WAC 388-450-0215 How does the department estimate my assistance unit's income to determine my eligibility and benefits?
We decide if your assistance unit (AU) is eligible for benefits and calculate your monthly benefits based on an estimate of your AU's gross monthly income and expenses. This is known as prospective budgeting.
We use your current, past, and future circumstances for a representative estimate of your monthly income.
We may need proof of your circumstances to ensure our estimate is reasonable. This may include documents, statements from other people, or other proof as explained in WAC 388-490-0005.
We use one of two methods to estimate income:
Anticipating monthly income (AM):With this method, we base the estimate on the actual income we expect your AU to receive in the month (see subsection (5)); and
Averaging income (CA):With this method, we add the total income we expect your AU to receive for a period of time and divide by the number of months in the period (see subsection (6)).
Anticipating monthly income: We must use the anticipating monthly method:
For the month you apply for benefits unless:
We are determining eligibility for children's medical programs as listed in WAC 388-505-0210 (3) through (6) or pregnancy medical as listed in WAC 388-462-0015. For children's and pregnancy medical we can use either method; or
You are paid less often than monthly (for example: you are paid quarterly or annually). If you are paid less often than monthly, we average your income for the month you apply. Section (6) explains how we average your income.
When we estimate income for anyone in your AU, if you or anyone in your AU receive SSI-related medical benefits under chapter 388-475 WAC.
When we must allocate income to someone who is receiving SSI-related medical benefits under chapter 388-475 WAC.
When you are a destitute migrant or destitute seasonal farmworker under WAC 388-406-0021. In this situation, we must use anticipating monthly (AM) for all your AU's income.
To budget SSI or social security benefits even if we average other sources of income your AU receives.
Averaging income: When we average your income, we consider changes we expect for your AU's income. We determine a monthly amount of your income based on how often you are paid:
If you are paid weekly, we multiply your expected income by 4.3;
If you are paid every other week, we multiply your expected income by 2.15;
In most cases if you receive your income other than weekly or every other week, we estimate your income over your certification period by:
Adding the total income for representative period of time;
Dividing by the number of months in the timeframe; and
Using the result as a monthly average.
If you receive your yearly income over less than a year because you are self employed or work under a contract, we average this income over the year unless you are:
Paid on an hourly or piecework basis; or
A migrant or seasonal farmworker under WAC 388-406-0021.
If we used the anticipating monthly income method for the month you applied for benefits, we may average your income for the rest of your certification period if we do not have to use this method for any other reason in section (5).
If you report a change in your AU's income, and we expect the change to last through the end of the next month after you reported it, we update the estimate of your AU's income based on this change.
If your actual income is different than the income we estimated, we don't make you repay an overpayment under chapter 388-410 WAC or increase your benefits unless you meet one of the following conditions:
You can choose the budgeting method for Children’s (WAC 388-505-0210) and/or Pregnancy medical (WAC 388-462-0015) that is most beneficial to the client.
a. You can choose either anticipated monthly (AM) or averaging (CA) budgeting methods.
b. You do not have to use AM method in the month of application.
c. These households are continuously eligible therefore, changes in income or household composition will not affect eligibility for children’s and pregnancy medical.
EXAMPLE
Scott, Sally and 4 year old Suzie apply for TANF, food benefits and medical. Scott’s been self-employed for the last 2 years as a house painter but work has slowed down. Sally is unemployed and pregnant. They provided identification, CIA form, pregnancy verification and last year’s federal IRS tax return (net yearly income of $36,000.00/$3000.00 monthly). For TANF and food benefits, the case is pended for actual income in the month of application. However, the declared income and business expenses from the last IRS return is below the 4 person FPL for both P02 ($3183.85) and F06 ($3442). Do not pend for actual business receipts unless questionable.
EXAMPLE
Christie has mailed an application for pregnancy medical in October. She included her identification, CIA form, EDC statement and September wage stubs. She’s worked at ABC Bookstore for the last three years. She is a salaried employee, earning $1400.00 gross income per month. The worker verifies her income via SPIDER cross match and as they represent current and/or anticipated income, opens P02 medical
EXAMPLE
Jamie leaves an application at the local office, applying for children’s medical for her two kids. She attached identification, birth certificates, CIA form and a rent receipt. The application states she works fulltime, earning $1800.00 gross per month as a transit bus driver. She also receives $400.00 per month in child support. The worker verifies earnings of $2100.00 via SPIDER and the DCS cross match confirms $400.00 per month child support, for a total gross income of $2500.00/month. Even though the declared income is different than the verified income of $2500.00 per month, it is still less than the 3 person FPL of $2862.00 and the worker opens F06
NOTE:
If the readily available income verification for the household is HIGHER than their declared income but LOWER than the income standard, do not delay processing for verification of the lower income amount.
