What can a general assistance-unemployable (GA-U) client expect when Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits begin?
WAC 388-474-0001
WAC 388-474-0001
Effective June 7, 2002
WAC 388-474-0001 What is Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and who can get it?
SSI is a federal cash benefit program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) under Title XVI of the Social Security Act.
You can get SSI if you have limited income and resources and if you are:
Aged (sixty-five and older);
Blind; or
Disabled.
The SSI program replaced state programs for aged, blind and disabled persons beginning in January 1974. If you received state assistance in December 1973 and you became eligible for SSI in January 1974, you are called a grandfathered client by the state and a mandatory income level (MIL) client by SSI. You must continue to meet the definition of blind or disabled that was in effect under the state plan in December 1973. These definitions can be found in the SSA program operations manual system (POMS), see http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/aboutpoms.
If you are needed in the home to care for an eligible person, you are called an essential person. You are also called a grandfathered client.
If you are an essential person you must have lived continuously with the eligible person since January 1974.
If you are an SSI recipient and you have a spouse who does not qualify for SSI in their own right, you may be eligible for a state supplemental payment for your spouse (also referred to as an ineligible spouse).
a. SSI provides federal cash benefits for basic needs to individuals, couples, and children who meet the federal disability criteria as aged, blind, or disabled and have limited income and resources.
2.SSP Background
a. When federal SSI began, the SSI payment was less than the state disability payment. The state supplemented the SSI payment to make up the difference. We call these SSI clients Mandatory Income Level (MIL) SSI clients.
b. The state must guarantee that these SSI recipients never receive less than they received from the state in December 1973.
SSA does not pay SSI cash benefits the first month of SSI eligibility;
SSI clients are CN Medicaid eligible from first of the month using the date of SSI eligibility;
SSI eligibility date is on the SDX 1 screen or the SDX page on ACES Online;
Open CN Medicaid using the first of the month listed in the SSI eligibility date field.
EXAMPLE
Client gets first SSI cash payment in October 2004. Client’s date of SSI eligibility is September 2, 2004. Open CN Medicaid effective September 1, 2004.
Medical eligibility for ineligible spouse
The ineligible spouse cannot get SSI related CN Medicaid;
Determine MN eligibility for an ineligible spouse applying for medical and meeting SSI related criteria. See ADULT MEDICALSSI Related Section
WAC 388-474-0010
WAC 388-474-0010
Effective June 7, 2002
WAC 388-474-0010 How does being a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) client affect your cash assistance eligibility?
If you are married to an SSI recipient but do not get SSI in your own right, you are called an "ineligible spouse."
If you are an ineligible spouse you cannot get the SSI state supplement when you are:
The caretaker relative of a child who receives TANF or SFA; and
Required to be included in the TANF or SFA assistance unit with the child (see WAC 388-408-0015); or
Receiving refugee assistance.
If you are an ineligible spouse and get an SSI state supplement (WAC 388-474-0012), you cannot get general assistance (GA).
SSI clients with an ineligible spouse may receive the ineligible spouse payment and TANF for children in their care when the children are not their natural or adopted children.
EXAMPLE
Household consists of father, mother, and two children. Father is getting $545 in SSI, an ineligible spouse SSP of $100 and, $440 in TANF for the two children. We discover the error and terminate the SSP for the ineligible spouse. We add the ineligible spouse to the TANF grant.
EXAMPLE
Household consists of father, mother, and two children. Father is getting SSI, an ineligible spouse SSP and, $440 in TANF for the two children. Terminate the SSP payment. Mother is disabled and chooses to apply for SSI and father and mother are approved for SSI as a couple getting $818 for themselves and $440 TANF for the children.
EXAMPLE
Grandfather and grandmother receive SSI and the ineligible spouse SSP. They apply for TANF for their grandchildren. We open the children on TANF. The grandmother continues to receive the ineligible spouse SSP and is not included in the TANF grant.
WAC 388-474-0012
WAC 388-474-0012
Effective April 9, 2005
WAC 388-474-0012 What is a state supplemental payment and who can get it?
The state supplemental payment (SSP) is a state funded cash assistance program for certain clients who the Social Security Administration determines are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
You are determined eligible for SSP by the division of developmental disabilities; or
You are eligible for and receive SSI as a foster child receiving specific services through Children’s Administration Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS) for part or all of a month and not eligible for foster care reimbursement under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.
SSI clients who meet the SSP criteria are eligible for only one SSP payment per month.
SSP eligibility is determined using the following eligibility order:
Mandatory Income Level (Grandfathered) SSI clients; then
Ineligible spouse of SSI clients; then
Aged clients; then
Blind clients.
