Purpose: The department is amending WAC 388-414-0001 Do I have to meet all eligibility requirements for Basic Food?, to describe all deemed requirements and verifications when a household is "categorically eligible" (CE) under federal rule at 7 C.F.R. 273.2.

     Specifically, information pertaining to deemed residency requirements and verification requirements for sponsor information and Social Security number are included in the rule.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-414-0001.

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

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 05-20-053 on September 30, 2005.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.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: November 9, 2005.

Andy Fernando, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

     (a) Being ((Categorical eligibility)) categorically eligible (CE) means that you have already met requirements for ((a)) the program. If you are CE, you do not have to meet every program requirement to be eligible for Basic Food.

     (b) If your assistance unit (AU) is CE, you automatically meet the following requirements for Basic Food:

     (i) Residency under WAC 388-468-0005;

     (ii) Countable resource limit under WAC 388-470-0005;

     (((ii))) (iii) Maximum gross monthly income under WAC 388-478-0060; and

     (((iii))) (iv) Maximum net monthly income under WAC 388-478-0060.

     (((b))) (c) If your AU is CE and the information is available from another program, you do not need to provide the following for Basic Food:

     (i) Social Security Number information under WAC 388-476-0005; and

     (ii) Sponsored alien information under WAC 388-450-0155.

     (d) Being CE does not mean that your AU is guaranteed to get Basic Food benefits. If your AU is CE:

     (i) You must still meet the other Basic Food program requirements under WAC 388-400-0040; and

     (ii) If you meet the other program requirements, we must budget your AU's income to determine the amount of benefits your AU will receive.

     (2) Who is categorically eligible for Basic Food?

     Your Basic Food AU is CE when:

     (a) Every member of your AU gets either general assistance (GA), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Support Act (ADATSA), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cash benefits on their own behalf;

     (b) Any member of your AU gets or is authorized to get payments from the following programs because we have determined that the entire AU benefits from someone receiving the assistance:

     (i) Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) cash assistance;

     (ii) State family assistance (SFA); or

     (iii) Diversion cash assistance (DCA). You are CE for the month you receive DCA and the three following months as long as you have one adult relative caretaker with a dependent child in the Basic Food AU.

     (c) Your AU's income that we don't exclude under WAC 388-450-0015 is not over the maximum gross monthly income under WAC 388-478-0060. If your income is not over the gross monthly income limit, we provide your AU information about department programs and referral to resources in the community.

     (3) Who is not CE even if my AU meets the above criteria?

     (a) Even if your AU is CE, members of your AU are not eligible for Basic Food if they:

     (i) Are not eligible because of their alien or student status;

     (ii) Were disqualified from Basic Food under WAC 388-444-0055 for failing work requirements;

     (iii) Are not eligible for failing to provide or apply for a Social Security number;

     (iv) Receive SSI in a cash-out state (state where SSI payments are increased to include the value of the client's food stamp allotment); or

     (v) Live in an institution not eligible for Basic Food under WAC 388-408-0040.

     (b) If a person in your AU is not eligible for Basic Food, we do not include them as an eligible member of your CE AU.

     (c) Your AU is not CE if:

     (i) Your AU is not eligible because of striker requirements under WAC 388-480-0001;

     (ii) Your AU is ineligible for knowingly transferring countable resources in order to qualify for benefits under WAC 388-488-0010;

     (iii) Your AU refused to cooperate in providing information that is needed to determine your eligibility;

     (iv) The head of household for your AU failed to meet work requirements; or

     (v) Anyone in your AU is disqualified because of an intentional program violation under WAC 388-446-0015.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, and 2004 c 24. 04-14-038, § 388-414-0001, filed 6/29/04, effective 8/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 04-07-139, § 388-414-0001, filed 3/22/04, effective 5/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.04.510. 01-07-054, § 388-414-0001, filed 3/16/01, effective 3/29/01; 00-11-035, § 388-414-0001, filed 5/10/00, effective 8/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-414-0001, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]