16 Del. Admin. Code § 2000-2003
The payee for an assistance grant is the person in whose name checks are issued. A payee who is not included in the assistance unit is recorded as a "payee only" in the DCIS system. Payments issued to a "payee only" should be so designated. Instructions for issuing payments denoting "payee only" status can be found in the DCIS User Guide.
In TANF or GA, if both parents are in the home, the parents will decide who is designated as the payee.
In TANF or GA, persons may select "voluntary protective payees" if they are ill or hospitalized and unable to transact the check easily. Persons who are mentally retarded may select a "voluntary protective payee" if they are unable to transact financial matters without difficulty. The case record must indicate the reason for the selection. The names of both the voluntary protective payee and the client must appear on each application form.
The designation above is similar to the designation "Representative Payee" as used by the Social Security Administration and "Authorized Representative" as used in the Food Stamp Program.
The request for a "voluntary protective payee" must be in writing from the recipient to whom payment would otherwise be made in an unrestricted manner and must be recorded in the case record. The restriction must be discontinued promptly upon the written request of the recipient who initiated it. (ID card issuance procedure for voluntary protective payee - See DSSM 2022.1)
A person may be severely disabled physically but still able to manage his affairs whether through his own efforts or with the help of another person to whom he may give a valid power of attorney to act for him in certain specified areas, such as endorsement of his assistance check. In such cases, the client shall be the designated payee and not the person granted the power of attorney.
16 Del. Admin. Code § 2000-2003