Emergency Assistance Programs - Consolidated Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP)
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Emergency Assistance Programs - Consolidated Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP)

Revised October 28, 2007

Purpose: This section describes a cash program available to families or pregnant women who face an emergency and do not have the money to meet their basic needs, including families whose TANF cash assistance has been terminated within the last six months by the Sanction Review Panel. Assistance under this program is available only once within a twelve month period.
WAC 388-436-0015Consolidated emergency assistance program (CEAP).
WAC 388-436-0020CEAP assistance unit composition.
WAC 388-436-0030Eligibility for CEAP depends on other possible cash benefits.

WAC 388-436-0015

WAC 388-436-0015

Effective March 1, 2007

WAC 388-436-0015 Consolidated emergency assistance program (CEAP).

  1. CEAP is available to the following persons:

    1. A pregnant woman in any stage of pregnancy; or

    2. Families with dependent children, including, within available funds, families who have stopped receiving their TANF grant within the last six months under WAC 388-310-1600.

  2. Applicants must be residents of Washington state as defined in WAC 388-468-0005.

  3. Applicants must demonstrate a financial need for emergency funds for one or more of the following basic requirements:

    1. Food;

    2. Shelter;

    3. Clothing;

    4. Minor medical care;

    5. Utilities;

    6. Household maintenance supplies;

    7. Necessary clothing or transportation costs to accept or retain a job; or

    8. Transportation for a minor, not in foster care, to a home where care will be provided by family members or approved caretakers.

  4. Payment under this program is limited to not more than thirty consecutive days within a period of twelve consecutive months.

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.

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

  1. Citizenship is not an eligibility factor for CEAP.

EXAMPLE

A migrant farmworker household applies for cash assistance.  The household consists of mother, father and one child.  They are all undocumented and as such are not eligible for ongoing cash assistance. CEAP is an available emergency cash assistance program that can be used for undocumented households.

  1. Applicants for CEAP must complete the Client Declaration of need on the Emergency Assistance Request/Grant Computation form DSHS 14-337(X).

  2. For Residency requirements, see RESIDENCY.

  3. Starting March 1, 2007, families whose TANF grant has been terminated within the last six months due to action by the Sanction Review Panel will be eligible to apply for CEAP under the same rules as other applicants. For these families, WorkFirst participation is not an eligibility requirement for CEAP.

WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Review the request form with the CEAP applicant. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify unpaid medical bills and shelter costs. The applicant may request food, clothing, and household maintenance items without verifying the need with a bill.

  2. Explain to the CEAP applicant the limited availability of this program.

CEAP assistance unit composition.

WAC 388-436-0020
WAC 388-436-0020

Effective September 1, 1998

WAC 388-436-0020 CEAP assistance unit composition.

  1. To be eligible for CEAP, a child must be living with: 

    1. A parent or a relative of specified degree as defined under WAC 388-454-0010; or

    2. Has lived with such a relative within six months of the request for assistance.

  2. The following persons living in the household must be included as members of the CEAP assistance unit:

    1. All full, half, or adopted siblings under eighteen years of age, including a minor parent; and

    2. The parent, adoptive parent, or stepparent living with the child or children.

  3. The following persons living in the household do not have to be included but may be included as members at the option of the applicant:

    1. One caretaker relative of specified degree when the child's parent does not live in the home;

    2. Stepbrothers or stepsisters to all children in the assistance unit.

  4. The following persons may make up a CEAP assistance unit without including others living in the home:

    1. The child of a parent who is a minor when the minor parent is not eligible due to the income and resources of his/her parents; or

    2. A pregnant woman when no other child is in the home.

  5. The following persons living in the household are not included as members of the CEAP assistance unit:

    1. A household member receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI);

    2. A household member ineligible due to reasons stated in WAC 388-436-0025 and WAC 388-436-0030.

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.

WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. When determining which members of the household will make up the CEAP assistance unit, first look at who must be members through relationship. A child within the family who is step-sibling to one child but half-sibling to another child becomes a mandatory member because of the half-sibling relationship.

EXAMPLE

A household consists of a married couple, two children belonging to the wife, two children belonging to the husband, and one child belonging to both parents. The couple want to exclude the two children of the wife from the CEAP application because they receive child support income. They are step-siblings to the husband's two children. The children are mandatory members because they are half siblings to the one child belonging to both parents. All children must be included.


  1. When adding a caretaker relative other than a parent, or adding step-siblings, determine if it is to the advantage of the assistance unit to add that person. Inform the client that when choosing to add a member who doesn't have to be included, that person's income and resources are considered in determining need and benefit amount.

