STATE OF ALASKA

Department of Health and Social Services

Division of Public Assistance

TRANSMITTAL NUMBER:   MC #57

MANUAL:  Adult Public Assistance

DATE: December 2, 2019

This year Social Security announced a 1.6% Cost of Living Allowance (COLACost of Living Allowance) increase effective January 2020. We have incorporated the 2020 standards into the examples and Addendum 1.  These standards become effective with the benefit month of January 2020. The COLACost of Living Allowance adjustment also causes:

• An increase in the income limit for Substantial Gainful Activity; and
• An increase in the student earned income exclusion.

Due to a recent clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMSCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services), we have simplified our Adult Public Assistance (APAAdult Public Assistance) benefit calculation to be the difference between the individual's countable income and the need standard for their household type. In addition to this change, the APAAdult Public Assistance need and payment standards were reduced based on the State budget. Both of these changes are effective with the benefit month of January 2020.

We also made several changes to incorporate new policy, clarify existing policy, and align policies within our program policy manuals. Other changes are either technical in nature or clarifications that are the result of policy questions or suggestions from the field.  

Highlights of these policy revision are described below.  If you have any questions, contact the Policy and Program Development Team at dpapolicy@alaska.gov.

410-7B     Initial Month's APAAdult Public Assistance Payment for Applications received before July 1, 2004

• Deleted information regarding APAAdult Public Assistance applications received before July 1, 2004 as this is no longer relevant.
• Renamed title of subsection to "Initial Month's APAAdult Public Assistance Payment For Interim Assistance Recipients".

420-2A     Relationship Between the SSI and APAAdult Public Assistance Programs

• Changed policy to disallow fleeing felons from receiving APAAdult Public Assistance benefits.  

421-5      Non-Qualified Aliens

• Clarified that DACADeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients are considered non-immigrants.

425-2A     Temporary Disability or Blindness or Disability Decisions

• Updated section to allow a state physician or psychiatrist to sign an AD 2 form to match state regulations.

425-2D     State-Only Blindness or Disability Decisions

• Changed policy to disallow fleeing felons to receive a state only disability decision.

426-2C3    Disabled APA applicants required submit an AD 2Preliminary Examination for Interim Assistance form.

• Updated section to allow a state physician or psychiatrist to sign an AD 2Preliminary Examination for Interim Assistance form to match state regulations.

433-1      Transfer of Resources

• Updated all examples within the chapter to reflect the new 2020 standards.

433-2A     Eligibility for Conditional Benefits

• Updated the SSISupplemental Security Income payment standard to the new 2020 amount in order to accurately calculate if an applicant is eligible for conditional benefits.

452-1      Payment Calculations

• Revised section due to APAAdult Public Assistance payment calculation change effective January 1, 2020.
• Updated all examples within the section to reflect the new 2020 standards.

452-2       Budgeting Exceptions for SSISupplemental Security Income cases in Which an Ineligible Spouse Receives Income

• Deleted subsection as the APAAdult Public Assistance calculation policy has changed effective January 1, 2020.
• Marked subsection as Reserved.

452-3      Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) Increases

• Revised section as the APAAdult Public Assistance calculations policy has changed effective January 1, 2020.

452-5     Computation of Benefits

• Revised section as the APAAdult Public Assistance calculation policy has changed effective January 1, 2020.

452-10B    Temporary Assistance to APAAdult Public Assistance conversions

• Revised examples to reflect the new 2020 standards.
• Deleted note in this section as it no longer applies due to the change in the APAAdult Public Assistance payment calculation effective January 1, 2020.

452-12      Retroactive APAAdult Public Assistance Benefit Calculations

• Deleted information regarding APAAdult Public Assistance applications received before July 1, 2004 as this is no longer relevant.
• Revised section due to the change in APAAdult Public Assistance payment calculation effective January 1, 2020.
• Revised example to reflect the new 2020 standards.

460-5     Income Allocations

• Updated all examples within the chapter to reflect the new 2020 standards.

480-7      Fair Hearings

• Added Link to Admin MS 117-2.

Addendum 1

• Updated the program standards based on the 2020 COLACost of Living Allowance change.
• Added new APAAdult Public Assistance Need/Payment Standard Table.
• Renamed Historical Need and Maximum Payment Standard Tables.

Whole Manual

• Changed reference referencing different Need and Maximum Payment Standards to Need/Maximum Payment Standards due to change in APAAdult Public Assistance calculation policy effective January 1, 2020.