Wash. Admin. Code § 388-22-030

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 388-22-030 - Definitions

This section contains definitions of words and phrases extensively used in the department's rules concerning the financial aid programs. This section provides a central location for definitions while eliminating the need to repeat the same in each WAC chapter. Related definitions are grouped under the key word.

For medical assistance-Title XIX and medical services (fully state-financed) program definitions, see chapter 388-80 WAC. For food stamp program definitions, see chapter 388-49 WAC.

(1) "Adequate consideration" means the reasonable value of the goods or services received in exchange for transferred property approximates the reasonable value of the property transferred.

(2) "Adult" means a person eighteen years of age or older.

(3) "Applicant" means any member of an assistance unit by or for whom a request for assistance has been made.

(4) "Application" means a written request for financial assistance or a written or oral request for medical or social service, provided by the department of social and health services, made by a person in the person's own behalf or in behalf of another person.

(5) "Assistance unit" means a person or group of persons required to be included together when determining eligibility for an assistance program.

(6) "Authorization" means an official approval of a departmental action.

(a) "Authorization date" means the date the prescribed form authorizing assistance is signed.

(b) "Authorization of grant" means attesting the applicant's eligibility for assistance and giving authority to make payment accordingly.

(7) "Automobile" means a motorized vehicle.

(8) "Board and room" means a living arrangement where a person purchases food, shelter, and household maintenance from one vendor.

(9) "Boarding home" means a place where a person purchases food, shelter, and household maintenance on a board and room basis.

(10) "C.F.R." means the code of federal regulations established by the federal government.

(11) "Cash savings" means money which is not classified as income.

(12) "Certification date" means the date the worker certifies changes in a client's case and authorizes a change in grant.

(13) "Child" or "minor child" means a person under eighteen years of age.

(14) "Chore services" means household, yard, and/or personal care services which assist a person in the person's own home.

(15) "Client" means an applicant and/or recipient of financial, medical, and/or social services.

(16) "Continuing assistance" means payments to persons who are eligible for and receive regular monthly grants on a prepayment basis.

(17) "Dependent child" means a child who is not self-supporting, married, or a member of the armed forces of the United States. Receiving public assistance does not constitute self-support.

(18) "Disability." See WAC 388-93-025.

(19) "Disaster assistance" means a financial grant or temporary housing for eligible victims of an emergency or major disaster as declared by the governor or president.

(20) "Effective date" means the date eligibility for a grant begins, changes, or ends.

(21) "Encumbrances" means any mortgage, claim, lien, charge or other legally enforceable liability, such as past due taxes, attached to and binding on property.

(22) "Energy costs" means space heat, lighting, water heating, and other household energy consumption.

(23) "Entitlement" means any form of benefit, such as compensation, insurance, pension retirement, military, bonus, allotment, allowance payable in cash or in-kind in which a client may have a claim or interest.

(24) "Equity" means quick-sale value less encumbrances.

(25) "Estate" means all real and personal property that a deceased person has a right to or interest in as of the date of death.

(26) "Exception to policy" means a waiver by the secretary's designee to a department policy for a specific client experiencing an undue hardship because of the policy. The waiver may not be contrary to law.

(27) "Fair hearing" means an administrative proceeding to hear and decide a client appeal of a department action or decision.

(28) "Federal aid" means the assistance grant programs funded in part by the United States government.

(29) "Food stamp program" means the program administered by the department in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to certify eligible households to receive food coupons used to buy food.

(30) "Funeral" means the care of the remains of a deceased person with, appropriate services including necessary costs of, needed facilities, a lot or cremation, and the customary memorial marking of a grave.

(31) "General assistance" means state-funded assistance to an eligible pregnant or incapacitated person who is not eligible for or not receiving federal aid assistance.

(32) "Grant" means an entitlement awarded to a client and paid by state warrants redeemable at par.

(a) "Grant adjustment" means postpayment of the difference between the amount a client was eligible for in a given period and the amount already paid.

(b) "Initial grant" means the payment due from date of eligibility to the date of the first regular grant.

(c) "Minimum grant" means ten dollars, unless a court decision requires payment of a smaller amount, or the grant would have exceeded ten dollars prior to applying a mandatory overpayment deduction.

(d) "One-time grant" means a payment supplementing or replacing a regular grant.