Recording Hours of Employment
For TANF cases, we must verify and record the anticipated hours that a person will be working in the same manner that we budget anticipated income. This is necessary to capture hours of employment for WorkFirst households. We use ACES (not eJAS) data to claim WorkFirst employment hours towards meeting the federal work participation rate. This intensive recording does not include child-only TANF cases, or self-employment income.
For employed persons on TANF, we record:
·The best estimate of the actual hours we expect the person to work each month when we budget their anticipated income using the Anticipate Monthly (AM) method; or
·An average monthly amount of hours using the Combined Average (CA) budgeting method and the person’s pay frequency; and
·The actual date the person’s work began, particularly for new jobs.
NOTE:
Though we must capture and verify the hours and start date information to the best of our ability for TANF, it is not an eligibility requirement by itself. We cannot delay or deny benefits for missing hours or begin date information when we do not need it to determine benefits
Steps to arrive at the best estimate of the client’s income:
During the interview process, identify all sources of earned and unearned income that are;
Owned by client; and
Available to the client.
Subtract any income that is excluded or disregarded; and
Budget the income remaining using the appropriate calculation method based on the client’s choice or the requirements of WAC 388-450-0215.
EXAMPLE
Client who is paid yearly $18,000.00 in June, applies in June and estimates they will continue to earn $18,000.00/year. Budget $1,500.00/month for the month of application, then budget $1,500.00/month on-going.
See WAC 388-450-0005 to decide if income is owned by and available to the client.
How to determine the best estimate of a client's income and hours:
The best estimate of a client's income and hours is:
nWhat hours you can reasonably expect a client to work; and
nWhat income is reasonably expected to be received for the pay period frequency.
What you can expect may vary depending upon length of employment, consistency of hours, wages, and anticipated changes. See Best Estimate Guide
EXAMPLE
Client who is a seasonal farmworker is in the office for a Basic Food/TANF re-certification. The client is not currently working and has no other income. In the past several years, he has always worked this season and had an average monthly income of $900.00. The client states that he intends to work as soon as the farms start hiring. Since you don't have a source of income identified, you would not budget any income. When the client starts working, it is a change he must report.
EXAMPLE
Dawn ends her job at Burgertown on June 30th to work at Lotsabooks.com. Burgertown pays weekly on Fridays with a one-week period between the end of a pay period and the payday for that week's work. The job at Lotsabooks starts on July 5th. Pay periods at Lotsabooks are the 1st - 15th and 16th - End of month. Dawn is paid ten days after the pay period ends (the 10th and 25th ). When you estimate the income for July, consider that she will:
Receive the last check for Burgertown on July 7.
Receive the first check for Lotsabooks on July 25th, which will be for a partial pay period.
Remember to update her work hours along with her income if Dawn is on TANF.
Items to include in a best estimate for income and hours:
The time frame the estimate covers.
If the estimate is for part of the certification period, adjust the monthly income and hours for changes you anticipate for the rest of the certification period; or
If the estimate is for the whole certification period, adjust the income you budget only if there is a change.
The information used to establish the estimate.
Did you use pay stubs from an earlier period, or an employer statement?
If your estimate is based on what the client earned last month, show the income, hours, and circumstances for the last 30 days.
Clear and complete documentation of the calculation method, the income budgeted, the hours anticipated, and why this most accurately reflects income the client is expected to receive and the hours the client is expected to work. This includes the reason you used some pay stubs as a basis for the income, but disregarded others because they didn't reflect what the client is likely to receive. See DOCUMENTATION for more instructions on documenting a best estimate.
EXAMPLE
Compare the client’s documents to see if they support what the client is telling you.
Did the client tell you they are paid twice a month, but the pay stubs are for two-week periods?
Does the hourly rate on the documents match what the client is telling you?
Do all of the pay stubs you are using show the same pay rate?
Estimate income using one of the calculation methods below based on the client's circumstances and preference. We must also record the estimated hours of work to correspond with the pay frequency for earned income other than self-employment[h1]
1.Anticipating Monthly (AM):
When you use AM, estimate income by totaling the actual amount of income and hours you expect the client to receive in each benefit month. Benefits will vary based on changes in monthly income.
