16 Del. Admin. Code § 6000-6002

Current through Register Vol. 28, No. 7, January 1, 2025

Section 6000-6002 - Determining Eligibility for Emergency Assistance

Title IV § 404(a)(2), 31Del. Code§ 521

This policy applies to Delaware residents who are experiencing a crisis due to unforeseen circumstances. Services are provided through the Division of State Service Centers (DSSC).

1. DHSS Staff Determine Eligibility

Individuals or families must meet technical and financial eligibility criteria.

Technical Eligibility

Only the following Delaware residents may participate:

A. Individual or family receiving the following types of cash assistance:

1. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

2. General Assistance (GA)

3. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

B. Individual or family receiving or eligible for the following types of Medicaid:

1. 1931 Medicaid

2. Transitional Medicaid

3. Prospective Medicaid

4. Poverty-related Pregnant Women, Infants and Children Medicaid

C. Family has children at risk of removal from their home due to abuse or neglect, or the children are suspected at risk of abuse or neglect

D. Family has children at risk of removal from the community

E. Family has children removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, or the children were suspected at risk of abuse or neglect

F. Family has children removed from the community

Financial Eligibility

A. Household Income Is Limited

Income eligibility is met if the family meets the technical eligibility criteria above.

B. Household Resources Are Limited

1. The emergency must have resulted from an unforeseen circumstance

or combination of circumstances that are beyond the recipient's control.

2. Medicaid individuals and families cannot have resources immediately accessible

to meet their needs.

3. The child cannot have resources immediately accessible to meet his or her needs,

or

a. the emergency assistance is necessary to avoid the destitution of the child, or

b. emergency assistance is necessary to provide the child living arrangements in a home.

2. DHSS Staff Limits Assistance to Recipients

This section only applies to those who are technically eligible due to receipt of cash or medical assistance as listed in Technical Eligibility above.

A. Applicants for assistance must have a qualifying emergency. A qualifying emergency is one that resulted from an unforeseen circumstance or combination of circumstances that are beyond the recipient's control.

NOTE: A recipient whose money is stolen may receive assistance if the recipient provides a police report of the incident.

DHSS will not authorize emergency assistance when the emergency was due to a recipient's failure to comply with a requirement of a Division of Social Services program. This includes individuals whose grant was reduced as the result of a sanction or disqualification.

Example:

a. Mary was sanctioned which resulted in a reduction of her TANF grant. Because she has less money she is not able to pay her electric bill. She is not eligible for emergency assistance because a grant reduction is a foreseeable consequence of a sanction.

b. Joey was disqualified which resulted in a reduction of his TANF grant. Because he has less money he is not able to pay his rent. At the same time his refrigerator breaks down. This is not a result of his disqualification (grant reduction) and Joey could be eligible for emergency assistance to repair or replace his refrigerator.

16 Del. Admin. Code § 6000-6002

16 DE Reg. 426 (10/01/12)