Title 4, Public Care Systems.

(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 …

Whenever a responsible relative fails to provide information necessary to determine his ability to support, or when it has been determined that he is financially able to but has not contributed to the person in need of assistance, the case shall be evaluated for appropriate actio…

The ability of responsible relatives to contribute shall be determined through verification of earnings and other income at time of application, and whenever circumstances indicate the need to do so, but in no case less frequently than once every 12 months.

(a) At the death of any person who has received public assistance in the form of Old Age Assistance, or Aid to the Disabled pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or of any act repealed by this act, the District shall have a preferred claim for the amount of any such public …

The Mayor, pursuant to § 4-214.04, may provide for the payment of funeral and burial expenses of children in foster care and persons committed to the Youth Services Administration, Department of Human Services.

The family of the deceased may choose a funeral director or establishment to provide a funeral service from a list of forms that have signed agreements with the Mayor to provide such services. The Mayor shall pay a maximum of $450.00 for a complete funeral service including the b…

Public assistance awarded under this chapter shall not be transferable or assignable at law or in equity, and none of the money paid or payable to any recipient under this chapter shall be subject to execution, levy, attachment, garnishment, or other legal process, or the operati…

(a) Consistent with § 4-209.04, the Mayor is directed to prescribe regulations governing the custody, use, and preservation of the records, papers, files, and communications of the Mayor relating to public assistance. Except as otherwise provided, these regulations shall provide …

The Mayor shall, effective July 1, 1969, provide Aid to Dependent Children in the form of foster care when removal of a child from the home of a parent or relative results from judicial determination that continuation in such home is contrary to the child’s welfare, provided: (1)…

Foster care shall be provided in a foster family home or in a child-care institution, whichever best meets the needs of the individual child. The Mayor, in providing such care, may use foster family homes and child-care institutions outside the District of Columbia, provided that…

The Mayor shall: (1) Review the plan for each child periodically, but no less frequently than once each year, to assure that he receives proper care and to determine the appropriateness and continued need for placement; and (2) Provide services which are designed to improve condi…

The Mayor shall claim federal financial participation for foster care payments to the fullest extent permissible under the provisions of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.).

(a) The Mayor, in determining the need for public assistance, shall permit: (1) Repealed. (2) Applicants for, or recipients of, TANF to retain resources up to the maximum allowable amount of resources that would be permitted to be retained by a household under the Food Stamp Prog…

As a condition of eligibility, each applicant for or recipient of aid, including each child under the TANF or foster care programs operated pursuant to part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.) shall be required to: (1) Furnish to the Mayor a Social …

(a) As a condition of eligibility for assistance under programs specified in § 4-217.07, unless good cause for refusing to cooperate is determined to exist pursuant to § 4-217.09, each applicant for, or recipient of, assistance shall be required to cooperate in good faith with th…

(a) An applicant for or recipient of aid shall be required to comply with the requirements of § 4-217.08, unless such applicant or recipient is found to have good cause for refusing to so cooperate as determined by the Mayor, in accordance with standards prescribed by the Mayor, …

(a) If an applicant or recipient claims good cause for noncooperation under § 4-217.09 and the Mayor determines that good cause does not exist, the applicant or recipient shall be notified and given an opportunity to cooperate, to withdraw the application for assistance, or to ha…

If the relative with whom the child is living is found to be ineligible for assistance because of failure to comply with conditions of §§ 4-217.08 and 4-217.09, any aid for which such child is eligible (determined without regard to the needs of the ineligible relative) shall be p…

(a) Any person who, with the intent to defraud, by means of false statement, failure to disclose information, or impersonation, or by other fraudulent device, obtains or attempts to obtain or any person who knowingly aids or abets such person in the obtaining or attempting to obt…

Any person violating § 4-218.01(b) shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500, or by imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Prosecutions for such violations and for violations of § 4-218.01(a) shall be brought to the Superior Court of…

Any person who sells any card or document issued by the District government to establish or verify eligibility for public assistance, or otherwise permits any person other than the recipient to whom it was issued to use such card or document to obtain public assistance which such…

(a) In addition to any power to bring criminal or civil actions or otherwise carry out the duties under this chapter, the Corporation Counsel shall have the authority to issue subpoenas for a witness to appear and testify or to produce all books, records, papers, or documents in …

(a) Any person who knowingly uses, transfers, acquires, alters, purchases, possesses, or transports one or more food stamp coupons or access devices in a manner not authorized by the Food Stamp Act of 1964, approved August 31, 1964 (78 Stat. 703; 7 U.S.C. § 2011 et seq.) (“Food S…

(a) The Mayor is authorized to suspend, revoke, or deny the issuance or renewal of any business license or permit of any person or entity convicted of food stamp trafficking under this section, the Food Stamp Act, or regulations issued pursuant to the Food Stamp Act. (b) Prior to…

(a) The Mayor shall include in his or her annual estimates of appropriations such sums as may be needed to carry out the provisions of this chapter. (b) Unobligated balances of appropriations for the Department of Human Services, established by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1979, …

(a) The provisions of this subchapter shall not cause the revival of any law, act, regulation, Commissioner’s order, Commissioners’ order, or administrative order (for the purposes of this subchapter and Title XXIII, “public enactment”) previously repealed or superseded. (b) Any …

The enactment of this chapter shall not cause the abatement of any causes of action affecting public enactments repealed by this title.

No new rights or entitlements are created by this chapter.

Should a court of competent jurisdiction hold any provision of this chapter to be invalid, then the remaining provision of the chapter shall be considered to be severable and given full effect.