See “Client Choice” for examples of when choosing AM might be appropriate.
Averaging:
Use the Combined Average (CA) method in ACES to calculate income when clients expect their income to change from month to month, but want their benefits to stay the same. The income we budget and hours we estimate then depends on the frequency that the person is paid.
a.To estimate the income and hours per pay period:
i.Total the gross income from all pay periods where the income represents what the client should receive; and
ii.Divide by the number of pay periods used in step (i) above to get the average income and hours for each pay period.
b.Using the estimate from step (a), we derive the monthly amount as follows:
i.If a client is paid weekly or every-other week, we must convert the income to a monthly amount using the following formula:
A.Weekly, we multiply the weekly amount by 4.3; or
B.Every-other week we multiply by 2.15; and
C.Round the result to the nearest penny.
ii.If the client is not paid weekly or every-other week, such as monthly or twice per month, we derive the monthly income and hours by multiplying the estimate by pay periods per month.
NOTE:
We convert income using the 4.3 or 2.15 multiplier to calculate monthly income only if the client is paid weekly or every-other week.
NOTE:
If you are using past work history to estimate future income, remember that the rate of pay may have changed. Use the average hours from the previous pay and the new pay rate to calculate income.
NOTE:
ACES will perform the conversion calculation from the appropriate pay frequency for income and hours. See the ACES User Manualfor information on entering the pay frequency correctly.
If we are estimating the amount of income and hours to be expected for a new job or changed circumstances, we project the amount based on the employer’s estimate of hours per pay period and rate of pay. We then use the appropriate budgeting method to determine the monthly income for the certification period.
EXAMPLE
Client starts a new job. The employer states the client will work 15 – 25 hours per week at $8.00 per hour and will be paid twice a month. The employer does not expect this to change. The client wants to use averaging. One way to determine the anticipated income per pay period is as follows:
We would then multiply the estimated amount per pay period by expected checks per month to get the average amount to budget:
$346.67/pay check x 2 paychecks monthly = $693.34 monthly.
EXAMPLE
Client applies for cash and Basic Food benefits. He works 20-30 hours per week and is paid every-other Friday. The client earns the minimum wage of $7.93. The client provides three pay stubs that show 40, 50, and 54 hours per pay period. The client states that he expects his hours to remain about the same as they have been over these periods. You may calculate the average as follows:
40 hrs + 50 hrs + 54 hrs ÷ 3 = 48 hrs/period
48 hrs/period x $7.93/hr = $380.64/period
$380.64/period x 2.15 = $818.37 monthly.
NOTE:
Since the client is paid minimum wage, it’s important to take the annual adjustment to minimum wage into account when you estimate the client’s earnings. The Department of Labor and Industries adjusts the state minimum wage every January.
Client is hired at a new job. The employer states that the client will start working 40 hours per week beginning July 15th, but because of the time lag in the employer’s payroll system, the client will not receive their first weekly check until the first Friday in August. The client will receive a $400 weekly salary every Friday. You may calculate the client’s monthly income as follows:
Budget no income for this job in July
For August, multiply the $400/week x 4.3 = $1720.00 monthly.
Even though the client is salaried, we also note the correct hours per pay period in ACES. In this example, 40 hours per week.
You must use AM to budget income and hours for the month of application for Cash, Food and Family Medical:
Budget the exact amount of income already received and the hours worked including the best estimate of the expected actual income and hours for the remainder of the month to determine the total income.
If there is no other situation that requires us to use AM, you can choose either AM or averaging for the remainder of the certification period. This includes the second month when the client is interviewed after the month of application.
EXAMPLE
Client applied for assistance March 1st. The worker interviewed the client on March 18th. In this example, the worker must budget the actual income the client received and document the hours worked between March 1st and March 18th. We can then use the best estimate of the client’s anticipated income and hours between March 19th and March 31st.
EXAMPLE
Person applies for assistance March 1st, and is interviewed the same day. The applicant has a consistent source of income and will receive pay in March. Because the person has not yet received any income by the time of the interview, we must use ‘best estimate’ to record hours worked and budget all of the actual expected March income using the AM method.
For Basic Food only, if an AU is destitute under WAC 388-406-0021:
Use AM for the month of application. If you do not have to use AM for any other reason, you may use either AM or averaging for the remainder of the certification period.
Provide expedited service if their available cash resources are $100 or less under WAC 388-406-0015.