(e) "Regular grant" means the monthly prepayment of assistance on a continuing basis.

(33) "Grantee" means the person or persons to or for whom assistance is paid.

(34) "House" means a separate structure of one or more rooms.

(35) "Household maintenance and operations" means household supplies, housewares, linens, sewing supplies, household management, laundry, banking, and telephone.

(36) "Income" means any appreciable gain in real or personal property (cash or in-kind) received by a client during the month for which eligibility is determined, and that can be applied toward the needs of the assistance unit.

(a) "Cash income" means income in the form of money, bank notes, checks or any other readily liquidated form.

(b) "Disregarded income" means income which is taken into consideration, but is disregarded in part or entirely when determining need.

(c) "Earned income" means income in cash or in-kind earned as wages, salary, commissions, or profit from activities in which the person is engaged as a self-employed person or as an employee.

(d) "Earned income in-kind" means income in a noncash form received by an assistance unit in lieu of wages, salary, commissions, or profit from activities in which the person is engaged as a self-employed person or as an employee. For grant programs income in-kind shall be evaluated in terms of its cash equivalent under WAC 388-28-600.

(e) "Exempt income" means net income which is not taken into consideration when determining need.

(f) "Net income" means gross income less allowable disregards.

(g) "Nonexempt income" means income which is taken into consideration when determining need.

(h) "Recurrent income" means income which can be predicted to occur at regular intervals.

(i) "Self-produced income" means income from the sale of an item made by a client for personal use. The client has not purchased the item, received it as a gift, or earned it in lieu of wages prior to its sale. For grant programs, self-produced income shall be treated as self-employment income.

(37) "Incapacity" (see WAC 388-24-065 for AFDC and WAC 388-37-030 and 388-37-032 for GA-U).

(38) "Inquiry" means a request for information about the department and/or the services offered by the department.

(39) "Institution" means a treatment facility within which a person receives professional care specific to that facility.

(a) "Institution-medical" provides medical, nursing or convalescent care by professional personnel.

(b) "Institution-private" is operated by nongovernmental authority by private interests.

(c) "Institution-public" is supported by public funds and administered by a governmental agency.

(d) "Institutional services" are those items and services furnished to a person in a particular institution.

(e) "Nursing home" means a public facility or private licensed facility certified by the department to provide skilled nursing and/or intermediate care.

(40) "Intentional overpayment" means a public assistance financial or medical payment, in whole or part, issued on behalf of an assistance unit when:

(a) The unit was ineligible for such payment; and

(b) The assistance was issued due to:

(i) A deliberate, willful act or omission by an assistance unit member; and

(ii) Intent by the assistance unit member to deceive the department with respect to any material fact, condition, or circumstance which affects eligibility or need.

(41) "Joint account" means a numbered account within a financial institution which is registered to two or more parties and is accessible to each party for withdrawal of a cash resource. See WAC 388-28-430(2)(a).

(42) "Living in own home" means a living arrangement other than a boarding home, hospital, nursing home, or other institution.

(43) "Marketable securities" means stocks, bonds, mortgages, and all other forms of negotiable securities.

(44) "Minor" means a person under eighteen years of age.

(45) "Need" is the difference between the assistance unit's financial requirements, by departmental standards, and the value of all nonexempt net income and resources received by or available to the assistance unit.

(46) "Need under normal conditions of living" means the Washington state gross median income adjusted for family size as promulgated by the secretary of HEW, under the authority granted by Title XX of the Social Security Act minus other income during a period of time when not receiving public assistance.

(47) "Overpayment" means any assistance paid to an assistance unit where:

(a) Eligibility for the payment did not exist; or

(b) Assistance paid was in excess of need.

(48) "Payee" means the person in whose name a warrant or check is issued.

(49) "Permanent and total disability" means the inability to do any substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or is expected to last for at least twelve consecutive months.

(50) "Property" means all resources and/or income possessed by a client.

(a) "Personal property" means any form of property which is not real property.

(b) "Real property" is land, buildings thereon and fixtures permanently attached to such buildings. Growing crops are included. Any structure used as a dwelling shall be considered as real property.

(c) "Transfer of property" means a conveyance of title to, or any interest in, property from one party to another through a bill of sale, deed, or any other instrument conveying the interest in property.

(d) "Used and useful property" means property which currently serves a practical purpose for a client.

