PDFWAC 388-410-0025

Am I responsible for a food benefits overpayment in my assistance unit?

If your assistance unit (AU) received more basic food, FAP, or WASHCAP benefits than it was supposed to receive, your AU has an overpayment. If you have an overpayment, we determine the amount you were overpaid and set up a claim to recover this overpayment.
(1) We set up an overpayment for the full amount your AU was overpaid for every adult AU member at the time your AU was overpaid.
(2) Except as provided in WAC 388-410-0030 and 388-410-0033, each adult member is responsible for the whole overpayment until we recover the entire amount of the overpayment. We do not collect more than the amount your AU was overpaid.
(3) If we determine you are responsible for an overpayment, you are responsible for the overpayment even if you are now in a different AU than you were when you had the overpayment.
(4) You may be responsible for a basic food, FAP, or WASHCAP overpayment even if it was the department's fault you were overpaid.
(5) Equitable estoppel, described under WAC 388-02-0495, does not apply to basic food, FAP, or WASHCAP overpayments. Federal law provides that your AU is responsible for repaying any overpayment of benefits, as stated in 7 U.S.C. §2022 (a)(4) and 7 C.F.R. §273.18(a). Federal law does not permit states to make exceptions based on equitable estoppel, as stated in the Federal Register at volume 63, page 29307 and volume 65, page 41765. This also applies to FAP overpayments because under RCW 74.08A.120, FAP rules must follow federal food assistance rules.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20A.550, 43.20B.630, 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, 74.08A.120, and 7 C.F.R. § 273.18. WSR 15-22-051, § 388-410-0025, filed 10/29/15, effective 11/29/15. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, and 7 C.F.R. 273.18. WSR 14-05-062, § 388-410-0025, filed 2/18/14, effective 3/21/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. WSR 06-20-062, § 388-410-0025, filed 9/29/06, effective 11/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510, 7 C.F.R. 273.18. WSR 02-06-090, § 388-410-0025, filed 3/1/02, effective 4/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. WSR 01-14-032, § 388-410-0025, filed 6/28/01, effective 8/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. WSR 98-16-044, § 388-410-0025, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]