See WAC 388-450-0230 to determine if we exclude any of the AUs income for the month of application.
AM and SSI-related medical:
Use AM to budget all of the client’s income if:
A client receives SSI-related medical; or
The AU has income allocated to someone receiving SSI-related medical. The following program codes in ACES require AM:
C
C01, C95, C99
G
G03, G95, G99
K
K01, K03, K95, K99
L
L01, L02, L04, L95, L99
S
S01, S02, S03, S04, S05, S07, S95, S99
You don't have to use AM to budget the income of a client in the Basic Food AU with someone receiving SSI-related medical if the client doesn't:
Receive SSI-related medical;
Have income allocated to someone receiving SSI-related medical; or
Meet any of the other requirements to use AM under WAC 388-450-0215.
EXAMPLE
Client receives SSI; Spouse has earned income that Social Security allocates to the client. You must budget the client's SSI income using AM because the income is SSI. Budget the spouse's income using either AM or averaging. Do not allocate income to a spouse receiving SSI medical.
When clients get SSI, but no one in the AU gets SSI-related medical:
Budget SSI and Social Security using AM. If there is no other situation that requires us to use AM, use either method for the other sources of income.
If you don’t have to use AM, clients can choose the budgeting method for their income and anticipate their hours for the certification period. The client’s choice should be guided by whether:
They want their benefits to remain consistent through the certification period; or
They want their benefits to change based on anticipated changes in income and hours.
Sometimes the client's circumstances make AM a likely choice to budget the income and anticipated hours. Times when a client may choose AM include, when they:
Have stable income such as a regular monthly salary;
Are paid daily;
Expect several changes at different times within the month (e.g. regular hours for the first week, no hours for the second week due to unpaid leave, raise in wages on the third week); or
Expect to get less than a full month's income due to the beginning or end of a source of income.
There are times when one method will cause a client to be eligible for benefits, and another method may cause a client to be ineligible. If a client is ineligible using one method, review the case to see if the client would prefer another method.
EXAMPLE
Single-person Basic Food AU. Client is paid $470.00 gross income every-other Friday. Three month certification is July - September 2005.
Anticipating Monthly
July:
$1410.00
August:
$ 940.00
September
$ 940.00
Averaging
July
$1010.50
August:
$1010.50
September
$1010.50
In the example, the client is eligible for two of three months using AM, but totally ineligible using averaging.
Calculation methods cannot be changed during a certification period just to maximize a client's benefits:
Changing calculation methods to give clients more benefits does not result in the best estimate of a client's income and hours for the entire certification period.
If you are not required to use AM, clients may choose the method used to budget their income and record their hours at:
Application; and
Eligibility review or re-certification.
Change the calculation method during a certification period only when clients report a change that was not considered in the original estimate.
When clients are paid weekly or biweekly and choose AM:
When a client chooses AM, we adjust the client's case for changes you anticipate through the certification period as follows:
Determine which months the client will receive an extra check and:
Set an alert to for the ongoing month(s) for the change; and
Make the change to the income and hours for the ongoing month to allow timely and adequate notice and affect the client's benefits.
NOTE:
Inform the client how the choice of methods will affect their benefits and let them choose the method.
NOTE:
If you average income using the weekly or every-other week conversion, you are better protected against payment errors because it accounts for extra periodic checks. Since conversion is based on an annual average, it's safe to convert income received weekly or every-other week even if the client will not get an extra check.
NOTE:
Include the work hours to correspond with the pay frequency selected for budgeting.
When clients report a change in income:
If a client reports a change in their income and hours, take the following steps:
Determine if the change will last at least a month beyond the date the client reported the change;
If so, re-calculate this source of income.
Document the reported change and whether or not the change is expected to last at least a month beyond the month the client reported the change.
Record the actual job start date in ACES. This will allow us to report employment hours for all of the time the client has been working.
EXAMPLE
Gina calls us on January 9th to report that she is working. She started work on December 3rd and expects the work to continue beyond the ongoing month. When we enter her income and hours for February and ongoing, we must be sure to record her start date of 12/3 as well.
NOTE:
See WAC 388-418-0020 to determine the effective date of a change in the client’s benefits.
Self-employment income may be earned monthly, seasonally, or annually. When a client earns self-employment income, average the income and expenses over the period the income is intended to cover. Self-employment earned income hours are not captured for WorkFirst participation from the hours entered in ACES. It is not necessary to correlate the pay frequency to the work hours for this income type.
