WAC 388-455-0005

Effective March 2, 2011

WAC 388-455-0005 How do lump sum payments affect benefits?

  1. A lump sum payment is money that someone receives but does not expect to receive on a continuing basis.
  2. For cash assistance and family medical programs, we count a lump sum payment :
    1. As a resource, under 388-455-0010, if it was awarded for wrongful death, personal injury, damage, or loss of property.
    2. As income, under 388-455-0015, if it was received for any other reason, with the exception of subsection (3) and (4) of this section.
  3. For medical programs, receipt of a lump sum by a member of a federally -recognized tribe from exercising federally protected rights or extraction of exempt resources is considered an exempt resource in the month of receipt.  Any amounts remaining on the first of the next month will be counted if they remain in the form of a countable resource.  Any amounts remaining the first of the month after conversion will remain exempt if they are in the form of an exempt resource.
  4. For cash and family medical programs, tax refunds and earned income tax lump sums are excluded as income and excluded as a resource for twelve months from the date of receipt.
  5. For Basic Food, we count lump sum payments for a previous period as a resource under WAC 388‑470‑0055.  We count any amount for current or future months as income to your assistance unit.

This is a reprint of the official rule as published by the Office of the Code Reviser. If there are previous versions of this rule, they can be found using the Legislative Search page.