Terms Used In Delaware Code > Title 31 > Chapter 5 - State Public Assistance Code

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Applicant: means any person or family who applies for assistance or welfare services or on whose behalf such application is made under the terms of this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Assistance: means assistance to or on behalf of eligible needy persons or eligible families to enable them to improve their standard of living, including money payments, child care, job training, education, other support services, medical or surgical care, dental care, nursing, burial, board and care in a private institution, adult foster care, rest residential facility for adults, public medical institution as a patient, or such other aid as may be deemed necessary. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Child: means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Credit Score: A number, roughly between 300 and 800, that measures an individual's credit worthiness. The most well-known type of credit score is the FICO score. This score represents the answer from a mathematical formula that assigns numerical values to various pieces of information in your credit report. ^{Source: OCC}
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dental care: means payment of all or part of the costs on behalf of an eligible recipient for preventive and restorative treatment which the Department of Health and Social Services authorizes by regulation. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Director: means Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 101
• dollars: means lawful money of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Employable: refers to any person who:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502

• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Medical advisory committee: means a committee appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services, composed of representatives from the field of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, hospital services and such other fields concerned with health as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services may deem appropriate, to provide to the board advice, recommendations and assistance in the formulation and administration of programs of medical and health care. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Medical assistance: means medical or dental care furnished on behalf of recipients who are eligible for assistance in any of the categories in § 505 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Medical care: means payment of all or part of the costs on behalf of eligible recipients; provided, that such payments are within the limitations of the funds appropriated by the General Assembly and the United States Congress for this purpose, for:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502

• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Recipient: means any person or family to whom or for whom assistance is paid under this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Supplemental appropriation: Budget authority provided in an appropriations act in addition to regular or continuing appropriations already provided. Supplemental appropriations generally are made to cover emergencies, such as disaster relief, or other needs deemed too urgent to be postponed until the enactment of next year's regular appropriations act.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Unemployable: means not employable. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• unemployment: means as defined under regulations of the Department of Health and Social Services in consultation with the Department of Labor. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 502
• United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302