PERMANENT RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: To update utility standards for Basic Food, the Washington combined application project (WASHCAP) high cost shelter standard, the WASHCAP low cost shelter standard, the WASHCAP shelter threshold, and the standard for WASHCAP-eligible persons can choose to participate in Basic Food based on high shelter costs.
These rules were adopted via an emergency order effective October 1, 2006, as WSR 06-19-016. These permanent rules, when effective, will replace and supersede the same sections in WSR 06-19-016.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-450-0195, 388-492-0040, and 388-492-0070.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090.
Other Authority: 7 C.F.R. 273.9 (d)(6)(iii)(b).
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 06-17-175 on August 23, 2006.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: October 3, 2006.
Andy Fernando, Manager
Rules and Policies Assistance Unit
3784.1(a) Heating or cooling fuel;
(b) Electricity or gas;
(c) Water or sewer;
(d) Well or septic tank installation/maintenance;
(e) Garbage/trash collection; and
(f) Telephone service.
(2) The department uses the amounts below if you have utility costs separate from your rent or mortgage payment. We add your utility allowance to your rent or mortgage payment to determine your total shelter costs. We use total shelter costs to determine your Basic Food benefits.
(a) If you have heating or cooling costs, you get a standard utility allowance (SUA) that depends on your assistance unit's size.
| Assistance Unit (AU) Size | Utility Allowance |
| 1 | $(( |
| 2 | $(( |
| 3 | $(( |
| 4 | $(( |
| 5 | $(( |
| 6 or more | $(( |
(c) If your AU has only telephone costs and no other
utility costs, you get a telephone utility allowance (TUA) of
((thirty-nine)) thirty-eight dollars.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 06-10-056, § 388-450-0195, filed 5/1/06, effective 6/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 05-19-062, § 388-450-0195, filed 9/16/05, effective 10/17/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 05-09-087, § 388-450-0195, filed 4/19/05, effective 6/1/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057. 04-23-025, § 388-450-0195, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 03-21-030, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090. 02-22-045, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/30/02, effective 12/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 01-21-059, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. 00-22-065, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/27/00, effective 11/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.040.510 [74.04.510]. 99-24-052, § 388-450-0195, filed 11/29/99, effective 12/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. 99-09-055, § 388-450-0195, filed 4/19/99, effective 5/20/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510 and 7 CFR 273.9 (d)(6). 99-01-069, § 388-450-0195, filed 12/14/98, effective 1/14/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-450-0195, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]
3785.1 (1) Your nonutility shelter costs as defined in WAC 388-450-0190 (1)(a) through (d) are more than five hundred
((forty-four)) sixty-seven dollars a month;
(2) Your out-of-pocket medical expenses are more than thirty-five dollars a month; or
(3) You chose to have Basic Food benefits instead of WASHCAP benefits prior to January 1, 2005.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 05-18-036, § 388-492-0040, filed 8/30/05, effective 10/1/05; 05-08-009, § 388-492-0040, filed 3/25/05, effective 4/25/05; 04-23-026, § 388-492-0040, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 03-21-030, § 388-492-0040, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 03-01-045, § 388-492-0040, filed 12/10/02, effective 1/10/03; 02-15-148, § 388-492-0040, filed 7/22/02, effective 9/1/02; 01-21-058, § 388-492-0040, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01.]
(1) We begin with your gross income.
(2) We subtract one hundred thirty-four dollars from your gross income to get your countable income.
(3) We figure your shelter cost based on information we receive from Social Security Administration (SSA), unless you report a change as described under WAC 388-492-0080. If you pay:
(a) Three hundred ((twenty-nine)) forty-two dollars or
more a month for shelter, we use three hundred ((forty))
fifty-four dollars as your shelter cost; or
(b) Less than three hundred ((twenty-nine)) forty-two
dollars for shelter, we use one hundred ((sixty-four))
seventy-one dollars as your shelter cost; and
(c) We add the current limited utility allowance under WAC 388-450-0195 to determine your total shelter cost.
(4) We figure your shelter deduction by subtracting one half of your countable income from your shelter cost.
(5) We figure your net income by subtracting your shelter deduction from your countable income and rounding the resulting figure up from fifty cents and down from forty-nine cents to the nearest whole dollar.
(6) We figure your WASHCAP food benefits (allotment) by:
(a) Multiplying your net income by thirty percent and rounding up to the next whole dollar; and
(b) Subtracting the result from the maximum allotment under WAC 388-478-0060.
(c) If you are eligible for WASHCAP, you will get at least ten dollars in food benefits each month.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 05-17-155, § 388-492-0070, filed 8/22/05, effective 10/1/05; 05-08-008, § 388-492-0070, filed 3/25/05, effective 4/25/05; 04-23-026, § 388-492-0070, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 03-21-030, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 03-01-045, § 388-492-0070, filed 12/10/02, effective 1/10/03; 02-15-148, § 388-492-0070, filed 7/22/02, effective 9/1/02; 01-21-058, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01.]