Title 4, Public Care Systems.

Recipients of assistance from the District who move to another jurisdiction with intent to remain in that State shall be ineligible to receive assistance from the District immediately upon the date of the recipient’s last day of residency in the District of Columbia.

For the purpose of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Earned income” means income in cash or in kind produced as a result of the performance of services currently rendered by an individual. In the case of an applicant or recipient of TANF, the term “earned income” shall not include …

(a) A General Assistance for Children program is established to provide the same benefits for a child as the child would receive under TANF if the child’s caretaker could demonstrate a family relationship with the child that is required in the TANF program. The needs of a caretak…

(a) When the gross income of family applying for, or receiving TANF exceeds 100% of the standard of assistance for a family of the same composition, as set forth in § 4-205.52, the family is not eligible for assistance. Income deemed from stepparents shall be counted in gross fam…

(a) In determining the need of families who are applying for or receiving TANF, count only payments that are income and then: (1) Deduct such amount for a work-related expense as the Mayor shall specify through rulemaking. If the individual is self-employed, work expenses directl…

(a) Federally-funded TANF benefits shall not be provided to any assistance unit that includes an adult who has received federally-funded TANF benefits for 60 months (whether or not consecutive) after February 28, 1997. (a-1) [Applicable on October 1, 2027.] (b) In determining the…

A stipend, allowance, or any other payment to a public assistance recipient reimbursing the recipient for the reasonable costs of participation in a work activity (as described in § 4-205.19d(c)) shall be excluded from income only to the extent any such stipend, allowance, or oth…

(a) An application on behalf of a dependent child shall include in the TANF assistance unit the following individuals, if living in the same household as the dependent child and otherwise eligible: (1) The parent or parents of a dependent child, except that a parent who marries a…

(a) A needy child is eligible for TANF. (b) Repealed. (c) Repealed. (d)(1) A minor child otherwise eligible for TANF benefits under this section, who has been, or is expected by a parent, guardian, or other caretaker to be absent from the home for more than 90 consecutive days sh…

(a) Application for public assistance shall be accepted from, or on behalf of, any person who believes himself or herself eligible for public assistance. The application shall be made in the manner and form prescribed by the Council, and shall contain such information as the Mayo…

(a) For purposes of §§ 4-205.19b, 4-205.19c, 4-205.19f and 4-205.19g, a TANF recipient shall be considered an applicant for TANF benefits at each time of redetermination of eligibility for TANF. When a current TANF recipient is considered to be an applicant pursuant to this subse…

(a)(1) Using a standard process and mechanism, the Mayor shall make a detailed assessment of the skills, prior work experience, employability, and barriers to employment, including domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse (“assessment”) of each TANF recipient. (2) As…

(a) If a TANF applicant who is not exempt pursuant to § 4-205.19g(a) fails, without good cause, to participate in work activities pursuant to § 4-205.19b, the failure shall result in a sanction pursuant to § 4-205.19f. (b) The Mayor shall promulgate rules defining what constitute…

(a) If the Mayor has assessed a TANF recipient pursuant to § 4-205.19b(a), the TANF recipient shall develop an individual responsibility plan with the Mayor that describes the steps the recipient is required to take to achieve self sufficiency and the services that the District s…

(a) If a nonexempt TANF recipient fails, without good cause, to participate in an assessment pursuant to § 4-205.19d(a), to enter into an individual responsibility plan developed pursuant to § 4-205.19d(b) [(b) repealed], or to comply with the terms of such a plan, the failure sh…

(a) Repealed. (b) The Mayor shall not consider an applicant or recipient to have complied with program requirements until the individual participates satisfactorily for at least one week. (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, if the Mayor cannot schedule the applica…

(a) The Mayor shall promulgate rules describing those categories of TANF applicants who are exempt from the requirements of § 4-205.19b(b) [(b) repealed]. The rules promulgated by the Mayor shall require that notice be provided to TANF applicants of the exemptions from the requir…

(a) Subject to other applicable provisions of District law, the Mayor may contract with a nongovernmental entity to perform all or part of the operation of job search, job readiness, other work activity, or self sufficiency programs under TANF or POWER with the exception of the f…

A person’s application for, or receipt of, TANF or POWER benefits shall not affect the applicability to that person of District and federal laws prohibiting discrimination.

