Title 4, Public Care Systems.

(a) By no later than September 30, 2011, the Mayor shall have adopted and fully implemented the TANF Universal Service Delivery Model, as created by the Department of Human Services, which shall: (1) Address customer needs based on personal and family circumstances, to the extent…

The Council of the District of Columbia shall annually review and adjust the amount of the monthly assistance payment that may be made under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program so that such payment is comparable with the monthly assistance payments made under such…

(a) To determine the TANF, POWER or GAC payment for an assistance unit, the Mayor shall subtract any income of the assistance unit, after applicable disregards, from the current payment level for a family that is the size of the assistance unit. (b) Repealed. (c) The standards of…

(a) All public assistance grants made under this chapter shall be reconsidered by the Mayor as frequently as he or she may deem necessary, but in every case the Mayor shall make such reconsiderations at least once in each year. After such further investigation as the Mayor may de…

(a) Each TANF assistance unit whose members have earned income or recent work history and each assistance unit that has income deemed to it from individuals living with the unit who have earned income or a recent work history shall report periodically, as determined by the Mayor,…

(a) The Mayor shall give timely and adequate notice in cases of intended action to discontinue, withhold, terminate, suspend, reduce assistance, or make assistance subject to additional conditions, or to change the manner or form of payment to a protective, vendor, or 2-party pay…

(a) When the information that is the basis for reduction or termination of payment comes from a source other than the recipient, the representative of the Mayor shall discuss the information with the recipient and notify him or her in writing that if the recipient does not agree …

If, after 15 days from the date of postmark of the written notice, the recipient does not request a fair hearing, or if applicable, does not submit additional information to clarify his eligibility status, the representative of the Mayor shall take immediate action to reduce or t…

If the recipient submits additional information, the representative of the Mayor will give it due consideration to determine whether the information changes the Mayor’s previous decision to reduce or terminate the assistance payment, and will notify the recipient accordingly, adv…

(a) If the recipient requests a hearing before the date that the termination, suspension, or reduction of aid is to become effective, assistance shall not be discontinued, withheld, terminated, suspended, reduced or made subject to additional conditions, nor may the manner or for…

For the purposes of §§ 4-205.62 through 4-205.68, the term: (1) “Board” means the District of Columbia Board of Education. (2) “Ceased to attend school” means a pregnant or parenting teen has 20 or more consecutive full days of unexcused absences from school. (3) “Child care” mea…

(a) This section shall apply to all applicants for, and recipients of, TANF benefits. (b) An applicant or recipient of TANF benefits who is a pregnant or parenting teen and who has never married shall be eligible for TANF benefits only if the teen and the teen’s child reside in a…

(a) In accordance with regulations issued by the Mayor, a pregnant or parenting teen subject to the provisions of § 4-205.63 shall be informed of the eligibility requirements and the pregnant or parenting teen’s rights and obligations. The Department shall advise the pregnant or …

(a)(1) As a condition of eligibility for federally-funded TANF benefits, a pregnant or parenting teen who is not married and has not successfully completed a high school education or its equivalent shall be required to attend school regularly (as defined by the Board or other ent…

(a) Upon determination that a pregnant or parenting teen has failed without good cause to meet the school attendance requirements of subsection (b) of this section, the Department shall provide notice which specifies the following: (1) That the pregnant or parenting teen has a ri…

(a) A person who has been convicted in a federal, District of Columbia, or state court of making a fraudulent statement or representation with respect to that person’s place of residence in order to receive assistance simultaneously from 2 or more states under programs that are f…

(a) A person shall be ineligible for TANF benefits if that person: (1) Flees to avoid prosecution, custody, or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the jurisdiction from which the person flees, for a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, which is a felony under the l…

An adult who is a drug felon shall not be denied cash or food assistance benefits, including TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, POWER, GAC, or Interim Disability Assistant benefits, solely because he or she is a drug felon.

(a) There is established a Program on Work, Employment, and Responsibility (“POWER”), eligibility for which shall be the same as the factors, standards, and methodology for determining eligibility for TANF, as set forth in this subchapter, except as provided by subsections (b), (…

(a) In addition to the circumstances set forth in § 4-205.72, an assistance unit shall be eligible for POWER if the head of the assistance unit: (1)(A) Beginning October 1, 2013, is the parent of a minor child; and (B) Is needed in the home, due to medical necessity, to care for …

(a) The Mayor may only consider TANF applicants or TANF recipients for consideration for POWER eligibility. (b) The Mayor may refer a TANF applicant or recipient for consideration of POWER eligibility at any time, including when a TANF applicant or recipient claims a medical inca…

(a) After the Mayor determines that a TANF applicant or recipient may be considered for POWER eligibility, pursuant to § 4-205.72, the Mayor shall provide a medical review of the applicant or recipient to determine whether the applicant or recipient is incapacitated. (a-1) After …

(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…