Code of Vermont Rules › Agency 13 - AGENCY OF HUMAN SERVICES › Sub-Agency 170 - DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (DCF) › Chapter 260 - GENERAL ASSISTANCE (2600) › Section 13 170 260 - GENERAL ASSISTANCE (2600)

Current through June, 2024
Section 2600 General Assistance
General assistance (GA) is an emergency financial assistance
				  program for eligible applicant households whose emergency needs, according to
				  department standards, cannot be met under any other assistance program
				  administered by the department and cannot be relieved without the department's
				  intervention. Receipt of food stamps, however, shall not be a factor in
				  determination of emergency need since this is a diet supplement program and may
				  not be considered in determining eligibility for or level of benefits in any
				  other assistance program.
A household may qualify for GA in two ways, by meeting either
				  the non-catastrophic or the catastrophic rules. All households must meet the
				  citizenship and residence criteria in section
				  2603 and
				  furnish required information as specified in section
				  2604.
Households with emergency needs not caused by a catastrophic
				  situation must include a minor dependent or meet other criteria of age or
				  ability to work (2601) to be determined eligible, and must have income below
				  the applicable income test (2601B). Households in which all members receive
				  Reach Up, a Postsecondary Education Program (PSE) stipend, SSI/AABD, or a
				  combination of these program benefits are ineligible for non-catastrophic GA
				  because they are considered to be over income for this program.
Households with emergency needs caused by a catastrophic
				  situation must meet the eligibility criteria in section
				  2602.
				  Emergency medical needs are considered catastrophic. All households applying
				  for GA for an emergency medical need must meet the catastrophic GA criteria at
				  2602 to have the emergency medical need covered by GA.
General Assistance, a program to meet emergency needs, has no
				  provision for ongoing assistance. Subsequent requests will be treated as new
				  applications.
Section 2601
				Application
To have their eligibility for GA considered, all applicants
				  (2600.3) or their authorized representatives must:
-- submit a complete, signed application each time they
				  request assistance; and
-- have a face-to-face interview with a PATH representative,
				  unless waived by the district manager.
Action on applications shall be taken upon receipt and review
				  of a signed application. The action shall be considered complete when:
1. A decision on the application has been
				made.
2. Written notice of such
				decision has been made available to the applicant. A written grant notice is
				not required but will be provided upon request. A written denial notice is
				required if the entire application or any part of it is denied.
Oral notice of assistance granted shall include the following
				  specific information:
1. Items and
				amount authorized.
2. Effective
				dates of authorization.
3. Method
				of payment.
Written notice of assistance denied shall include the
				  specific reason for denial.
Failure to complete action on an application promptly shall
				  not constitute the sole reason for denial of assistance unless it can be
				  established and documented in the case record that such failure is the result
				  of noncooperation on the part of the applicant.
2601.1
Methods of Investigation
The applicant is the primary source of information about his need and
				eligibility for aid or benefits. Information furnished on the signed
				application and through interviews may be subject to verification, through
				documentary or collateral sources.
Reliance on the applicant as the primary source of
				  information to establish eligibility recognizes the right to privacy, but also
				  places responsibility on the applicant to furnish necessary information
				  completely and accurately or, when needed, to give consent to obtain such
				  information elsewhere. Department responsibility to assist an applicant to
				  establish eligibility requires careful explanation and interpretation of
				  program eligibility criteria and information needed to assess the applicant's
				  circum-stances against such eligibility criteria.
An applicant has a right to refuse to give information, to
				  submit required proof, or to give consent to a collateral contact. Such refusal
				  of information or action necessary to establish eligibility will result in
				  denial or closure of aid or benefits. Wilful misrepresentation of applicant
				  circumstances will also result in legal action under fraud statutes. Department
				  staff shall make every effort to assure full applicant understanding of the
				  consequences of refusal to take necessary action to establish eligibility or
				  misrepresentation of individual circumstances.
An individual may apply for aid or benefits through another
				  person; for example: an authorized representative; a person acting responsibly
				  for an incompetent or incapacitated individual. The individual acting for the
				  applicant is, in such situations, considered the primary source of information,
				  subject to the same rights, responsibilities and consequences for the applicant
				  as an applicant acting directly for himself.
2601.2
Interviews
Face-to-face
				interviews are required for General Assistance applications. Such interviews
				may be conducted in the applicant's home or another mutually convenient
				location when individual circumstances of health, or unusual transportation
				problems preclude office interviews.
Personal interviews are conducted privately with the
				  applicant, who may have one representative of his choice to assist in oral
				  presentation of his needs.
2601.3
Verification
Verification, defined as a written entry in the case record of third-party or
				documentary confirmation of facts stated by an applicant, shall be required for
				the following:
1. All income (including
				deductions), resources, and shelter expense.
2. Positive means of personal identification
				(e.g., Social Security card, driver's license, birth certificate, marriage
				certificate).
3. Whenever necessary
				to obtain complete, clear, and consistent information with regard to any other
				eligibility factor.
Written verification statements shall include sufficient
				  detail to enable independent reviewer evaluation of the reasonableness of the
				  resulting eligibility decision, including but not limited to a description of
				  method used, dates, sources, summary of information obtained, and any
				  computations required.
Refusal to submit necessary verification or to consent to
				  verification of any eligibility factor or to cooperate in investigation
				  necessary to support an affirmative decision of eligibility shall result in
				  denial of the application.
2601.4
Collateral Sources
Contact with sources other than the applicant concerning his eligibility for
				aid or benefits is limited to interviews, telephone calls, or correspondence
				necessary to obtain information required to make a decision on eligibility when
				the applicant is unable to furnish the necessary information. Information
				requested from collateral sources is limited to the specific eligibility
				factors in question.
Common collateral sources are relatives, town officials, town
				  service officers, public records, doctors, and medical facilities. Other
				  agencies that have worked with the client are generally the best source of
				  collateral information.
No collateral contact is made without the applicant's
				  knowledge and consent, based on his clear understanding of the need for and
				  purpose of each contact. Department policies regarding confidentiality will be
				  respected.
An applicant may on occasion be reluctant to consent to
				  contact with collateral sources. If, with full understanding of the possible
				  alternative of denial, the applicant refuses to permit a necessary contact, the
				  application shall be denied.