PERMANENT RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)
Effective Date of Rule: November 15, 2009.
Purpose: The department is amending WAC 388-412-0040 Can I get my benefits replaced?
This rule change removes the requirement for clients to provide a signed affidavit when requesting replacement of benefits. The current rule requires a signed affidavit from clients who report that their benefits were lost or destroyed in a disaster in order for the benefits to be replaced. For Basic Food benefits, the Code of Federal Regulations imposes no such requirement on the states. Furthermore, the current process can be time-consuming and frustrating for clients. We are streamlining and expediting the benefits replacement process for clients.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-412-0040.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, and 74.08.090.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 09-17-100 on August 18, 2009.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: October 7, 2009.
Stephanie E. Vaughn
Rules Coordinator
4121.1(1) You may get your EBT benefits replaced if:
(a) We make a mistake that causes you to lose benefits;
(b) Both your EBT card and personal identification number (PIN) are stolen from the mail; you never had the ability to use the benefits; and you lost benefits;
(c) You left a drug or alcohol treatment on or before the fifteenth of the month and the facility does not have enough Basic Food benefits in their EBT account for one-half of the allotment that they owe you;
(d) Your EBT benefits that were recently deposited into an inactive EBT account were canceled by mistake along with your state benefits; or
(e) Your food that was purchased with Basic Food benefits was destroyed in a disaster.
(2) If you want a replacement, you must((:
(a))) report the loss to your local office within ten
days from the date of the loss((; and
(b) Sign a department affidavit form stating you had a loss of benefits)).
(3) For Basic Food, we replace the loss up to a one-month benefit amount.
(4) We will not replace your benefits if your loss is for a reason other than those listed in subsection (1) above or:
(a) We decided that your request is fraudulent;
(b) Your Basic Food benefits were lost, stolen or misplaced after you received them;
(c) You already got two countable replacements of Basic Food benefits within the last five months; or
(d) You got disaster food stamp benefits for the same month you requested a replacement for Basic Food.
(5) Your replacement does not count if:
(a) Your benefits are returned to us; or
(b) We replaced your benefits because we made an error.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, and 74.04.510. 08-14-047, § 388-412-0040, filed 6/24/08, effective 7/25/08; 03-22-038, § 388-412-0040, filed 10/28/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510 and 74.08.090. 01-18-054, § 388-412-0040, filed 8/30/01, effective 9/30/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-412-0040, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]