Date of Adoption: June 3, 2002.

     Purpose: The Division of Employment and Assistance Programs plans to add a new category of people who may be eligible for the Washington telephone assistance program, and to specify how long they are eligible.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-273-0020 and 388-273-0025.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.08.090, 80.36.440.

     Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.

     Reasons for this Finding: A new category of people who may be eligible for the Washington telephone assistance program was added during the 2002 legislative session (chapter 104, Laws of 2002), and is effective June 13, 2002.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.
     Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.

June 3, 2002

Brian H. Lindgren, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

     (((1)))

     (a) Be age eighteen or older or, if under eighteen, be the responsible head of household, and either;

     (b) Be receiving one of the following programs from us:

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

     (((b))) (ii) State family assistance (SFA);

     (((c))) (iii) General assistance;

     (((d))) (iv) Refugee assistance;

     (((e))) (v) Food assistance;

     (((f))) (vi) State Supplemental Security Income (SSI);

     (((g))) (vii) Medical assistance, including Medicare cost sharing programs;

     (((h))) (viii) Community options program entry system (COPES); ((or

     (i))) (ix) Chore services((.

     (2) Be age eighteen or older or, if under eighteen, be the responsible head of household)); or

     (c) Have completed using community service voice mail services, and been identified to the department as eligible for WTAP by the community agency that provided your community service voice mail program; and

     (2) Apply to ((the)) a local exchange company ((that provides your local)) for WTAP and request the lowest available flat rate telephone service at the WTAP rate. In exchange areas where wireline service is not available without service extension, you may apply to ((an eligible)) a wireless carrier((;)):

     (a) "Local exchange company" means ((an eligible telecommunication carrier providing local service, i.e., the)) a telephone company that is required by the Washington utilities and transportation commission to offer WTAP benefits and offers local calling, i.e., calling without long distance charges.

     (b) "Flat rate service" is telephone service with a single monthly payment that allows unlimited local calling for a specified length of time. The local exchange flat rate includes any federal end user access charges and other charges necessary to obtain the service((.

     (4) Have the lowest available flat rate service; and

     (5))); and

     (3) You must have the local telephone service billed in your name.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 80.36.440. 01-09-023, § 388-273-0020, filed 4/9/01, effective 6/1/01.]

     Reviser's note: RCW 34.05.395 requires the use of underlining and deletion marks to indicate amendments to existing rules. The rule published above varies from its predecessor in certain respects not indicated by the use of these markings.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 01-09-023, filed 4/9/01, effective 6/1/01)

WAC 388-273-0025   Benefits you receive as a WTAP participant.   (1) WTAP participants receive a:

     (a) Discount on local telephone flat rate services, when the flat rate is more than the WTAP assistance rate;

     (b) Waiver of deposit requirements on local telephone service; and

     (c) Fifty percent discount on service connection fees. Any connection fee discounts available from other programs are added to the WTAP discount, to pay part or all of the remaining fifty percent.

     (2) WTAP benefits are limited to one residential line per household.

     (3) The deposit waiver and the discount on connection fees are available once per service year. "Service year" means the period beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the following calendar year.

     (4) Your benefits begin the date you are approved for WTAP assistance and continue through the next June 30, except if you qualified for telephone assistance through using the community services voice mail programs, you will receive one additional service year of benefits.

     (5) WTAP benefits do not include charges for line extension, optional extended area service, optional mileage, customer premises equipment, applicable taxes or delinquent balances owed to the telephone company.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 80.36.440. 01-09-023, § 388-273-0025, filed 4/9/01, effective 6/1/01.]

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