Date of Adoption: February 6, 2003.

     Purpose: Amending WAC 388-450-0156 When am I exempt from the deeming process? The department is amending this rule to implement changes in immigrant eligibility for the federal food stamp program and to adopt the name Washington Basic Food Program or Basic Food for the department's food assistance programs.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-450-0156.

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

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 03-02-066 on December 27, 2003 [2002].

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.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: April 1, 2003.

February 6, 2003

Brian H. Lindgren, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

     (a) The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) does not require you to have a sponsor. Immigrants who are not required to have a sponsor include those with the following status with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS):

     (i) Refugee;

     (ii) Parolee;

     (iii) Asylee;

     (iv) Cuban entrant; or

     (v) Haitian entrant.

     (b) You were sponsored by an organization or group as opposed to an individual;

     (c) You do not meet the alien status requirements to be eligible for benefits under chapter 388-424 WAC;

     (d) You have worked or can get credit for forty qualifying quarters of work under Title II of the Social Security Act. We do not count a quarter of work toward this requirement if the person working received TANF, food stamps, Basic Food, SSI, CHIP, or nonemergency Medicaid benefits. We count a quarter of work by the following people toward your forty qualifying quarters:

     (i) Yourself;

     (ii) Each of your parents for the time they worked before you turned eighteen years old (including the time they worked before you were born); and

     (iii) Your spouse if you are still married or your spouse is deceased.

     (e) You become a United States (U.S.) Citizen;

     (f) Your sponsor is dead; or

     (g) If INS or a court decides that you, your child, or your parent was a victim of domestic violence from your sponsor and:

     (i) You no longer live with your sponsor; and

     (ii) Leaving your sponsor caused your need for benefits.

     (2) You are exempt from the deeming process while you are in the same AU as your sponsor;

     (3) For Basic Food, you are exempt from deeming while you are under age eighteen.

     (4) For state family assistance, general assistance, ((the food assistance program for legal immigrants)) state-funded Basic Food benefits, and state-funded medical assistance for legal immigrants you are exempt from the deeming process if:

     (a) Your sponsor signed the affidavit of support more than five years ago;

     (b) Your sponsor becomes permanently incapacitated; or

     (c) You are a qualified alien according to WAC 388-424-0005 and you:

     (i) Are on active duty with the U.S. armed forces or you are the spouse or unmarried dependent child of someone on active duty;

     (ii) Are an honorably-discharged veteran of the U.S. armed forces or you are the spouse or unmarried dependent child of a honorably-discharged veteran;

     (iii) Were employed by an agency of the U.S. government or served in the armed forces of an allied country during a military conflict between the U.S. and a military opponent; or

     (iv) Are a victim of domestic violence and you have petitioned for legal status under the Violence Against Women Act.

     (((4))) (5) If you, your child, or your parent was a victim of domestic violence, you are exempt from the deeming process for twelve months if:

     (a) You no longer live with the person who committed the violence; and

     (b) Leaving this person caused your need for benefits.

     (((5))) (6) If your AU has income at or below one hundred thirty percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), you are exempt from the deeming process for twelve months. For this rule, we count the following as income to your AU:

     (a) Earned and unearned income your AU receives from any source; and

     (b) Any noncash items of value such as free rent, commodities, goods, or services you receive from an individual or organization.

     (((6))) (7) If you are exempt from deeming because your AU does not have income over one hundred thirty percent of the FPL, we give the United States Attorney General the following information:

     (a) The names of the sponsored people in your AU;

     (b) That you are exempt from deeming due to your income; and

     (c) Your sponsor's name.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and Title 7, Chapter II, Part 273 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 01-21-026, § 388-450-0156, filed 10/9/01, effective 11/1/01.]

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