Date of Adoption: June 30, 1999.

Purpose: To establish that eligibility for other funding sources must be determined before benefits are authorized from the consolidated emergency assistance program (CEAP) and all other funding sources for housing assistance must be used in lieu of CEAP benefits.

Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-436-0030.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.08.090, 74.04.050, 74.04.055.

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 Washington legislature made significant changes in the funding level of this program in the 1999 State Budget. This rule must be amended immediately to keep the program within allotted funds.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0. Effective Date of Rule: July 1, 1999.

June 30, 1999

Marie Myerchin-Redifer, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

(1) ((As a condition of eligibility for CEAP, applicants must take all necessary steps to establish eligibility for the following programs)) To receive CEAP, all household members must be ineligible to receive:

(a) Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF);

(b) State family assistance (SFA);

(c) Refugee cash assistance (RCA);

(d) Diversion cash assistance (DCA).

(2) To receive CEAP, the applicant must take all necessary steps to establish eligibility for the following programs:

(a) TANF, SFA, and RCA;

(b) Supplemental security income (SSI);

(((e))) (c) Medical assistance for those applicants ((requesting emergency)) declaring a medical ((care)) need;

(((f))) (d) Food assistance for those applicants declaring ((an emergency)) a food need; ((and

(g))) (e) Housing assistance from any available source for those applicants declaring a housing need;

(f) Unemployment compensation, ((if)) veteran’s benefits, industrial insurance benefits, Social Security benefits, pension benefits, or any other source of financial benefits the applicant is potentially eligible to receive.

(((2) CEAP applicants under a grant penalty for failure to comply with program requirements of TANF/SFA, WorkFirst under chapter 388-310 WAC, refugee cash assistance, general assistance or SSI are treated as follows:

(a) All members are ineligible and the CEAP application is denied if compliance could have prevented the need for emergency assistance.

(b) Only the member responsible for the grant penalty is ineligible for CEAP if the compliance could not have prevented the need for emergency assistance))

(3) CEAP benefits may not be authorized to any household until the eligibility for TANF, SFA, or RCA has been determined for each household member.

(4) CEAP benefits may not be authorized to any household containing a member who is under a grant penalty for failure to comply with program requirements of TANF/SFA, RCA, or WorkFirst under chapter 388-310 WAC.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090.  98-16-044, § 388-436-0030, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]

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