Purpose:
This section reviews the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund, which provides a one-time non-recurrent cash payment to certain low-income families with eligible minor children due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
WAC 388-436-0065 – What is the pandemic emergency assistance fund (PEAF)?
- A household must meet all eligibility criteria in WAC 388-436-0065 to receive the one-time non-recurrent cash payment:
- In the month of issuance, the household must:
- Have at least one qualifying child as defined in WAC 388-404-0005.
- Be active, eligible, and receiving at least one of the following benefits:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
- State Family Assistance (SFA),
- Basic Food (including Transitional Food Assistance)
- Food Assistance Program.
- Have a reported household income at or below 75% of the federal poverty level.
- Be a Washington resident.
- An application isn’t required for the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) payment.
- The PEAF payment amount is automatically generated for all eligible households in the month of issuance.
- The PEAF payment is limited to one per qualifying child.
- ACES automatically checks if a payment has been issued to a qualifying child, and if so, the system won’t issue another payment, even if the child changes households.
- The benefit amount is based on the number of eligible children in the home and availability of PEAF funds at the time of issuance.
- PEAF benefits aren’t subject to overpayments.
Example: Patrick and Melissa White and their son Ron, age 12, received food assistance in the month of May 2022. They are Washington State residents and have an income of $1000 per month, therefore under the 75% FPL. They will receive the PEAF payment for their qualifying child.
Benefit Level:
We base the PEAF benefit level on two factors:
- Available PEAF funding; and
- Number of qualifying children in the month of issuance.
Example: Tarimah K. FitzMintzer is receiving TANF for herself and two children, ages 5 and 2. She is a resident of Washington State and has an income below 75% of the FPL. As they meet the eligibility criteria, she will receive the PEAF payment for each child.
PEAF Issuance
PEAF benefits for qualifying children are a one-time payment for May 2022. This is a one-time payment and doesn’t impact other food or cash benefits.
- ACES automatically issues a combined total PEAF payment for all qualifying children to the TANF, SFA, SNAP or FAP head of household for the month of May 2022. PEAF isn’t prorated.
- PEAF payments are issued as follows:
- The current cash payment method for the cash head of household (EBT, warrant, EFT).
- For food (non-cash) households, it will be deposited into an EBT account accessed by the head of household’s EBT card.
- When a PEAF payment is approved, an approval letter will be sent, with the DSHS 14-520 notice attached, to advise of the approved usage of the benefits.
Worker Responsibilities:
- Staff aren’t required to take any actions to approve/issue PEAF benefits, as this is an automated process.
- Households may call in with questions. There are resources available to help answer their questions.