(51) "Protective payment" means a grant payment to a person on behalf of an eligible recipient.

(52) "Psychiatric facility" means an institution legally qualified to administer psychiatric inpatient treatment.

(53) "Public assistance" means public aid to persons in need thereof for any cause including services, medical care, assistance grants, disbursing orders, and work relief.

(54) "Recipient" means any person within an assistance unit receiving assistance.

(55) "Reinstate" means an authorization to resume payment of a grant from the category in which payment was previously suspended.

(56) "Requirement" means an item of maintenance or a service recognized by the department as essential to the welfare of an individual.

(a) "Additional requirement" means a requirement which is essential for some clients under specified conditions. See WAC 388-29-150 through 388-29-270.

(b) "Basic requirements" means the needs essential to all persons; food, clothing, personal maintenance and necessary incidentals, shelter, and household maintenance.

(57) "Resource" means an asset, tangible or intangible, owned by or available to a client which can be applied toward meeting financial need, either directly or by conversion into money or its equivalent. Any resource obtained on or after the first of the month in which eligibility is determined is called "income."

(a) "Exempt resource" is a resource which by policy is not considered in computing financial need.

(b) "Nonexempt resource" means a resource which is not exempt, and the value of which is used to determine financial need.

(58) "Restitution" means repayment to the state of assistance paid contrary to law.

(59) "Separate property" means real or personal property which was acquired by either spouse before marriage, or as a result of gift or inheritance, or was acquired and paid for entirely out of income from separate property.

(60) "Statements in support of application" means any form or document required under department regulations.

(61) "Suspension" means a temporary discontinuance of a grant payment.

(62) "Terminate" means discontinuance of payment or suspension status.

(63) "Transfer" means reassignment of a case record from one CSO to another in accordance with a client's change of residence.

(64) "Underpayment" means the amount of public assistance financial payment an eligible assistance unit did not receive, but to which the assistance unit was otherwise entitled.

(65) "Unmarried parents" means a man and a woman not legally married who are the natural parents of the same child.

(66) "Value" means the worth of an item in money or goods at a certain time.

(a) "Ceiling value" means the limitation established by the department on the gross market value of nonexempt property.

(b) "Fair market value" means the price at which a seller willing, but not required to sell, might sell to a purchaser, willing but not required to purchase.

(c) "Quick-sale value" or "forced-sale value" is the value at which property can be converted into cash almost immediately, and without waiting for "the best offer."

(67) "Vendor payment" means an authorized payment to a person, corporation, or agency for goods furnished or services rendered to an individual eligible for public assistance.

(68) "Vocational training" means an organized curriculum in a school, training unit, or training program under recognized sponsorship with a specific vocational training objective.

(69) "Warrant" means the state treasurer's warrant issued in payment of a grant.

(70) "Warrant register" means the list of warrants issued specifying payee's name, amount of payment, warrant number, and for each AFDC payment the number of matchable persons whose need is met by the grant.

(a) "Regular warrant register" means the list of regular grants paid.

(b) "Supplemental warrant register" means the list of initial, adjusting, and one-time grants paid.

Wash. Admin. Code § 388-22-030

Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.08.090 and 45 C.F.R. 233.20 (a)(3)(iv), (a)(6)(iii) and (a)(6)(v)(B). 94-08-022 (Order 3719), § 388-22-030, filed 3/29/94, effective 5/1/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050. 92-24-041 (Order 3483), § 388-22-030, filed 11/25/92, effective 12/26/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.005. 92-10-050 (Order 3381), § 388-22-030, filed 5/5/92, effective 7/1/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090. 89-11-102 (Order 2801), § 388-22-030, filed 5/24/89; 80-09-021 (Order 1521), § 388-22-030, filed 7/9/80; 78-10-036 (Order 1338), § 388-22-030, filed 9/18/78; Order 1131, § 388-22-030, filed 7/8/76; Order 1058, § 388-22-030, filed 10/1/75; Order 745, § 388-22-030, filed 12/7/72; Order 648, § 338-22-030, filed 2/9/72; Order 617, § 388-22-030, filed 10/27/71; Order 529, § 388-22-030, filed 3/31/71, effective 5/1/71; Order 353, § 388-22-030, filed 5/29/69; Regulation 5.30, filed 6/14/66; Regulation 5.30, filed 1/24/64.