WSR 08-20-085

EMERGENCY RULES

DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Economic Services Administration)

[ Filed September 29, 2008, 9:12 a.m. , effective October 1, 2008 ]


     Effective Date of Rule: October 1, 2008.

     Purpose: The department is amending by emergency rule WAC 388-450-0195 Utility allowances for Basic Food programs and 388-492-0070 How are my WASHCAP benefits calculated? Changes include updates to utility allowances, the standard income deduction, WASHCAP high cost shelter standard, and the minimum monthly benefit amount.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-450-0195 and 388-492-0070.

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

     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: The amendment needs to be made via an emergency rule filing because federal implementation timeframes do not allow sufficient time to make the changes using the standard adoption process.

     The department is concurrently working on the regular rule-filing process. A CR-101 was filed on June 12, 2008, as WSR 08-13-055 and a CR-102 was filed on August 20, 2008, as WSR 08-17-109.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: September 23, 2008.

Stephanie E. Schiller

Rules Coordinator

4009.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-22-036, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07)

WAC 388-450-0195   Utility allowances for Basic Food programs.   (1) For Basic Food, "utilities" include the following:

     (a) Heating or cooling fuel;

     (b) Electricity or gas;

     (c) Water or sewer;

     (d) Well or septic tank installation/maintenance;

     (e) Garbage/trash collection; and

     (f) Telephone service.

     (2) The department uses the amounts below if you have utility costs separate from your rent or mortgage payment. We add your utility allowance to your rent or mortgage payment to determine your total shelter costs. We use total shelter costs to determine your Basic Food benefits.

     (a) If you have heating or cooling costs, you get a standard utility allowance (SUA) that depends on your assistance unit's size.


Assistance Unit (AU) Size Utility Allowance
1 $((328)) 352
2 $((338)) 362
3 $((348)) 373
4 $((358)) 384
5 $((368)) 394
6 or more $((378)) 405

     (b) If your AU does not qualify for the SUA and you have any two utility costs listed above, you get a limited utility allowance (LUA) of two hundred ((fifty-nine)) seventy-six dollars.

     (c) If your AU has only telephone costs and no other utility costs, you get a telephone utility allowance (TUA) of forty-two dollars.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-036, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090 and 7 C.F.R. 273.9 (d)(6)(iii)(b). 06-21-011, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 06-10-056, § 388-450-0195, filed 5/1/06, effective 6/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090, and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 05-19-062, § 388-450-0195, filed 9/16/05, effective 10/17/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 05-09-087, § 388-450-0195, filed 4/19/05, effective 6/1/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057. 04-23-025, § 388-450-0195, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 03-21-030, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.08.090. 02-22-045, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/30/02, effective 12/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 01-21-059, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. 00-22-065, § 388-450-0195, filed 10/27/00, effective 11/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.040.510 [74.04.510]. 99-24-052, § 388-450-0195, filed 11/29/99, effective 12/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510. 99-09-055, § 388-450-0195, filed 4/19/99, effective 5/20/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.510 and 7 CFR 273.9 (d)(6). 99-01-069, § 388-450-0195, filed 12/14/98, effective 1/14/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057 and 74.08.090. 98-16-044, § 388-450-0195, filed 7/31/98, effective 9/1/98.]


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-22-036, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07)

WAC 388-492-0070   How are my WASHCAP food benefits calculated?   We calculate your food benefits as follows:

     (1) We begin with your gross income.

     (2) We subtract one hundred ((thirty-four)) forty-four dollars from your gross income to get your countable income.

     (3) We figure your shelter cost based on information we receive from Social Security Administration (SSA), unless you report a change as described under WAC 388-492-0080. If you pay:

     (a) Two hundred ((seventy-five)) eighty-four dollars or more a month for shelter, we use three hundred ((sixty-six)) seventy-nine dollars as your shelter cost; or

     (b) Less than two hundred ((seventy-five)) eighty-four dollars for shelter, we use one hundred ((seventy-six)) eighty-two dollars as your shelter cost; and

     (c) We add the current standard utility allowance under WAC 388-450-0195 to determine your total shelter cost.

     (4) We figure your shelter deduction by subtracting one half of your countable income from your shelter cost.

     (5) We figure your net income by subtracting your shelter deduction from your countable income and rounding the resulting figure up from fifty cents and down from forty-nine cents to the nearest whole dollar.

     (6) We figure your WASHCAP food benefits (allotment) by:

     (a) Multiplying your net income by thirty percent and rounding up to the next whole dollar; and

     (b) Subtracting the result from the maximum allotment under WAC 388-478-0060.

     (c) If you are eligible for WASHCAP, you will get at least ((ten dollars in food benefits each month)) the minimum monthly benefit for Basic Food under WAC 388-412-0015.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510 and 7 C.F.R. § 273.9. 07-22-036, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/30/07, effective 11/30/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090 and 7 C.F.R. 273.9 (d)(6)(iii)(b). 06-21-011, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/6/06, effective 11/6/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510, 74.08.090. 05-17-155, § 388-492-0070, filed 8/22/05, effective 10/1/05; 05-08-008, § 388-492-0070, filed 3/25/05, effective 4/25/05; 04-23-026, § 388-492-0070, filed 11/8/04, effective 12/9/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.055, 74.04.057, 74.04.510. 03-21-030, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/7/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.057, 74.04.500, 74.04.510. 03-01-045, § 388-492-0070, filed 12/10/02, effective 1/10/03; 02-15-148, § 388-492-0070, filed 7/22/02, effective 9/1/02; 01-21-058, § 388-492-0070, filed 10/16/01, effective 12/1/01.]

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