(a) This subsection does not apply to general assistance to households without minor dependents. The standard of need shall equal the poverty level established by the federal government in 2006, prorated over a twelve-month period based on family size.
The assistance allowance provided shall be based on a percentage of the standard of need. For other work eligible households and non-work eligible households and households in which all caretaker relatives are minors, living independently with minor dependents and attending school, the assistance allowance shall be set no higher than sixty-two and one-half per cent and no lower than forty-four per cent of the standard of need. For all other households, the assistance allowance shall be set no higher than sixty-two and one-half per cent of the standard of need and set no lower than thirty-four per cent of the standard of need. The standard of need shall be determined by dividing the 2006 federal poverty level by twelve and rounding down the quotient. The remaining quotient shall be multiplied by the per cent as set by the director by rules pursuant to chapter 91, and the final product shall be rounded down to determine the assistance allowance; provided that:
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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-53
- Department: means the department of human services. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Director: means the director of human services. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Domiciliary care: means the provision of twenty-four-hour living accommodations and personal care services and appropriate medical care, as needed, to adults unable to care for themselves by persons unrelated to the recipient in private residences or other facilities. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Financial assistance: means public assistance, except for payments for medical care, social service payments, transportation assistance, and emergency assistance under § 346-65, including funds received from the federal government. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- 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.
- Minor dependents: means dependents living in the home of a specified adult, as defined by rules, in which the adult is the primary caretaker and the dependent is under eighteen or if between eighteen and nineteen, enrolled full-time in a program of secondary or equivalent level vocational or technical school, and is expected to complete the program before reaching age nineteen. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Public assistance: means financial assistance to or for the benefit of persons whom the department has determined to be without sufficient means of support to maintain a standard consistent with this chapter, payments to or on behalf of such persons for medical care, and social service payments as described under the Social Security Act. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Recipient: means the person for whose use and benefit services are rendered or a grant of public assistance is made. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
- Work eligible household: means a household in which at least one member is:
(1) An adult receiving assistance under the temporary assistance for needy families program; or
(2) A non-recipient parent, who is not a non-work eligible individual or an other work eligible individual. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 346-1
If the operator does not provide the quality of care consistent with the needs of the individual to the satisfaction of the department, the department may remove the recipient to another facility.
The department shall handle abusive practices under this section in accordance with chapter 91.
Nothing in this subsection shall allow the director to remove a recipient from an adult residential care home or other similar institution if the recipient does not desire to be removed and the operator is agreeable to the recipient remaining, except where the recipient requires a higher level of care than provided or where the recipient no longer requires any domiciliary care.
(d) On July 1, 2006, and thereafter, as the department determines a need, the department shall authorize a payment, as allowed by federal law, for resident clients receiving supplemental security income in adult residential care home type I and type II facilities, licensed developmental disabilities domiciliary homes as defined under section 321-15.9, community care foster family homes as defined under § 321-481, and certified adult foster homes as defined under section 321-11.2, when state funds appropriated for the purpose of providing payments under subsection (c) for a specific fiscal year are not expended fully within a period that meets the requirements of the department’s maintenance of effort agreement with the Social Security Administration.
The payment shall be made with that portion of state funds identified in this subsection that has not been expended.
The department shall determine the rate of payment to ensure compliance with its maintenance of effort agreement with the Social Security Administration.
(e) The department shall pay rental and utility (to include gas, electricity, and water only) deposits once only for any person eligible for financial assistance by the department. However, under extraordinary circumstances as determined by the department, an additional rental deposit, utility deposit, or both, may be granted.
(f) Any recipient may petition the department for additional assistance when the recipient’s need is due to emergencies caused by seismic wave, tsunami, hurricane, volcanic eruption, typhoon, earthquake, flood, or fire determined by the director to have caused losses as to require and justify additional assistance from the State. In addition, any recipient may petition the department for additional assistance for the replacement or repair of household appliances. The additional assistance shall be paid on an emergency basis, as determined by the department, to meet the cost of replacing or repairing household appliances. If the cost of repairs of household appliances is less than one-half the unit cost of the item, the department shall pay for the cost of repairs. If the cost of repairs of household appliances is one-half the unit cost of the item or more, the department shall replace the household appliance; provided that the replacement cost shall not exceed $350. For the purposes of this subsection, “household appliances” means a refrigerator or a range.
The department shall establish an emergency fund, not to exceed one per cent of total financial assistance from state funds required by this chapter in the previous fiscal year. The director shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for determining in which cases to grant lump sum payments to recipients petitioning for additional assistance.
(g) The department shall include protective child care payment as a special needs item in the financial assistance standard for cases of child neglect or abuse requiring placement of a child in child care. The referral for protective child care payment shall be from the department’s child welfare program and the rate of payment shall be set by the department.
(h) The director shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to implement this section.