SSI clients must receive an SSI cash payment in the month and meet the SSP eligibility criteria to be eligible for the SSP.
SSI living arrangement on the SDX must be “A”, ‘B”, or “C”.
No eligibility reviews are required for SSP.
EXAMPLE
Married SSI clients both age 65 or older receive SSI at the SSI couples rate. Each spouse can receive the SSP as an aged SSI client. Each will receive a separate monthly SSP payment.
Eligibility for other cash programs
The ineligible spouse of an SSI client is;
Not eligible for GA; and
Not eligible for the SP-I payment if they apply for TANF for their children. They must be in the TANF AU with the children;
Eligible for TANF for children in their household and the SP-I if they are not financially responsible for the children in their household;
Allowed to retain their SP while receiving ADATSA treatment.
Replacing SSP benefits
Clients receive SSP benefits by warrant or by EFT.
When it is necessary to replace warrants, follow guidelines in WAC 388-412-0035.
CSOs complete replacement affidavits for all cases including WASHCAP cases.
Overpayments
There are no ACES overpayments for the SSP program and no overpayments for other programs can be recouped from SSP.
Economic Services Administration (ESA) authorizes SSP using ACES to issue benefits for:
Mandatory Income Level SSI clients;
Ineligible Spouse clients;
Aged SSI clients; and
Blind SSI clients.
The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) authorizes SSP using SSPS to issue benefits for their SSI clients who have developmental disabilities.
The Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) authorizes SSP to eligible foster children who are:
Receiving specific services from Children’s Administration Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS) for part or all of a month; and,
Are not eligible for foster care reimbursement under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.
How does ESA authorize SSP benefits?
Most ESA SSP cases are automatically opened by ACES. If the system is unable to auto-open SSP, ACES generates an alert for the user of record to manually open SSP benefits.
When does the SSP benefit begin and what affect does an SSP have on Basic Food?
SSP begins the first of the month that the SDX shows the SSI client received a federal cash SSI payment.
We do not approve SSP retroactively.
Count all SSP benefits as unearned income for Basic Food and WASHCAP.
NOTE:
SSP funds issued by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) are countable unearned inccome for Basic Food and WASHCAP.
8. SSP Benefit Amounts
a. ESA uses a single SP payment standard for Ineligible spouse, aged, and blind SSI clients.
b. ESA’s Mandatory Income Level SSI client benefit amounts vary between $0.54 cents and $199.77. This is because of special federal requirements for these cases.
NOTE:
Contact Olga Walker at 360-725-4641, with any questions about SSP.
WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES
To manually open SSP, Follow ACES manual instructions for SSP Manual Open.
WAC 388-474-0015
WAC 388-474-0015
Effective June 28, 2002
WAC 388-474-0015 What happens to my categorically needy (CN) medical coverage when my Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cash payment is terminated?
Your CN medical coverage (WAC 388-505-0110) continues after an SSI cash payment ends when:
Countable income exceeds the SSI income standard due solely to the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA); or
A timely request for a hearing has been filed. CN medical coverage is continued until Social Security Administration (SSA) makes a final decision on the hearing request and on any subsequent timely appeals.
If your SSI ends your CN medical coverage continues for a period of up to one hundred twenty days while the department reviews your eligibility for other cash or medical programs.
If you are a terminated SSI or SSI-related client, the department will review your disability status when:
You present new medical evidence;
Your medical condition changes significantly; or
Your termination from SSI was not based on a review of current medical evidence.
Children terminated from SSI due to loss of disabled status may be eligible for medical benefits under WAC 388-505-0210.
Refer the client to DDDS only when SSI ends due to not meeting the federal disability criteria and:
There is evidence that the client’s condition has changed; or
There is a new disability; and
Review eligibility for another medical program, cash, and Basic Food if the client applies.
When SSI ends due solely due to excess income;
Make a referral to DDDS for the end date of their disability approval; and
Do not delay approval for SSI related medical while waiting for DDDS disability end date; and
Make appropriate changes to the DEM 2 when DDDS provides the information.
WAC 388-474-0020
WAC 388-474-0020
Effective June 7, 2002
WAC 388-474-0020 What can a general assistance-unemployable (GA-U) client expect when Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits begin?
You can only get assistance to meet your basic needs from one government source at a time (WAC 388-448-0210). If you are a GA-U client who begins gettingSSI, you should know that:
If you got advance, emergency or retroactive SSI cash assistance for any period where you got GA-U, you must repay the department the amount of GA-U paid to you for the matching time period.
When you apply for GA-U you must sign DSHS 18-235(X), interim assistance reimbursement agreement (IARA) to get GA-U assistance.
You cannot use your GA-U money to replace money deducted from your SSI check to repay an SSI overpayment.
