PERMANENT RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)
Date of Adoption: May 21, 2001.
Purpose: Amend WAC 388-418-0005 What types of changes must I report for cash, food and medical assistance? and new WAC 388-418-0007 When do I have to report changes in my circumstances? Clarifies what changes have to be reported and when clients must report them.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-418-0005 What types of changes must I report for cash, food, and medical assistance?
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.04.510.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 01-08-059 on April 2, 2001.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 1, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0. Effective Date of Rule: July 1, 2001.
May 18, 2001
Brian H. Lindgren, Manager
Rules and Policies Assistance Unit
2872.3(a) The gross monthly amount of unearned income they receive when:
(i) They start receiving money from any new source.
(ii) The amount received from a previously reported source changes by more than twenty-five dollars.
(b) When someone, including a newborn child, moves in or out, even if the change is temporary.
(c) The marriage or divorce of any assistance unit member.
(d) A new residence, including any change in shelter expenses because of the move.
(e) Obtaining a vehicle.
(f) The end of a temporary disability when the temporary disability is the reason for excluding a vehicle.
(g) When the assistance unit's countable resources exceed the resource limits described in chapter 388-470 WAC.
(h) Any of the following changes related to employment:
(i) A new job or different employer.
(ii) A change in wage rate or pay scale.
(iii) An employment status change from part-time to full time. The employer determines when an employee has full-time employment status.
(2) Clients who receive only children or pregnant women's medical assistance must report the following changes. The client must report these changes within twenty days of when they learn about the change. Clients must report:
(a) When someone, including a newborn child, moves in or out, even if the change is temporary.
(b) When a pregnancy begins or ends.
(c) A new residence.
(3) Clients who receive any other medical assistance must report the following changes. Clients must report these changes about themselves, their spouses or any dependents. The client must report these changes within twenty days of when they learn about the change. Clients must report:
(a) When someone, including a newborn child, moves in or out, even if the change is temporary.
(b) When an assistance unit member gets married, divorced or separated.
(c) When a pregnancy begins or ends.
(d) A new residence or address.
(e) Any change in the amount of income received from any new or previously reported source.
(f) Any change in the amount of expenses paid for shelter.
(g) Any change in the amount of expenses paid for medical care.
(h) Changes in resources.
(4) For TANF/SFA, a caretaker relative must report within five days when they learn that the temporary absence of a child will exceed ninety days. When the relative fails to report timely, the relative:
(a) Is not eligible for one month; and
(b) The relative's countable income is considered available to the remaining members of the assistance unit.
(5) When a change is reported late, the client may receive
the wrong amount or the wrong type of assistance. When benefits
are overpaid, the client must repay the assistance as described
in chapter 388-410 WAC.)) For purposes of this section, an
"assistance unit" or "AU" is a group of people who live together
and whose income or resources we count to decide what benefits
the AU gets. Even if someone in your AU is not eligible to get a
benefit, we still count that person's income or resources if they
are financially responsible for you or someone in your AU, such
as a common child. If you are a parent of a child who gets
long-term care benefits, you need only report changes in income
or resources that are actually contributed to the child. Tables
one, two and three below show the types of changes you must
report based on the type of assistance you get. Use table one to
see if you must report a change for cash or food assistance. Use
table two to see if you must report a change for children's,
pregnant women's, or family medical assistance. Use table three
to see if you must report a change for SSI-related medical or
long-term care medical assistance.
Table 1 - Cash Assistance and Food Assistance
Type of change
to report when
you or anyone
in your
assistance unit
AU):
Do I have to
report this
change for cash
assistance?
Do I have to
report this
change for food
assistance?
(1) Starts to get
money from a
new source;
Yes
Yes
(2) Has
unearned income
that changed by
more than
twenty-five
dollars from
amount we
budgeted;
Yes
Yes
(3) Moves into
or out of your
home, including
newborns or if
an AU member
dies. This also
includes when
someone
temporarily
moves in or out;
Yes
Yes
(4) Moves to a
new residence;
Yes
Yes
(5) Has a change
in shelter costs;
Yes, but only if
you went from
having no shelter
costs to having a
shelter cost, or
from having
shelter costs to
not having to
pay anything.
You don't have
to report a
change in the
amount you pay.
Yes, report the
change at your
recertification.
If your shelter
costs go up, you
could get more
food assistance
benefits. Report
the change
sooner to see if
you will get
more benefits.
(6) Gets married,
divorced, or
separated;
Yes
Yes
(7) Gets a
vehicle;
Yes
Yes
(8) Has a
disability that
ends;
Yes
Yes
(9) Has
countable
resources that
are more than
the resource
limits under
WAC 388-470-0005;
Yes
Yes
(10) Gets a job
or changes
employers;
Yes
Yes
(11) Changes
from part-time to
full-time or
full-time to
part-time work.