Self employment income:
If a client gets their annual self-employment income over a period of less than a year, we average this income over the year;
If a client's income is from self-employment for only part of the year, we average the income over the period of time the self-employment income covers; or
If the income averaged over the year or portion of the year doesn't represent what the client will receive due to a significant increase or decrease in business:
Anticipate the client's self-employment income for each month; and
Average any capital gains the client will receive over the year. A capital gain is profit from selling business property or equipment.
Self-employment expenses:
Average or anticipate self-employment expenses for the same period you use for the income. Refer to WAC 388-450-0080 and WAC 388-450-0085 for more information on self-employment budgeting.
EXAMPLE
If a client is self-employed as a hot dog vendor from June to October to supplement their income from other sources during the rest of the year, we average the self-employment income and expenses over the months of June through October instead of the 12-month period.
NOTE:
Self employment work hours are calculated by ACES automatically for work participation from the monthly income information.
Clients that receive their annual income over a timeframe less than a year under contract:
When a client gets their annual income over a period of less than a year as a part of the client's employment contract, average their annual income and hours over a 12-month period unless the client is:
A migrant or seasonal farmworker; or
Paid on an hourly or piecework basis.
Other contract income:
If a client's income that is paid under contract is not the client's annual income (yearly), we average the income over the period of time the contract income covers unless the client is:
A migrant or seasonal farmworker; or
Paid on an hourly or piecework basis.
Examples of employees that may receive their income under contract include:
School Employees;
Bus Drivers;
Farmers; and
Fishers.
NOTE:
For employed TANF clients paid on a piecework basis, record the corresponding hours to the pay frequency as any other pay rate. If the hours are unavailable as part of the income verification process, use the following formula to estimate piecework hours:
nTake the gross anticipated income for the pay period; and
nDivide by the federal minimum wage, currently $5.15.
Enter the appropriate amount in the ‘hours’ field consistent with the job’s pay frequency.
EXAMPLE
Linda is employed as a teacher forEvergreen School District. As allowed under her contract, she receives her annual salary of $31,002 in the months of September through June of each year. Because this is the client’s annual income, we budget 1/12 of the client’s yearly income ($2583.50) for each month even though she doesn’t receive a paycheck from the school district in July or August.
If she receives TANF, enter her annual hours to correspond with the annual pay frequency. However, if we are budgeting by the individual month, budget the actual hours anticipated for the month.
EXAMPLE
Jordan is applying for GA-U receives $12,600 every December from a trust fund that was set up to distribute an inheritance from his grandmother. The fund cannot be accessed in any other manner. We average this income throughout the entire year and budget $1,050 monthly.
EXAMPLE
Bob is on TANF and is paid per bushel of cherries picked. His wage stubs clearly verify his weekly income, but do not indicate his hours worked. The weekly pay we are budgeting based on the verification is $200.00. To estimate his work hours, we divide $200 by $5.15 to get 38.83 weekly hours. We enter 39 hours, consistent with the pay frequency we used to budget his income.
4. Budgeting the earned income of a child turning age 18:
Count or exclude the earned income of a child according to WAC 388-450-0070. For cash assistance, consider a client to be a child if they meet the requirements of WAC 388-404-0005.
We use a child’s age on the first day of the month as the child’s age for that month.
EXAMPLE
If a child turns 18 on August 8, consider them as 17 in August and 18 in September. For Basic Food, you would not budget the child's earnings for August and would budget the income in September.
NOTE:
ACES reads the age of the child as well as their student status and applies this rule.
5. Budgeting child support that fluctuates:
You can use either AM or CA to budget child support you expect a client to receive. Determine the amount to budget based on what you can reasonably expect knowing the client's current support, what they received in the past, and changes that you anticipated changes. Document your decision as described in Documentation.
When you know of a change in child support income, decide if the new amount is something you can expect to continue or if the original estimate was valid.
If the support is paid through DCS, you can contact DCS and the client to determine if:
There was a change that would impact your estimate for the monthly support (such as a new support order); or
The change could be explained by some short-term situation such as:
Job changes, with a lag between the start of the job and the start of the payroll deduction for support;
Was making larger payments for a period of time to pay arrears, and is now caught up; or
Was off work for a period of time and DCS was unable to collect support.
If the support is not paid through DCS, you can contact the client and request information to help determine why the support changed.
NOTE:
If you decide the amount budgeted should be changed, see WAC 388-418-0020 to determine the effective date of the change. For clients that receive support through DCS, consider the change as known to the department and don't require additional verification of the amount.
