400-1        AN OVERVIEW OF THE ADULT PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Alaska's Adult Public Assistance (APA ) 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 Old Age Assistance), Aid to the Blind (ABL Aid to the Blind), and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APD Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled) programs into today's APA program.  The primary purpose of the 1982 statutory changes was to integrate state program policy with that of the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI Supplemental Security Income) program which was established effective January, 1974 by Title XVI of the Social Security Act.  The SSI Supplemental Security Income program is a national, federally funded program which, like APA , provides financial assistance to the needy aged, blind, and disabled.  The SSI Supplemental Security Income program is administered by the federal Social Security Administration (SSA ).

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

The language of the APA statutes commits the State to a policy of cooperation and coordination with the federal government and its agencies in the administration of APA for the residents of Alaska.  Most of the other States operate similar, state-funded programs that supplement the benefits of the SSI Supplemental Security Income program.  States may opt for federal administration of their supplemental benefits; in these States the Social Security Administration (SSA ) determines eligibility and disburses payments for the state supplement as part of the SSI Supplemental Security Income administrative process.  States also may opt to have SSA determine Medicaid eligibility for SSI Supplemental 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 SSA are essential to the operation of the APA 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 APA cases; to do otherwise would involve an unnecessary duplication of effort.

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

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

Another agency of DHSS Department of Health and Social Services (State), the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) is responsible for administration of the Medicaid program; however, DPA makes the eligibility decision and authorizes Medicaid benefits to eligible APA 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 (DVR Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in the administration of the APA program.  DVR Division of Vocational Rehabilitation evaluates the disability of certain APA applicants and accepts referrals for vocational rehabilitation services.

To fulfill its responsibility to furnish financial assistance to Alaska's needy aged, blind, and disabled, DPA provides information about the APA 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 APA program.  It provides an explanation of the federal and state policies which apply to the determination of eligibility for the APA program and to the provision of benefits to eligible individuals and couples.