We use your
employer's
definition of
part-time and
full-time work;
Yes
Yes
(12) Has a
change in hourly
wage rate or
salary;
Yes
Yes
(13) Stops
working;
Yes
Yes
(14) Has a
pregnancy that
begins or ends;
Yes
No
(15) Has a
change in
uncovered
medical
expenses;
No
Yes, report this
change only at
your next
eligibility
review. If you
are elderly or
disabled and you
have an increase
in uncovered
medical
expenses, report
this change
sooner as you
may be eligible
to get more
benefits.
Table 2 - Medical Assistance
Type of change
to report when
you or anyone
in your
assistance unit
(AU):
Do I have to
report this
change for
family medical
assistance (i.e.,
TANF/SFA-related)?
Do I have to
report this
change for
children's
medical and/or
pregnancy
medical?
(16) Starts to get
money from a
new source;
Yes
No
(17) Has
unearned income
that changed;
Yes
No
(18) Moves into
or out of your
home, including
newborns or if
an AU member
dies. This also
includes when
someone
temporarily
moves in or out;
Yes
Yes
(19) Moves to a
new residence;
Yes
Yes
(20) Has a
change in shelter
costs;
No
No
(21) Gets
married,
divorced, or
separated;
Yes
No
(22) Gets a
vehicle;
No
No
(23) Has a
disability that
ends;
No
No
(24) Has
countable
resources that
are more than
the resource
limits under
WAC 388-470-0005;
No
No
(25) Gets a job
or changes
employers;
Yes
No
(26) Changes
from part-time to
full-time or
full-time to
part-time work.
We use your
employer's
definition of
part-time and
full-time work;
Yes
No
(27) Has a
change in hourly
wage rate or
salary;
Yes
No
(28) Stops
working;
Yes
No
(29) Has a
pregnancy that
begins or ends;
Yes
Yes
(30) Has a
change in
uncovered
medical
expenses.
No
Yes, but only if
an AU member
has a
spenddown.
Table 3 - SSI-Related Medical Assistance and
Long-Term Care
Type of change
to report when
you or anyone
in your
assistance unit
(AU):
Do I have to
report this
change for
SSI-related
medical
assistance?
Do I have to
report this
change for
long-term care
(i.e., COPES,
CAP, or
nursing home)
(31) Starts to get
money from a
new source;
Yes
Yes
(32) Has
unearned income
that changed;
Yes
Yes
(33) Has a
change in
earnings or stops
working
Yes
Yes
(34) Moves into
or out of your
home, including
newborns or if
an AU member
dies. This also
includes when
someone
temporarily
moves in or out;
Yes
Yes
(35) Moves to a
new residence;
Yes
Yes
(36) Has a
change in shelter
costs;
No, unless you
went from
paying rent to
not paying any
rent. You do not
need to report if
your rent amount
changes.
Yes, if client or
community
spouse live in
their own home
(37) Gets
married,
divorced, or
separated;
Yes
Yes
(38) Gets a
vehicle;
Yes, but only if
that person or
their spouse gets
SSI-related
medical
Yes, but only if
that person gets
long-term care
(39) Has a
disability that
ends;
Yes
Yes
(40) Has
countable
resources that
are more than
the resource
limits, under
WAC 388-470-0005 or
388-513-1350;
Yes, but only if
that person or
their spouse get
SSI-related
medical
Yes, but only if
that person gets
long-term care
(41) Has a
change in
uncovered
medical
expenses.
Yes, but only if
an AU member
has a
spenddown.
Yes.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.04.510. 99-23-034, 388-418-0005, filed 11/10/99, effective 1/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, 388-418-0005, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]
(a) After the date you applied but before your interview, you must report the change at the time of your interview; or
(b) After you have been interviewed, you must report the change within ten days of the date of your approval notice.
(2) If you get TANF/SFA, you must report within five calendar days from the day you learn that a child in the AU will be gone from your home longer than ninety days. If you do not report this within five days:
(a) You are not eligible for cash benefits for one month; and
(b) All of your countable income as described in WAC 388-450-0162 is budgeted against the cash benefits for the remaining AU members.
(3) If you receive cash and/or food assistance, all other changes described in WAC 388-417-0005 must be reported within ten days from the day you become aware of the change.
(4) If you receive medical assistance you must report the changes described in WAC 388-418-0005 within twenty days from the day you become aware of the change.
(5) If you report changes late, you may get the wrong amount or wrong type of benefits. If you get more benefits than you are eligible for, you may have to pay them back as described in chapter 388-410 WAC.
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