Title 4, Public Care Systems.

(a) A POWER recipient’s eligibility for POWER shall be redetermined at intervals determined by the Mayor. (b) A POWER recipient, who is determined ineligible for POWER solely because the recipient is no longer incapacitated, or because other factors considered with the recipient’…

(a) Following a preliminary assessment by the Mayor under TANF and a medical review, a person who has been determined to meet the eligibility criteria of § 4-205.72 shall be required, as a condition of eligibility for POWER benefits, to participate in activities that will assist …

(a) If a POWER recipient who is an adult or minor head of an assistance unit fails, without good cause (as determined by the Mayor) to participate in required activities to promote self-sufficiency, the recipient shall be sanctioned in the same manner as a TANF recipient who fail…

POWER payments shall be made in accordance with § 4-205.52.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to create any entitlement to POWER benefits or to confer on any person or family any entitlement to POWER benefits.

A POWER recipient shall be treated as a TANF recipient for purposes of Medicaid eligibility.

(a) For purposes of this section, “diversion payment” means a lump sum of money paid to an adult caring for a minor child in order to meet a short-term need that creates a barrier to self-sufficiency. (b) The Mayor may make a diversion payment to the head of the assistance unit w…

(a) At least once per year, the Mayor shall provide written notice ("notice") regarding the federal and District Earned Income Tax Credits ("tax credits") to the individuals identified in subsection (c) of this section. (b) The notice shall include: (1) A summary of the eligibili…

(a) By March 1, 2028, the Department shall issue, to all recipients receiving public assistance on electronic benefit transfer cards, updated EBT cards that incorporate EMV technology. (b) The Department shall seek reimbursement for the costs of transitioning to the use of EMV te…

(a)(1) If a recipient reports the theft of public assistance by fraudulent means to the Department within 6 months of the theft, and if an investigation by the Department shows that a recipient's correctly issued public assistance was lost due to theft by fraudulent means, the De…

The Mayor, in administering the Crisis Assistance and Service Program, may claim federal financial participation to the extent allowable by law for assistance and services to needy families with children, provided the family has not received assistance from any emergency program …

The Mayor, in administering the Family Emergency Services Program, may claim federal financial participation to the extent allowable by law for assistance and services to needy families with children, provided the family has not received assistance from any emergency program for …

The Mayor, in providing emergency shelter allowances to families who are receiving TANF to enable them to obtain public housing, may claim federal financial participation to the extent allowable by law, provided the family has not received assistance from any emergency program fo…

(a) Upon completion of the investigation pursuant to subchapter IX of this chapter, the Mayor shall determine whether the applicant is eligible for public assistance, the type and amount of public assistance for which he or she is eligible, and the date from which public assistan…

The Mayor may authorize a supplemental payment when necessary to meet the needs of its clients, according to established budget standards. A supplemental payment is defined as the 2nd payment to a recipient of public assistance for the same month.

(a) When a recipient of public assistance receives a payment or series of payments in an amount less than that for which the recipient is eligible, or does not receive payments for which the recipient is eligible, the underpayment shall be corrected retroactively for not more tha…

The amount of assistance that the Mayor may pay to a TANF, POWER, or GAC recipient shall be the amount for which the individual or family is eligible, rounded down, when not a whole dollar amount, to the next lower whole dollar amount, except as provided in § 4-205.51.

(a) For any month in which a person who received benefits under the former General Public Assistance (“GPA”) program received both GPA and Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), the former GPA recipient shall repay to the District of Columbia: (1) The entire GPA monthly assistance…

(a) Whenever the Mayor shall receive an application for public assistance, he or she shall promptly make an investigation and record of the circumstances of the applicant in order to ascertain the facts supporting the application and to obtain such other information as he or she …

(a) For the purposes of this section, the term: (1) “Administering” means running public benefits programs in a manner that complies with District of Columbia or federal laws, rules, or regulations. (2) “Applicant” means an individual who has submitted an application for services…

An applicant for, or recipient of, public assistance aggrieved by the action or inaction of the Mayor shall be entitled to a hearing. Each applicant or recipient shall be notified of his or her rights to a hearing. Upon request for such hearing, reasonable notice of the time and …

(a) The Mayor, upon receipt of an application made pursuant to § 4-210.05, shall grant a fair hearing to any applicant for or a recipient of public assistance whose claim for assistance has been denied or has not been acted upon within a reasonable time not to exceed 45 days; or …

(a) All hearings relating to individual appeals shall be conducted by properly designated hearing officers. Hearing officers are directly responsible to the Mayor in carrying out their duties. (b) The Mayor shall designate other Department personnel to serve as hearing officers w…

