Every member of your AU gets either general assistance (GA), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Support Act (ADATSA), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cash benefits on their own behalf;

     (b) Any member of your AU gets or is authorized to get payments from the following programs because we have determined that the entire AU benefits from someone receiving the assistance:

     (i) Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) cash assistance;

     (ii) State family assistance (SFA); or

     (iii) Diversion cash assistance (DCA). You are CE for the month you receive DCA and the three following months as long as you have one adult relative caretaker with a dependent child in the Basic Food AU.

     (3) Who is not CE even if my AU meets the above criteria?

     (a) Even if your AU is CE, members of your AU are not eligible for Basic Food if they:

     (i) Are not eligible because of their alien or student status;

     (ii) Were disqualified from Basic Food under WAC 388-444-0055 for failing work requirements;

     (iii) Are not eligible for failing to provide or apply for a Social Security number;

     (iv) Receive SSI in a cash-out state (state where SSI payments are increased to include the value of the client's food stamp allotment); or

     (v) Live in an institution not eligible for Basic Food under WAC 388-408-0040.

     (b) If a person in your AU is not eligible for Basic Food, we do not include them as an eligible member of your CE AU.

     (c) Your AU is not CE if:

     (i) Your AU is not eligible because of striker requirements under WAC 388-480-0001;

     (ii) Your AU is ineligible for knowingly transferring resources in order to qualify for benefits under WAC 388-488-0010;

     (iii) Your AU refused to cooperate in providing information that is needed to determine your eligibility;

     (iv) The head of household for your AU failed to meet work requirements; or

     (v) Anyone in your AU is disqualified because of an intentional program violation under WAC 388-446-0015; or

     (vi) Anyone in your AU is ineligible for Basic Food under WAC 388-442-0010 because of a conviction for a drug-related felony.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.04.510. 01-07-054, § 388-414-0001, filed 3/16/01, effective 3/29/01; 00-11-035, § 388-414-0001, filed 5/10/00, effective 8/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-414-0001, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]

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