PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)
Subject of Possible Rule Making: The community services division is proposing to amend WAC 388-466-0120 Refugee cash assistance, 388-466-0130 Refugee medical assistance, and other related WACs.
These amendments are necessary to revise rules regarding eligibility for assistance for special immigrants from Afghanistan. Special immigrants from Afghanistan are now eligible for eight months of federally funded assistance as allowed under federal law, and also to streamline the rules for medical spenddown for refugee medical assistance.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, and 74.08.090.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The proposed rule changes are in response to the Section 602, Division F of Pub. L No 111-08, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, which was signed into law on March 11, 2009, and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) State Letter 09-17 from April 9, 2009.
Process for Developing New Rule: DSHS welcomes the public to take part in developing the rules. Anyone interested should contact the staff person identified below. At a later date, DSHS will file a proposal with the office of the code reviser with a notice of proposed rule making. A copy of the proposal will be sent to everyone on the mailing list and to anyone who requests a copy.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Olga Walker, Program Manager, Community Services Division, P.O. Box 45470, Olympia, WA 98504-5470, phone (360) 725-4641, fax (360) 725-4905, e-mail walkeop@dshs.wa.gov.
May 19, 2009
Stephanie E. Schiller
Rules Coordinator