NOTE:
For Basic Food, if the entire amount of child support arrears is paid off in a single payment, consider the amount for arrears as a lump sum payment and count it as a resource. Count any amount for current support as unearned income. See WAC 388-470-0055 for information on lump sums.
6. Budgeting additional cash assistance payments for Basic Food:
If a cash supplement is issued due to a change in income or expenses, do not budget the additional cash against the Basic Food without ten days’ notice.
When issuing a cash and Basic Food supplement due to adding a person to both AUs, include the cash supplement when determining the Basic Food supplementary amount for that month.
See LETTERSfor information on timely and adequate notice.
Budget the income the client received or expects to receive for the month of application.
Use the income you can reasonably expect the client to receive for the month(s) you authorize medical care.
See WAC 388-418-0020 - How the department determines the date a change affects my benefits, and WAC 388-418-0025 - Effect of Changes on Medical, for changes in income after certification.
Budget allowable expenses for the month you expect the client to have the expense using AM budgeting or an offline average. Dependent care expenses can be converted using ACES.
Refer to the ACES User Manual for information on entering expenses for deductions.
NOTE:
If you choose to average an expense outside of ACES, your documentation must clearly show that you averaged the expense and how you came about the amount you entered for the expense.
When clients receive less income than estimated,do not supplement benefits unless you made an error in calculating the client’s benefits.
If a TANF/SFA-eligible assistance unit receives less income than you anticipated, see EMERGENCY ASSISTANCEto determine if this created an emergent need and if the client may be eligible for AREN.
For information regarding changes that cause ineligibility, see WAC 388-418-0020.
WAC 388-450-0225
WAC 388-450-0225
Effective November 1, 2003
WAC 388-450-0225 How are my assistance unit's benefits calculated for the first month I am eligible for cash assistance?
To calculate your AU’s cash benefit for your first month’s benefits, we compare your AU’s countable income to the payment standard as described in WAC 388-450-0162.
Even if your AU has countable income over the payment standard, you may still get additional requirements.
Ifyour countable income is less than the payment standard, we prorate your grant amount based on the date you are eligible.
We do not prorate any approved additional requirements.
We prorate your grant by:
Dividing your AU's grant amount by the number of days in the first month of eligibility; and
Multiplying the result in (5)(a) by the number of days from the date of eligibility to the last day of the month.
See WAC 388-406-0055 for the effective date of eligibility for cash assistance applications.
See WAC 388-450-0162 for the definition of countable income and its effect on eligibility.
WAC 388-450-0230
WAC 388-450-0230
Effective November 1, 2003
WAC 388-450-0230 What income does the department count in the month I apply for Basic Food when my assistance unit is destitute?
If your assistance unit (AU) meets the requirements of a destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker under WAC 388-406-0021, we may exclude some of your income in the month you apply for Basic Food.
In the month of application, we:
Count only income your AU received between the first of the month and the date you apply for Basic Food; and
Disregard any income from a new source that you expect to receive after the date you apply for Basic Food.
Count only income received between the first of the month and the date of application. Do not count any income from a new source that is anticipated after the date of application.
EXAMPLE
Client applied for assistance on April 15. The AU is destitute because the migrant farmworker received $50 income from a terminated source on April 8, and expects to receive $575 from a new source on April 26. Consider only $50 for the month of application.
If a client receives money after the date of application, and this money is not from a new source, the client is not destitute under WAC 388-406-0021. In this case, we budget the actual amount the client received from the date of application to the date of the client's interview as well as the income we estimate the client will receive for the remainder of the month.
Apply the above procedures at initial application and recertification, but only for the first month of each certification period. At recertification, disregard income from a new source in the first month of the new certification period if income of more than $25 will not be received from this new source by the 10th calendar day after the date of the AU's normal assistance cycle.
EXAMPLE
A client whose Basic Food AU number ends in an "8" applies for recertification on May 15. The certification period ends on May 31. The AU is destitute and expects to receive $700 from a new source on June 25. Disregard $700 for June because the AU will not receive it by June 18.
WAC 388-450-0245
WAC 388-450-0245
Effective November 1, 2003
WAC 388-450-0245 When are my benefits suspended?
For TANF/SFA, RCA, GA and Basic Food, “suspend” means the department stops your benefits for one month.
We suspend your AU’s benefits for one month when your expected total countable income under WAC 388-450-0162:
