The department of social and health services (DSHS) has a
program called diversion cash assistance (DCA). If your family needs an
emergency cash payment but does not need ongoing monthly cash assistance, you
may be eligible for this program.
(1)
To get DCA, you must:
(a) Meet all the
eligibility rules for temporary assistance for needy families (TANF)/state
family assistance (SFA), and once DSHS finds you eligible, you are not required
to fulfill the following TANF-related requirements:
(i) Participation in WorkFirst as defined in
chapter
388-310 WAC; and
(ii)
Assignment of child support rights or cooperation with the division of child
support as defined in chapter 388422 WAC;
(b) Have a current bona fide or approved need
for living expenses;
(c) Provide
proof that your need for DCA exists; and
(d) Have or expect to get enough income or
resources to support you and your family for at least twelve months.
(2) You may get DCA to help pay
for one or more of the following needs:
(a)
Child care;
(b) Housing;
(c) Transportation;
(d) Expenses to get or keep a job;
(e) Food costs, but not if an adult member of
your family has been disqualified for food stamps;
(f) Medical costs, except when an adult
member of your family is not eligible because he or she failed to provide third
party liability (TPL) information as defined in WAC 182503-0540.
(3) DCA payments are limited to:
(a) One thousand two hundred fifty dollars
once in a twelve-month period that starts with the month DCA benefits begin;
and
(b) The cost of your
need.
(4) We do not
budget your income or make you use your resources to lower the amount of DCA
payments you can receive.
(5) DSHS
may make DCA payments:
(a) All at once;
or
(b) As separate payments over a
thirty-day period that starts on the date of your first DCA payment.
(6) We will pay your DCA benefit
directly to the service provider when possible.
(7) You are not eligible for DCA if one or
more of the following applies:
(a) Any adult
member of your assistance unit got DCA within the last twelve months;
(b) Any adult member of your assistance unit
gets TANF/SFA currently;
(c) Any
adult member of your assistance unit is not eligible for cash assistance for
any reason unless one parent in a two-parent-assistance unit currently receives
SSI;
(d) Your assistance unit does
not have a needy adult, such as when you do not receive TANF/SFA for yourself
but for your children only;
(e) Any
adult member of your assistance unit is not eligible for cash assistance for
any one of the following sanctions:
(i)
TANF/SFA closure because of a noncompliance sanction (NCS)
termination;
(ii) TANF/SFA closure
while in WorkFirst sanction on or after July 1, 2021; or
(iii) Noncooperation with division of child
support.
(8)
If you apply for DCA after your TANF/SFA grant is terminated, we consider you
an applicant for DCA.
(9) If you
apply for TANF/SFA and you received DCA less than twelve months ago, we set up
a DCA loan:
(a) The amount of the DCA loan is
one-twelfth of the total DCA benefit times the number of months that are left
in the twelve-month period;
(b) The
first month begins with the month your DCA benefits began; and
(c) We will collect the loan only by reducing
your TANF/SFA grant by five percent each month.
(10) If you stop getting TANF/SFA before you
have repaid your DCA loan, we will stop collecting the loan unless you get back
on TANF/SFA.