400-1        AN OVERVIEW OF THE ADULT PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Alaska's Adult Public Assistance (APAAdult Public Assistance) program was established in Alaska law "to furnish financial assistance as far as practicable to needy aged, blind, and disabled persons, and to help them attain self-support or self-care".

A set of changes to the state statutes enacted in 1982 combined the three formerly distinct Old Age Assistance ( OAA ), Aid to the Blind (ABLAid to the Blind), and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APDAid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled) programs into today's APAAdult Public Assistance program.  The primary purpose of the 1982 statutory changes was to integrate state program policy with that of the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSISupplemental Security Income) program which was established effective January, 1974 by Title XVI of the Social Security Act.  The SSISupplemental Security Income program is a national, federally funded program which, like APAAdult Public Assistance, provides financial assistance to the needy aged, blind, and disabled.  The SSISupplemental Security Income program is administered by the federal Social Security Administration (SSASocial Security Administration).

The intent of the 1982 APAAdult Public Assistance legislation was to establish APAAdult Public Assistance as a state-funded and administered program to supplement the benefits provided by SSISupplemental Security Income .  The SSISupplemental Security Income and APAAdult Public Assistance programs use basically the same eligibility criteria.  Although the two programs differ in administrative procedures and in certain eligibility criteria, the essential difference between SSISupplemental Security Income and APAAdult Public Assistance is APAAdult Public Assistance 's higher standard of need.

The language of the APAAdult Public Assistance statutes commits the State to a policy of cooperation and coordination with the federal government and its agencies in the administration of APAAdult Public Assistance for the residents of Alaska.  Most of the other States operate similar, state-funded programs that supplement the benefits of the SSISupplemental Security Income program.  States may opt for federal administration of their supplemental benefits; in these States the Social Security Administration (SSASocial Security Administration) determines eligibility and disburses payments for the state supplement as part of the SSISupplemental Security Income administrative process.  States also may opt to have SSASocial Security Administration determine Medicaid eligibility for SSISupplemental Security Income recipients.

Alaska has chosen to administer its own state supplement and to make its own Medicaid eligibility decisions.  Even though Alaska administers its own programs, regular and frequent exchanges of information between the State's administering agencies and the SSASocial Security Administration are essential to the operation of the APAAdult Public Assistance program.  In the interest of efficiency, the State regularly accepts the decisions of the Social Security Administration regarding eligibility and countable income levels for individual cases and applies the decisions to APAAdult Public Assistance cases; to do otherwise would involve an unnecessary duplication of effort.

Before the establishment of the SSISupplemental Security Income program, the OAAOld Age Assistance , ABLAid to the Blind , and APDAid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled programs were administered by the State but were jointly funded by state and federal monies.  The APAAdult Public Assistance program is now funded entirely by the State.  However, the state's Medicaid Plan includes Medicaid benefits for all recipients of APAAdult Public Assistance.  Thus, every APAAdult Public Assistance eligibility decision is also a Medicaid decision that must comply with the requirements of federal Medicaid law and is subject to federal Quality Control (QCQuality Control) review, along with the potential for fiscal sanctions to the State resulting from findings of ineligibility in the QCQuality Control review process.

The APAAdult Public Assistance program is administered through the local offices of the Division of Public Assistance ( DPA ) of the Alaska Department of Health (DOH).   DPA , with its staff of case workers, is the agency that determines eligibility and provides APAAdult Public Assistance financial assistance.

Another agency of DOHDepartment of Health, the Division of Health Care Services (DHCSDivision of Health Care Services) is responsible for administration of the Medicaid program; however, DPADivision of Public Assistance makes the eligibility decision and authorizes Medicaid benefits to eligible APAAdult Public Assistance recipients.  This shared administrative responsibility requires a great degree of coordination and cooperation between the two divisions.

The Division of Public Assistance also cooperates with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVRDivision of Vocational Rehabilitation) of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in the administration of the APAAdult Public Assistance program.    DVRDivision of Vocational Rehabilitation evaluates the disability of certain APAAdult Public Assistance applicants and accepts referrals for vocational rehabilitation services.

To fulfill its responsibility to furnish financial assistance to Alaska's needy aged, blind, and disabled, DPADivision of Public Assistance provides information about the APAAdult Public Assistance program and furnishes applications to all individuals who wish to apply.  Case workers make decisions on all applications submitted, based on state and federal eligibility criteria.   APA benefits are provided in the form of a monthly check that supplements the individual's or couple's monthly income up to the applicable monthly maximum amount provided for under Alaska state law.

This manual is provided as a tool for the case workers who administer the APAAdult Public Assistance program.  It provides an explanation of the federal and state policies which apply to the determination of eligibility for the APAAdult Public Assistance program and to the provision of benefits to eligible individuals and couples.