TANF and POWER applicants and recipients participating in job search, job readiness, work, or self-sufficiency activities shall be subject to the same health and safety standards established under District and federal laws that apply to other individuals in comparable activities …

TANF recipients who are considered employees for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, approved June 25, 1938 (52 Stat. 1060; 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.), shall be covered by Chapter 15 of Title 32 or subchapter XXIII of Chapter 6 of Title 1, whichever is appropriate, at…

(a) The Mayor shall not require a TANF recipient to participate in a work activity that: (1) Results in the displacement of any currently-employed worker or position, including partial displacement, such as a reduction in hours of nonovertime work, wages, or employment benefits; …

The Mayor shall report and make public the following performance measures annually: (a)(1) By vendor program: (A) The number of TANF work-eligible recipients and percentage of the TANF caseload who have participated in the specific vendor program, including the number and percent…

Within 180 days of April 8, 2011, the Mayor shall submit to the Council a plan, with timetables and budget requirements, to assess every family and to offer supportive services and job training opportunities for the TANF program, starting with all present and subsequent families …

When continued absence from the home is by reason of imprisonment, the Mayor shall verify the length of the prison term of the parent, ascertain the date the parent will be eligible for parole, determine whether the parent is employed under the Work Release Program and the amount…

(a) Repealed. (a-1) Repealed. (b) Repealed. (c) The parent who is the principal wage earner must be referred to job search, job readiness, or other work activities after application for TANF benefits.

(a) A stepparent is not required by the law of the District to support his or her stepchildren, but is legally responsible for the support of his or her spouse. (b)(1) When a child lives with a parent and a stepparent, the income of the stepparent shall be considered as available…

(a) When a relative applies for TANF in behalf of a child who is living in such relative’s home and the child’s parents are maintaining a home elsewhere, the Mayor shall determine whether the child is in fact deprived of parental care and support. (b) When parents are unwilling t…

(a) Any person who is not a citizen of the United States, who entered the United States before August 22, 1996, and who is a “qualified alien”, as defined by § 431 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, approved August 22, 1996 (110 Stat. …

All factors of TANF eligibility shall be determined prospectively. The amount of monthly TANF assistance payments shall be determined using the prospective budgeting method.

Applications for public and medical assistance shall be approved or disapproved by the Mayor with reasonable promptness. Such action shall be taken on applications for public assistance not in excess of 45 days and on applications for medical assistance to people with disabilitie…

The Mayor shall not terminate his consideration of an application for assistance solely because he has been unable to establish the eligibility of the applicant within the 45- or 60-day period.

When a family is receiving more than 1 assistance payment and members of a family have income, the Mayor shall apply income that must be considered in determining need as follows: (1) When a husband and wife are each receiving assistance, income shall be divided equally between t…

The Mayor, in determining the amount of assistance payment to which an applicant or recipient of public welfare is entitled, shall not consider as income or as a resource loans and grants obtained and used under conditions that preclude their use for current living costs.

As used in §§ 4-205.31 through 4-205.35, the term: (1) Repealed. (2) “Lump-sum payment or settlement” means a nonrecurring earned or unearned income, including retroactive monthly benefits, and payments in the nature of a windfall. The phrase “lump-sum payment or settlement” does…

(a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, the Mayor shall, as a condition of eligibility, require each public assistance applicant or recipient to apply for any benefits to which he or she may be eligible. (b) If a person applies for TANF and the Mayor dete…

The Mayor shall deduct from the gross amount of any accrued statutory benefit, lump-sum payment, or settlement from any source received by a recipient of GPA (provided such money is still available to the recipient when the Mayor learns of its receipt): (1) Attorneys’ fees, medic…

(a) Repealed. (b) For applicants for and recipients of TANF: (1) The amount of a lump-sum payment or settlement shall be considered as current income of the applicant or recipient, both in the month in which it was received and, to the extent required by paragraph (2) of this sub…

The Mayor, in determining the extent of need of persons who are receiving TANF and are selected by the vocational rehabilitation program to receive vocational training for gainful employment, shall disregard the full amount of work incentive allowances paid to trainees by the voc…

(a) The Mayor shall, in establishing the need of an individual for assistance, take into consideration all payments that are income and resources of such individual in excess of any amounts which may, under the provisions of this chapter, be legally disregarded. (b) Repealed.

All income and other resources shall be identifiable as to nature, amount, and time of receipt, and must be actually available to the applicant or recipient for his or her current use. Unpredictable and inconsequential gifts or earnings shall not be considered resources.

(a) Resources in kind are basic necessities, such as food, clothing, or shelter, which an individual obtains without charge or in return for his or her services. (1) Repealed. (2) Home produce of an applicant or recipient, utilized by him or her and his or her household for their…

An applicant for public assistance who requests assistance by reason of an emergency for not more than 60 days shall be entitled to retain whatever automobile is then owned or being paid for by him or her.

For the purpose of determining coverage and conditions of eligibility of applicants and recipients in financial and medical assistance programs of the District, the Mayor shall apply the following definitions relating to incapacity and disability with respect to parents and other…

(a) Repealed. (b) Beginning October 1, 2026, a pregnant person shall be eligible for TANF benefits if the pregnancy has been medically certified, the pregnancy is in the second or third trimester, and other generally applicable TANF eligibility requirements are met. The Mayor sha…

(a) When a recipient is receiving nursing care in the home of a relative, the Mayor will apply the standard for room, board, and care in an intermediate care facility, based on the kind and extent of care required. (b) The rate for care in a foster home or for residential placeme…