PERMANENT RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: The department is amending WAC 388-450-0195 Utility allowances for Basic Food programs and 388-492-0070 How are my WASHCAP benefits calculated?
The rules provide standards used to determine monthly benefit levels for the Washington Basic Food program and WASHCAP program. The rules also indicate when a WASHCAP-eligible household may choose to participate in the Basic Food program. The proposed changes update utility standards for Basic Food, the WASHCAP high cost shelter standard, the WASHCAP low cost shelter standard, and the WASHCAP shelter threshold.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-450-0195 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.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 08-17-109 on August 20, 2008.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.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: October 14, 2008.
Stephanie E. Schiller
Rules Coordinator
4009.1(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 forty-two dollars.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-036, § 388-450-0195, 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 (d)(6)(iii)(b). 06-21-011, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. 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.]
(1) We begin with your gross income.
(2) We subtract one hundred ((thirty-four)) forty-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) Two hundred ((seventy-five)) eighty-four dollars or
more a month for shelter, we use three hundred ((sixty-six))
seventy-nine dollars as your shelter cost; or
(b) Less than two hundred ((seventy-five)) eighty-four
dollars for shelter, we use one hundred ((seventy-six))
eighty-two dollars as your shelter cost; and
(c) We add the current standard 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)) the minimum
monthly benefit for Basic Food under WAC 388-412-0015.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-036, § 388-492-0070, 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 (d)(6)(iii)(b). 06-21-011, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. 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.]