Purpose: This category describes special payments which are available to aged, blind or disabled clients who are receiving cash assistance but have other needs not covered by their monthly cash benefit. This category defines persons who qualify and the needs that qualify for ongoing additional requirement benefits.
WAC 388-473-0010 What are ongoing additional requirements and how do I qualify?
“Ongoing additional requirement" means a need beyond essential food, clothing, and shelter needs and is necessary to help you continue living independently.
We may authorize ongoing additional requirement benefits if you are active in one of the following programs:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Tribal TANF;
State Family Assistance (SFA);
Pregnant Women Assistance (PWA);
Refugee Cash;
Aged, Blind, or Disabled( ABD) cash; or
Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
You apply for an ongoing additional requirement benefit by notifying staff who maintain your cash or medical assistance that you need additional help to live independently.
We authorize ongoing additional requirement benefits only when we determine the item is essential to you. We make the decision based on proof you provide of:
The circumstances that create the need; and
How the need affects your health, safety and ability to continue to live independently.
We authorize ongoing additional requirement benefits by increasing your monthly cash assistance benefit.
We use the following review cycle table to decide when to review your need for the additional benefit(s).
Program
Frequency (Months)
TANF/RCA
6 Months
ABD
12 Months
SSI
24 Months
All
Any time need or circumstances are expected to change
Monthly payment standards for ongoing additional requirements are described under WAC 388-478-0050.
You are physically or mentally impaired in your ability to prepare meals; and
Getting help with meals would meet your nutrition or health needs and is not available to you through another federal or state source; such as the community options program entry system (COPES), Medicaid personal care (MPC), or informal support such as a relative or volunteer.
When we decide to provide meals as an additional requirement, we choose whether to authorize this benefit as restaurant meals or home-delivered meals.
We authorize restaurant meals when:
You are unable to prepare some of your meals;
You have some physical ability to leave your home; and
Home-delivered meals are not available or would be more expensive.
We authorize home-delivered meals when:
You are unable to prepare any of your meals;
You are physically limited in your ability to leave your home; and
WAC 388-473-0040 Food for service animals as an ongoing additional requirement.
A "service animal" is an animal that is trained for the purpose of assisting or accommodating a person with a disability's sensory, mental or physical disability.
We authorize benefits for food for a service animal if we decide the animal is necessary for your health and safety and supports your ability to continue to live independently.
"Trained" does not require training at a recognized school or training facility. It means the animal has been trained to perform some function for the client.
WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES
1. You can ask any of the following:
a. What tasks the animal performs for the person?
b. How the animal is necessary for the health and safety of the person?
c. How the animal supports the person's ability to live independently (or more independently)?
d. How the animal was trained (Professional training, private/personal training, etc?
2. Do not ask for proof of training. Accept the client's statement relating to the animal's training.
a. The animal does not need:
i. To be trained at a facility or school,
ii. To have a certificate. It is acceptable for the person to have trained the animal themselves, a private trainer, or by a friend or volunteer.
3. The difference between a pet and services animal is the animal must be performing a services to allow the individual to live independently.
WAC 388-473-0050
WAC 388-473-0050
Effective September 1, 2000
WAC 388-473-0050 Telephone services as an ongoing additional requirement.
We authorize benefits for telephone services when we decide:
Without a telephone, your life would be endangered, you could not live independently, or you would require a more expensive type of personal care; and
You have applied for the Washington telephone assistance program (WTAP) through your local telephone company.
Restaurant meals: $187.09 per month (or $6.04 per day with the payment rounded down to the nearest amount);
Home delivered meals: The amount charged by the agency providing the meals;
Service animal food: $33.66 per month;
Telephone: the local telephone flat rate for the area, or the Washington Telephone Assistance Program (WTAP) rate, whichever is less; and
Laundry: $11.13 per month.
Needs not specified under OAR may still be requested under the exception to rule provision. See EXCEPTION TO RULE
WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES
Refer requests for ongoing additional requirements to Social Services using the ACES Letter R01G. Set an alert for a ten day response.
For the procedure on denials and approvals, see ACES procedures which follow.
If the amount authorized by social services is over the standard allowed, contact the social service specialist to see if an exception to rule has been approved for the higher amount.
If the client is also receiving Food Assistance, the OAR amount is treated as unearned income, (with the exception of benefits for service animal food) and budgeted against food assistance benefits according to the budgeting method in effect for that assistance unit. Allow 10 days advance notice. See: INCOME Budgeting.
