Pregnant Women Assistance (PWA)

Revised on: June 11, 2020

WAC 388-400-0055  Who is eligible for the pregnant women assistance (PWA) program?

Clarifying Information

  1. Public Benefit Specialists and/or WorkFirst Program Specialists are responsible for verifying pregnancy and approving PWA benefits.
  2. People who are ineligible for TANF due to sanction status in WAC 388-310-1600 are not eligible for PWA. 
  3. People who are ineligible for TANF due to the 60-month time limit and do not meet a Time Limit Extension (TLE) hardship category may be eligible for PWA.
  4. PWA eligibility begins the date all verification is received, including verification of pregnancy, and continues to the end of pregnancy.
  5. Once an individual is determined eligible for PWA, their referral to the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program remains valid for 24 consecutive months. The individual is not required to meet any eligibility criteria outlined in WAC 388-400-0055 to maintain their referral to HEN.