Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

Client Data 2001 Glossary

Glossary Fiscal Year 2001 - Economic Services Administration

Economic Services Administration (ESA) administers welfare grants, related employment training, and child care to very low-income persons in the following groups: disabled and unemployable persons, persons who have children under age 18, and pregnant women. In addition, ESA administers services which promote economic independence and self-sufficiency for refugees through the effective use of financial, medical, and social services. ESA also administers food Assistance services.

Consolidated Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP): ESA provides for specific emergent needs such as food, shelter, clothing, minor medical, household maintenance, job-related transportation or clothing, and transportation for foster care-bound children. Payment is limited to specified maximums for individual emergent need items or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Payment Standard, whichever is lower. Benefit payments are authorized for only 30 days in any 12 consecutive month period. CEAP is available to the following persons: (1) pregnant women in any stage of pregnancy or (2) families with dependent children. Prior to January 2000, clients could be eligible for CEAP benefits while receiving ongoing cash Assistance. Beginning January 1, 2000, clients must be ineligible for TANF, State Family Assistance (SFA), Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), or Diversion Cash Assistance (DCA) to receive CEAP benefits. This policy change restricting eligibility accounts for the significant decline in numbers served between Fiscal Year 99 and Fiscal Year 00.

Diversion Cash Assistance (DCA) Service:  ESA provides one-time DCA grants to low-income families with temporary emergent needs who are not likely to need continued Assistance if those needs are met. DCA grants are limited to $1500 once per year. DCA payments may be used to cover emergent needs for shelter, transportation, child care, food, medical care, and employment-related expenses. Recipients must meet TANF or SFA eligibility criteria to receive a DCA grant. If the family or Assistance unit goes on TANF or SFA Assistance within 12 months of receiving a DCA grant, a proportionate amount of the DCA payment must be repaid.

Food Stamp (FS) Benefits: Federal Food Stamp Program (FSP) benefits are available to households with income below 130% of the federal poverty level and resources below federal limits. Legal immigrants who are ineligible for the federal FSP but meet FSP income and resource limits receive food Assistance through a state-funded food Assistance program. Food Assistance benefits are generally available to all low-income households regardless of factors such as age, incapacity, and dependency. Certain Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) are limited to no more than 3 months of benefits during a 36-month period unless they either work at least 20 hours a week or participate in Food Stamp Employment and Training. Recipients receive debit cards or coupons redeemable for food at participating food stores.

General Assistance-Aged, Blind, and Disabled (GA-A/B/D), General Assistance-Institutional (GA-I), General Assistance-Unemployable (GA-U), and General Assistance-Expedited Medical Disability (GA-X): ESA provides GA-A/B/D, GA-I, GA-U, and GA-X cash grants to clients who are poor and unable to work due to a physically or mentally incapacitating medical condition. GA-A/B/D benefits are paid to the aged, blind, and/or disabled. GA-I benefits are paid to clients residing in institutional facilities. GA-U benefits are paid to those with medical conditions that are not severe or long-term enough to meet federal disability criteria. GA-X benefits are paid to clients who are awaiting SSI determination (GA-X).

ORIA Services and CSO Case Management: The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) provides a variety of services including English as a Second Language (ESL) Training, Health Screening, Self-Sufficiency Assessments, Citizenship Training, Planning, Employment Services, Foster Care, and other Social Services. All ORIA Services are provided to refugees and immigrants through private non-profit and government contractors. ESL Training assists refugees and immigrants to overcome communication problems and to obtain the necessary language skills to find employment. Employment Services include assessment, job development, job placement, on-the-job-training, trial employment, and follow-up to ensure job retention. CSO Case Management includes an evaluation of health, education, skills, work history, and employment potential; Assistance in developing a personal employment plan; and referrals to social and medical services.

Refugee Grants: Refugees who meet state income and grant standards, but do not qualify for TANF or SSI, receive federal Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) for their first eight months in the United States. In general, RCA recipients are single persons and married couples without children.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) State Supplement Payments: SSI is a national benefit service for individuals and couples who are age 65 or older or who are blind or disabled as determined by the Social Security Administration. SSI state supplement payments are Washington State funded grants which supplement federal SSI payments. SSI state supplement payments are made to individuals and couples who have countable income below a combined state and federal income standard.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) / State Family Assistance (SFA): ESA provides TANF cash grants to the following financially needy client groups: (1) children under age 18, (2) children under age 19 attending high school or working towards a GED full-time, (3) parents or caretaker relatives of these children, (4) unmarried teen parents under the age of 18, and (5) pregnant women. Eligibility for TANF cash grants is limited to a 5-year period during which adult members of the family or Assistance unit are expected to participate in WorkFirst (see the description below). In addition to ongoing TANF cash grants, families may receive a special one-time Additional Requirements for Emergent Needs (AREN) cash payment to meet emergency housing or utility needs. ESA also provides SFA cash grants to certain persons meeting Washington State residency requirements who are not eligible for TANF Assistance and who are (1) qualified aliens and have been in the United States for less than five years, (2) aliens who are permanently residing in the US under color of law (PRUCOL), (3) nineteen or twenty year-old students meeting certain education requirements (i.e. receiving a special education due to their disability or participating full-time in secondary education or vocational training), or (4) pregnant women who have been convicted of either misrepresenting their residence in order to receive benefits from two or more states at the same time or of a drug-related felony.

WorkFirst: Persons age 16 or older who are part of a TANF family or Assistance unit are required to participate in WorkFirst. WorkFirst services include job search, basic education (including high school/GED completion, remedial education, and English language proficiency), jobs skills training, customized job skills training, subsidized community jobs, one year of post-secondary education (career counseling as well as limited academic education and vocational instruction), and on-the-job training. In order to receive food Assistance, nonexempt WorkFirst clients must register for the Food Stamp Employment and Training (FS E&T) program and participate in job search, employment and training activities, and/or attend General Education Development or English as a Second Language classes.