(a) Written information regarding the right to request a hearing and the method of making such request shall be furnished by the Mayor to each public assistance applicant or recipient at the time of application and whenever the Mayor notifies the applicant or recipient that it in…

Any applicant or recipient, or his or her representative may request a hearing by giving a clear expression, oral or written, that he or she wants an opportunity to present his or her case to a higher authority. A request for a hearing shall be accepted by any administrative staf…

When the hearing involves medical issues, the medical assessment of the claimant’s condition must be made by a medical authority other than the persons who made the original medical determination if the hearing officer or the claimant considers an additional examination necessary…

The Mayor shall establish procedures for administrative review of every request for a hearing. The purpose of such review shall be ascertainment of the validity of the Mayor’s position, and, if possible, achievement of an informal solution of the claim. Such procedures shall incl…

The hearing shall be held at a time, date, and place designated by the Mayor’s agent. Adequate notice shall be given the claimant and his or her representative, including such information concerning hearing procedures as may be necessary for his or her effective preparation there…

(a) A request for a hearing to review adverse action by the Mayor concerning any new application for public assistance or any application or request for a change in the amount, kind, or conditions of public assistance must be made within 90 days following the postmark of the noti…

The hearing officer shall conduct the hearing in such a manner as to insure that both the claimant and the Mayor’s agent have the opportunity to present all facts which in their judgment have a bearing on the hearing, and have adequate opportunity to examine material that will be…

(a) The hearing officer shall prepare a written summary of findings and conclusions based exclusively on the evidence presented at the hearing and shall make appropriate recommendations based upon his or her findings and conclusions. The summary of findings and conclusions shall …

(a) The Mayor’s agent shall render a final decision on the claimant’s appeal no later than 60 days after the date of his or her initial request for a hearing. If, however, the date of the hearing is postponed at the claimant’s request, or if the claimant submits new evidence foll…

The Mayor’s agent shall transmit his or her written decision and any further written statement required by § 4-210.12 to the claimant. If the decision is adverse to the claimant, the Mayor’s agent shall notify him or her of his or her right to judicial review.

A recipient shall have the same right to a hearing while absent from the District that he or she had while living in the District.

The Mayor will maintain a file of all hearing decisions, with identifying information deleted, that will be accessible to claimants, their representatives, and other persons upon request to the Mayor.

(a) Where a request for hearing has been made on an action taken by the Mayor, and the hearing officer finds that the issue or policy involved directly affects or will affect other recipients or claimants similarly situated, the hearing officer may, upon application by 1 of the r…

If the claimant waives in writing his or her privilege of confidentiality as to the hearing, he or she shall be permitted by the Mayor to invite to the hearing any reasonable number of members of the public as he deems appropriate; provided, that the hearing officer may, in his d…

When the reduction or termination is the result of information contained in a periodic report the recipient has filed, or of the recipient’s failure to file a report, or file a complete report, under § 4-205.54, then the Mayor is required to follow the notice provisions of that s…

(a) Repealed. (b) Assistance under the TANF, POWER, or GAC programs received pending a hearing decision shall be considered as an overpayment if the proposed action to change or terminate benefits is sustained.

The Mayor may authorize an expenditure for repairs to a home which a recipient of TANF, POWER, or GAC owns or is buying, when there has been no assignment or transfer to the District of such property, if: (1) A determination has been made that: (A) The home is so defective that c…

The Mayor may pay moving costs when necessary to enable a recipient of public assistance to move into public or private housing.

The payment may be authorized: (1) As a money payment to the recipient when he or she makes his or her own arrangements for moving; or (2) As a vendor payment to the moving firm when arrangements must be made by the Mayor.

Whenever a recipient has been found by the Mayor to be incapable of taking care of himself or herself, his or her property, or his or her money, and a person has been judicially appointed as legal representative, or a responsible person has been appointed by the Mayor, on behalf …

(a) The Mayor may authorize protective or vendor payments on behalf of dependent children under the following conditions: (1) It has been clearly determined that the parent or relative persistently mismanages the assistance payment to the detriment of the child as evidenced by su…

(a) The Mayor may authorize protective payments on behalf of adult recipients of public assistance under the following conditions: (1) When there has been made clear determination that a needy individual has, by reason of physical or mental impairment, such inability to manage fu…

(a) Responsible relatives for any applicant or recipient of public assistance shall be limited to spouse for spouse, and parent for a child under the age of 21, and their financial responsibility shall be based upon their ability to pay. Any such applicant or recipient of public …