WSR 08-20-086

EMERGENCY RULES

DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)

[ Filed September 29, 2008, 9:13 a.m. , effective October 1, 2008 ]


     Effective Date of Rule: October 1, 2008.

     Purpose: The department is amending by emergency rule WAC 388-450-0190 How does the department figure my shelter cost income deduction for Basic Food and 388-478-0060 What are the income limits and maximum benefit amounts for Basic Food? The changes update income and deduction standards used for Basic Food and WASHCAP as required under regulations for the food stamp program.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-450-0190 and 388-478-0060.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, and 74.08.090.

     Other Authority: 7 C.F.R. 273.9.

     Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.

     Reasons for this Finding: The amendment needs to be made via an emergency rule filing because federal implementation timeframes do not allow sufficient time to make the changes using the standard adoption process.

     The department is concurrently working on the regular rule-filing process. A CR-101 was filed on June 12, 2008, as WSR 08-13-055 and a CR-102 was filed on August 29, 2008, as WSR 08-18-049.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: September 23, 2008.

Stephanie E. Schiller

Rules Coordinator

4018.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-22-035, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07)

WAC 388-450-0190   How does the department figure my shelter cost income deduction for Basic Food?   The department calculates your shelter cost income deduction as follows:

     (1) First, we add up the amounts your assistance unit (AU) must pay each month for shelter. We do not count any overdue amounts, late fees, penalties or mortgage payments you make ahead of time as an allowable cost. We count the following expenses as an allowable shelter cost in the month the expense is due:

     (a) Monthly rent, lease, and mortgage payments;

     (b) Property taxes;

     (c) Homeowner's association or condo fees;

     (d) Homeowner's insurance for the building only;

     (e) Utility allowance your AU is eligible for under WAC 388-450-0195;

     (f) Out-of-pocket repairs for the home if it was substantially damaged or destroyed due to a natural disaster such as a fire or flood;

     (g) Expense of a temporarily unoccupied home because of employment, training away from the home, illness, or abandonment caused by a natural disaster or casualty loss if your:

     (i) AU intends to return to the home;

     (ii) AU has current occupants who are not claiming the shelter costs for Basic Food purposes; and

     (iii) AU's home is not being leased or rented during your AU's absence.

     (2) Second, we subtract all deductions your AU is eligible for under WAC 388-450-0185 (1) through (5) from your AU's gross income. The result is your AU's net income.

     (3) Finally, we subtract one-half of your AU's net income from your AU's total shelter costs. The result is your excess shelter costs. Your AU's shelter cost deduction is the excess shelter costs:

     (a) Up to a maximum of four hundred ((thirty-one)) forty-six dollars if no one in your AU is elderly or disabled; or

     (b) The entire amount if an eligible person in your AU is elderly or disabled, even if the amount is over four hundred ((thirty-one)) forty-six dollars.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-035, § 388-450-0190, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07. 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. 06-21-012, § 388-450-0190, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, and 74.08.090. 05-21-101, § 388-450-0190, filed 10/18/05, effective 11/18/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057. 04-23-025, § 388-450-0190, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 04-07-138, § 388-450-0190, filed 3/22/04, effective 5/1/04; 03-21-030, § 388-450-0190, 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, § 388-450-0190, filed 10/30/02, effective 12/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 01-21-059, § 388-450-0190, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.04.510. 01-06-030, § 388-450-0190, filed 3/2/01, effective 4/2/01; 99-16-024, § 388-450-0190, filed 7/26/99, effective 9/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-450-0190, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-22-035, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07)

WAC 388-478-0060   What are the income limits and maximum benefit amounts for Basic Food?   If your assistance unit (AU) meets all other eligibility requirements for Basic Food, your AU must have income at or below the limits in column B and C to get Basic Food, unless you meet one of the exceptions listed below. The maximum monthly food assistance benefit your AU could receive is listed in column D.

EFFECTIVE ((10-1-2007)) 10-1-2008
Column A

Number of Eligible AU Members

 Column B

Maximum Gross

Monthly Income

 Column C

Maximum Net

Monthly Income

 Column D

Maximum

Allotment

 Column E

165% of

Poverty Level
1 $((1,107))

1,127

 $((851))

867

 $((162))

176

 $((1,404))

1,430
2 ((1,484))

1,517

 ((1,141))

1,167

 ((298))

323

 ((1,883))

1,925
3 ((1,861))

1,907

 ((1,431))

1,467

 ((426))

463

 ((2,361))

2,420
4 ((2,238))

2,297

 ((1,721))

1,767

 ((542))

588

 ((2,840))

2,915
5 ((2,615))

2,687

 ((2,011))

2,067

 ((643))

698

 ((3,318))

3,410
6 ((2,992))

3,077

 ((2,301))

2,367

 ((772))

838

 ((3,797))

3,905
7 ((3,369))

3,467

 ((2,591))

2,667

 ((853))

926

 ((4,275))

4,400
8 ((3,746))

3,857

 ((2,881))

2,967

 ((975))

1,058

 ((4,754))

4,895
9 ((4,123))

4,247

 ((3,171))

3,267

 ((1,097))

1,190

 ((5,233))

5,390
10 ((4,500))

4,637

 ((3,461))

3,567

 ((1,219))

1,322

 ((5,712))

5,885
Each Additional Member +((377))

390

 +((290))

300

 +((122))

132

 +((479))

495

     Exceptions:

     (1) If your AU is categorically eligible as under WAC 388-414-0001, your AU does not have to meet the gross or net income standards in columns B and C. We do budget your AU's income to decide the amount of Basic Food your AU will receive.

     (2) If your AU includes a member who is sixty years of age or older or has a disability, your income must be at or below the limit in column C only.

     (3) If you are sixty years of age or older and cannot buy and cook your own meals because of a permanent disability, we will use column E to decide if you can be a separate AU.

     (4) If your AU has zero income, your benefits are the maximum allotment in column D, based on the number of eligible members in your AU.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-035, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07. 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. 06-21-012, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, and 74.08.090. 05-21-101, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/18/05, effective 11/18/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057. 04-23-025, § 388-478-0060, 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, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090. 02-21-050, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/14/02, effective 12/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 01-21-059, § 388-478-0060, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 00-23-013, § 388-478-0060, filed 11/3/00, effective 12/4/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. 99-24-053, § 388-478-0060, filed 11/29/99, effective 12/30/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.04.510. 99-16-024, § 388-478-0060, filed 7/26/99, effective 9/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.500, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 99-05-074, § 388-478-0060, filed 2/17/99, effective 3/20/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-478-0060, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]

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