Virginia Administrative Code › Title 22 - SOCIAL SERVICES › Agency 40 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES › Chapter 411 - GENERAL RELIEF PROGRAM › Section 22VAC40-411-10 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The following words or terms when used in this chapter shall
				  have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise:
"Affidavit of support" or "Form I-134" means a statement of a
				  sponsor's income, resources, and willingness to support. Form I-134 or similar
				  form is filed with the Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS) by a United
				  States resident who sponsors an alien seeking admission to the United States as
				  a permanent resident. The affidavit is made for the purpose of assuring the
				  United States government that the sponsored alien will not become a public
				  charge in the United States.
"Agency" means the local department of social
				  services.
"Agency action" or "action" means action taken by the
				  superintendents or directors or local board certifying the individual or family
				  is eligible for maintenance or emergency assistance.
"Appeal process" means a review of the decision on the
				  disability claim that can involve four steps: reconsideration, hearing before
				  an administrative law judge, review by Appeals Council, and hearing in a
				  federal court.
"Assistance for unattached children" means a component of the
				  General Relief Program that can provide assistance to children who would be
				  eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) if the relationship
				  requirement were met.
"Assistance unit" means the individual or group of
				  individuals whose needs, income, and resources are considered in determining
				  eligibility for a component.
"Component" means a specific type of assistance provided
				  under the General Relief Program.
"Entitlement date or entitlement" means the date eligibility
				  begins.
"Equal Access to Justice Act" means an act that allows a
				  federal court to grant an attorney a fee for proceedings before an
				  administrative agency.
"Federal disability benefits" means disability insurance
				  benefits or Supplemental Security Income.
"Foster child" means a child who is entrusted or committed to
				  a state mandated service and the child is identified as "at risk" or "in
				  crisis."
"General Relief Plan" means the document completed by a local
				  department of social services to identify the components included in the
				  General Relief Program for the locality.
"General Relief Program (GR)" means an optional program
				  funded by state (62.5%) and local funds (37.5%) with the primary purpose of
				  assisting unattached children who do not qualify for aid in a federal category.
				  The program is supervised by the State Department of Social Services and
				  administered by local agencies.
"Hearing before an administrative law judge" means the first
				  level formal fair hearing of decisions of the Social Security Administration to
				  deny federal disability benefits. The hearing is conducted by an attorney who
				  is an official of the Social Security Administration.
"Legal aid attorney" means an attorney who provides legal
				  services at no cost to people within certain income guidelines.
"Maintenance payments" or "maintenance" means ongoing
				  financial assistance from the general relief program.
"Maximum for the locality" means the amount of reimbursable
				  assistance applicable to some components based on the agency group. Agencies
				  are placed in one of three groups based on shelter expenses in the area.
"Monthly maximum" means the dollar amount of assistance
				  specified in the General Relief Plan for the unattached child component.
"Permanent resident status" means having been lawfully
				  accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an
				  immigrant.
"Private attorney" means an attorney engaged in the private
				  practice of law for which a fee is charged.
"Provider" means an attorney, or an individual working under
				  the supervision of an attorney legally allowed to do so, who provides
				  assistance in establishing an individual's eligibility for federal disability
				  benefits.
"Recipient" means an individual who is receiving interim
				  assistance.
"Reimbursable" means the amount an assistance unit can
				  receive per month for which the state/local match is available.
"Review by the Appeals Council" means a review of the
				  decisions of the administrative law judge by a review unit of the Social
				  Security Administration. The Appeals Council either decides the case or issues
				  an order returning it to an administrative law judge for further review.
"Sponsor" means a person, or any public or private agency or
				  organization, that executed an affidavit of support or similar agreement on
				  behalf of an alien as a condition of the alien's entry into the United States
				  as a permanent resident.
"Sponsored alien" means an immigrant who due to the
				  likelihood of his becoming a public charge would have been excluded from lawful
				  admission into the United States. As a condition of this immigrant's admission,
				  a person or public or private agency or organization executed an affidavit of
				  support or similar agreement guaranteeing the federal, state, and local
				  governments that the immigrant would not become a public charge.
"Standard of assistance" means the amount of reimbursable
				  assistance based on the size of the assistance unit and the local department of
				  social services group. Local agencies are placed in one of three groups based
				  on shelter expenses in the area.
"Standard of assistance at 90% of need" means the amount of
				  reimbursable assistance applicable to some components based on the size of the
				  assistance unit and the agency group. Agencies are placed in one of three
				  groups based on shelter expenses in the area.
"Subcomponent" means a part of a component.
"Supplemental Security Income" means Title XVI of the Social
				  Security Act that provides benefits to a disabled person based on financial
				  need.
"Temporary Assistance for Needy Families" (TANF) means the
				  federal program administered by the Virginia Department of Social Services that
				  provides assistance for families with children.
"United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)"
				  is a branch of the United States Department of Homeland Security delegated
				  authority to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act and all other laws
				  relating to the immigration and naturalization of aliens.
Statutory Authority
§ 63.2-217 of the Code of
					 Virginia.