The department of social and health services (DSHS) has a
program called diversion cash assistance (DCA). If your family needs an
emergency cash payment but does not need ongoing monthly cash assistance, you
may be eligible for this program.
(1)
To get DCA, you must:
(a) Meet all the
eligibility rules for temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) WAC
388-400-0005 or state family
assistance (SFA) per WAC
388-400-0010. If DSHS finds you
eligible, you are not required to fulfill the following TANF-related
requirements:
(i) Participation in WorkFirst
as defined in chapter
388-310 WAC; and
(ii) Assignment of child support rights or
cooperation with the division of child support as defined in chapter
388-422
WAC;
(b) Have a current
bona fide or approved need for living expenses;
(c) Provide proof that your need for DCA
exists; and
(d) Have or expect to
get enough income or resources to support you and your family for at least 12
months.
(2) You may get
DCA to help pay for one or more of the following needs:
(a) Child care;
(b) Housing;
(c) Transportation;
(d) Expenses to get or keep a job;
(e) Food costs, but not if an adult member of
your family has been disqualified from Washington's basic food
program;
(f) Medical costs, except
when an adult member of your family is not eligible because they failed to
provide third party liability (TPL) information as defined in WAC
182-503-0540.
(3) DCA payments are limited to:
(a) Two thousand dollars once in a 12-month
period that starts with the month DCA benefits begin; and
(b) The cost of your
need.
(4) DSHS does not
budget your income or make you use your resources to lower the amount of DCA
payments you can receive.
(5) DSHS
may make DCA payments:
(a) All at once;
or
(b) As separate payments over a
30-day period that starts on the date of your first DCA payment.
(6) DSHS will pay your DCA benefit
directly to the service provider when possible.
(7) You are not eligible for DCA if one or
more of the following applies:
(a) Any adult
member of your assistance unit got DCA within the last 12 months;
(b) Any adult member of your assistance unit
gets TANF/SFA currently;
(c) Any
adult member of your assistance unit is not eligible for cash assistance for
any reason unless one parent in a two-parent-assistance unit currently receives
Social Security Income (SSI);
(d)
Your assistance unit does not have a needy adult, such as when you do not
receive TANF/SFA for yourself but for your children only;
(e) Any adult member of your assistance unit
is not eligible for cash assistance for any one of the following sanctions:
(i) TANF/SFA closure because of a
noncompliance sanction (NCS) termination;
(ii) TANF/SFA closure while in WorkFirst
sanction on or after July 1, 2021; or
(iii) Noncooperation with division of child
support.
(8) If
you apply for DCA after your TANF/SFA grant is terminated, DSHS considers you
an applicant for DCA.
(9) If you
apply for TANF/SFA and you received DCA less than 12 months ago, DSHS sets up a
DCA loan:
(a) The amount of the DCA loan is
1/12th of the total DCA benefit times the number of months that are left in the
12-month period;
(b) The first
month begins with the month your DCA benefits began; and
(c) DSHS will collect the loan only by
reducing your TANF/SFA grant by 5% each month.
(10) If you stop getting TANF/SFA before you
have repaid your DCA loan, DSHS will stop collecting the loan unless you get
back on TANF/SFA.
Notes
Wash. Admin.
Code §
388-432-0005
Amended by
WSR
17-07-042, Filed 3/8/2017, effective
4/8/2017
Amended by
WSR
21-21-065, Filed 10/18/2021, effective
11/18/2021
Amended by
WSR
24-19-076, Filed 9/17/2024, effective
1/1/2025
Statutory Authority:
RCW
74.04.050,
74.04.055,
74.04.057,
74.08.090, and chapters 74.08A and
74.12 RCW. WSR 10-24-064, § 388-432-0005, filed 11/30/10, effective
12/31/10. Statutory Authority:
RCW
74.08.090,
74.04.050. WSR 01-03-066, §
388-432-0005, filed 1/12/01, effective
3/1/01.
