Benefits Eligibility & Amounts Impacted
Per 2SSB 5793 (2)(e): "As allowable by federal and state law, state agencies will minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the impact of stipends and reimbursements on public assistance eligibility and benefit amounts.”
Federal and state income-based programs such as those that provide assistance with housing, health care, and money for food and other living expenses typically require reporting of any earnings by the recipient of said assistance. Many community members are enrolled in more than one of these programs. State agencies, which plan to compensate eligible community members, must consider how this may affect each of the assistance programs from which workgroup members receive assistance.
Below is the chart that demonstrates which public assistance eligibility and benefit amounts are impacted by stipends and reimbursements, and which will require statutory changes in order to avoid negatively impacting a workgroup members’ benefits.
Program | Agency | Benefit Eligibility & Amount Impact Analysis | ||
| Public Housing | Dept. of Commerce (COM) | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and
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| Consolidated Homeless Grant | COM | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Housing Choice Voucher | COM | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and sporadic (received/earned no more than 3 times per year) or nonrecurring
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| Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program | COM | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Project-based Voucher/Public Housing | COM | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and sporadic (received/earned no more than 3 times per year) or nonrecurring
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| Housing Trust Fund | COM | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and sporadic (received/earned no more than 3 times per year) or nonrecurring
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| National Housing Trust Fund | COM | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and
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| HOME Rental Development Program | COM | Payments excluded from income determination if temporary and
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| Affordable Connectivity Program | COM | Gross income: ACP verifies income through looking at tax returns or pay
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| Community Services Block Grant | COM | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Head Start | Dept. of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program | DCYF | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) | DCYF | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | Department of Health (DOH) | Income from participation is reportable for WIC and could impact eligibility. DOH provided the following options to minimize or eliminate benefit impact. WIC treats community compensation as income when it is on-going (i.e. when program participants participate in community advisory groups that occur over the course of months). If it is a one-time event (including a few engagement occasions to complete a project), they do not count the compensation as income. Examples below:
WIC offers additional eligibility for participants participating in programs that might exempt this income, including: · Medicaid Title 19 · State or Federal non-Title 19 medical assistance programs with income guidelines the same or less than WIC’s · TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) · SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) · FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations) WIC can also annualize income (over 12 months) received for a short-term engagement (e.g. time-limited and less than six months), which would reduce the risk of the participant exceeding program income eligibility guidelines. WIC does not consider gift cards income and is allowable if not equivalent to a cash payment, like a visa card. WIC is also requesting a waiver from USDA that would exempt this income from WIC income eligibility.
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| SNAP/FAP (Food Assistance Program) | Dept of Social and Health Services (DSHS); Community Services Division (CSD) | Payments included - Federal waiver requested | ||
| Temporary Assistance for Needy Families | DSHS; CSD | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Aged, Blind or Disabled Cash Program | DSHS; CSD | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Tribal IV-D and TANF Programs | DSHS; CSD | Under review
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| Child Support | DSHS; Division of Child Support (DCS) | Payments excluded from income withholding | ||
| Refugee Cash | DSHS; CSD | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Medicaid | DSHS; CSD | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Veterans' Nonservice Connect Pension or Survivors' Pension | Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) | Income included - DVA to request change with federal VA. | ||
| Unemployment | Employment Security Department (ESD) | Payments need to be reported on weekly claim and the payment will likely be deducted from weekly benefit amount. | ||
| Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave | ESD | Payments excluded from income determination
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| Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) - based institutional Apple Health | Health Care Authority (HCA) | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Non-MAGAI Medical | HCA | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Free/Reduced Lunch | Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) | Payments excluded from eligibility determination
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| Supplemental Security Income | SSA provided a decision that these payments must be reported but is excluded from income for SSI purposes
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| Social Security Insurance (SSII) | No impact
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| Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) | No Impact
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