  2. A minor parent living in the home of his/her parents is a mandatory member of the parent's CEAP assistance unit. When the parent's CEAP request is denied because resources and income exceed the need, the minor parent's child only can become a separate CEAP assistance unit if that child has an emergent need.

Eligibility conditions for CEAP--Job refusal.

WAC 388-436-0025

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

A bona fide job offer means a genuine job offer made in good faith.

WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES

Document on the narrative (NARR) screen how good cause was determined. File verification items in the case file.

WAC 388-436-0030

WAC 388-436-0030

Effective March 1, 2007

WAC 388-436-0030 Eligibility for CEAP depends on other possible cash benefits.

  1. Before the department approves CEAP benefits, we must determine that all household members are ineligible for benefits from any of the following programs: 

    1. Temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) or State family assistance (SFA), unless the family has had its cash grant terminated under WAC 388-310-1600 within the last six months;

    2. Refugee cash assistance (RCA);

    3. Diversion Cash Assistance (DCA);

  2. To receive CEAP, the applicant must take any required action to receive benefits from the following programs:

    1. TANF, or SFA, unless the family has had its cash grant terminated under WAC 388-310-1600 within the last six months;

    2. RCA;

    3. Supplemental security income (SSI);

    4. Medical assistance for those applicants requesting help for a medical need;

    5. Food assistance for those applicants requesting help for a food need;

    6. Housing assistance from any available source for those applicants requesting help for a housing need;

    7. Unemployment compensation, veteran's benefits, industrial insurance benefits, social security benefits, pension benefits, or any other source of financial benefits the applicant is potentially eligible to receive.

  3. The department may not authorize CEAP benefits to any household containing a member who is receiving reduced cash benefits for failure to comply with program requirements of TANF/SFA or RCA. This restriction does not apply to families who have stopped receiving TANF cash benefits under WAC 388-310-1600 within the last six months.

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.

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

  1. Eligibility and payment amounts for all other DSHS financial, medical and food assistance programs must be determined before CEAP benefits may be approved, except for families who do not qualify for cash assistance because their case was closed by the Sanction Review Panel within the last six months.
  2. If the household contains a member who is eligible to receive TANF, SFA or RCA, the family's emergency needs may be covered under the AREN benefit provisions in WAC 388-436-0002.
  3. Families receiving TANF/SFA or RCA at a reduced level, due to sanction or penalty, are not eligible for CEAP. Families who have had their entire TANF/SFA grant terminated by action of the Sanction Review Panel within the last six months may be eligible for CEAP.

Income and resources for CEAP.

WAC 388-436-0035  

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

  1. An income estimate is based on income already received plus a reasonable expectation of anticipated income for the month of application.

  2. Resources include items such as cash, checking & savings accounts, marketable securities, personal property and real property. Real property is land and buildings. See RESOURCES for more complete information.

  3. If an optional member as described in WAC 388-436-0015 (3) is included in the CEAP assistance unit, the resources and income of that person and that person's spouse are considered available to the CEAP assistance unit. If those income and resources would reduce or deny the CEAP benefit, the optional member can be excluded.


EXAMPLE

An aunt applies for emergency cash assistance for her niece and wants to be included in the assistance unit as a needy caretaker relative. The income and resources belonging to the aunt and her husband show that no emergency need exists. The aunt can be excluded. Neither she nor her husband have a legal obligation to support the minor child.

Excluded income and resources for CEAP.

WAC 388-436-0040 

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

The equity value of a vehicle is determined by subtracting the amount still owed from the fair market value of the car. The fair market value is the average loan value as listed in the NADA Official Used Car Guide, or the wholesale value as listed in the Kelly Bluebook.

WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. See RESOURCES for:

    1. A complete list of resources exempt under Federal Law;

    2. Determining real property as a home;

    3. The method of establishing values on non-exempt resources.

  2. Document in Remarks (REMA) behind the Resource screens how income and resource values were established.

Income deductions for CEAP.

WAC 388-436-0045 

Financial need and benefit amount.

WAC 388-436-0050 

CLARIFYING INFORMATION

The amounts requested in each category can not exceed the maximum limit allowed. Excess amounts from one category can not be carried over to another category that is below the maximum.


EXAMPLE

A CEAP assistance unit of 3 persons verifies a need of $500 for rent, and $60 in utilities. Net income and resources equal $100.

  Need Maximum  (3 persons) Allowed
Rent $500 $404 $404
Utilities $ 60 $136 $ 60
  $464 Total needed or allowed
  $546 Payment standard for 3
  $464 The lesser of the two above
  -100 minus available income and resources
  $364 CEAP payment


Clients may choose to receive CEAP funds directly or have them sent to a vendor on their behalf.

ACES PROCEDURES

See Consolidated Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP)

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Modification Date: October 28, 2007
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