This rule applies to the Washington Basic Food program
only.
(1) A vehicle is a motorized
device that the client can use as a regular means of transportation.
(2) If you own a licensed vehicle we (the
department) do not count its entire value if the vehicle:
(a) Has an equity value (fair market value
(FMV) minus what you owe on the vehicle) of one thousand five hundred dollars
or less.
(b) Is used over fifty
percent of the time to make income. This includes vehicles such as a taxi,
truck, or fishing boat. If you are a self-employed farmer or fisher and your
self-employment ends, we still exclude your vehicle for one year from the date
you end your self-employment.
(c)
Is used to make income each year that is consistent with its FMV, even if used
on a seasonal basis.
(d) Is needed
for long-distance travel, other than daily commuting, for the employment of an
assistance unit (AU).
(e) Is used
as your AU's home.
(f) Is used to
carry fuel for heating or water for home use when this is the primary source of
fuel or water for your AU.
(g) Is
needed to transport a physically disabled AU member, no matter if the
disability is permanent or temporary.
(3) For licensed vehicles we did not exclude
in subsection (2) above, we subtract four thousand six hundred fifty dollars
from the vehicle's FMV and count the remaining amount toward the resource limit
for:
(a) One vehicle for each adult AU member
no matter how it is used; and
(b)
Any vehicle an AU member under age eighteen uses to drive to work, school,
training, or to look for work.
(4) If you have other licensed vehicles, we
count the larger value of the following toward your AU's resource limit:
(a) FMV greater than four thousand six
hundred fifty dollars; or
(b)
Equity value (FMV minus what is owed on the vehicle).
(5) If you are a tribal member and drive an
unlicensed vehicle on a reservation that does not require vehicle licensing, we
count or exclude your vehicle as if it was a licensed vehicle.
(6) For all other unlicensed vehicles we
count the equity value towards your AU's resource limit unless the vehicle is:
(a) Used to make income each year that is
consistent with its FMV, even if used on a seasonal basis; or
(b) Work-related equipment needed for
employment or self-employment of a member of your AU.
(7) We do not add the equity values of
different vehicles together to perform the equity test. We look at each vehicle
separately. If a vehicle passes the equity test, we do not count it towards the
resource maximum.
(8) After we
determine the countable value of each vehicle, we add those values to your
other countable resources to see if your resources are below your resource
limit.