The legal basis for excluding State and Federal assistance payments is set forth in Section RSMo 208.020.
Funds received from any State or Federal government emergency disaster or relief assistance program are permanently excluded income. Do not consider these funds when determining the amount of cash and securities owned in that month.
Payment sources can be from:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)
- National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIP)
- Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 100-707)
- or, any income received from an insurance company or agency due to a State or Federal government emergency disaster
If the participant has multiple accounts, verify into which account the assistance payment is being deposited. Deduct the payment from this account. If the payment is deposited into multiple accounts, determine how much is deposited into each account, and deduct that amount from the appropriate account.
Payments made on a direct benefit/prepaid card are considered as if deposited into a checking account.
Any cash remaining following the month payment was received from these sources is not considered as an available resource.
NOTE: Interest earned on any unspent payments is excluded from income. However, any interest earned on such payments that is retained into the month following the month of receipt, is a countable resource.