Except when it is impractical, the general assistance administrator
will interview each applicant personally before making a decision.
The interview will be conducted in private, although the applicant
may be accompanied by a legal representative, friend or family member.
The administrator will make every effort to inform all applicants
of their rights and responsibilities as well as the general program
requirements associated with applying for and receiving general assistance,
including application requirements, eligibility guidelines, applicant
rights, and applicant reimbursement obligations.
A.
Application requirements. The administrator will help the applicant
fill out the application form as described in the preceding section.
The administrator will inform the applicant of any other information
or documentation that the applicant will have to provide in order
for the administrator to evaluate the applicant's eligibility
for assistance. The administrator will fully explain the purpose of
any release of information form or reimbursement agreement before
seeking to obtain the applicant's signature or written authorization.
B.
Eligibility requirements. The administrator will inform, either
verbally or in writing, the applicant of the eligibility requirements
of the program, including:
(1)
The income standard of need;
(2)
The applicant's ongoing use-of-income, work-related, and
resource-related responsibilities, as described in the section immediately
below;
(3)
The financial reduction in assistance that is the consequence
of spending household income on nonbasic necessities; and
(4)
The disqualification penalties associated with committing fraud,
failing to perform work-related assignments without just cause, or
failing to make a good-faith effort to secure potential resources
when the requirement to attempt to obtain those resources has been
explained to the applicant in writing.
C.
Applicant rights. The administrator will inform all applicants
of their rights to:
(1)
Review the municipal general assistance ordinance and Maine
general assistance law;
(3)
Receive a written decision concerning eligibility within 24
hours of applying for assistance;
(6)
Challenge the administrator's decision by requesting a
fair hearing.
D.
Reimbursement/recovery. The administrator will inform the applicant that he/she must reimburse the municipality for the amount of general assistance he/she has been granted in the event of a subsequent ability to pay. The municipality may also, as appropriate, contact the client's legal representative to inform him or her of the client's obligation to repay the municipality under the GA program. In addition to seeking repayment from a recipient, the municipality also may recover the amount of assistance granted to a recipient during the previous 12 months from any relative legally liable for the applicant's support (spouses, parents of persons under the age of 25, see Chapter
11.8, Recovery of Expenses (22 M.R.S.A. §§ 4318, 4319). Whenever applicable, the administrator will explain the various liens a municipality may place against a recipient's real or personal property, such as the mortgage or capital improvement lien, the workers' compensation lump sum payment lien, or the SSI "interim assistance agreement" lien, as these liens are described in Chapter
11.8, Recovery.
An application is considered withdrawn if:
A.
The applicant requests, in writing, that his or her application
be withdrawn; or
B.
The applicant refuses to complete or sign the application or
any other form needed by the general assistance administrator.
Under special circumstances, the general assistance administrator
may temporarily refuse to accept applications. Such circumstances
may include, but are not limited to, the following:
A.
When the applicant's conduct is abusive, disruptive, or
harassing, or when the applicant is under the influence of drugs or
alcohol. In these situations, the applicant will be asked to leave,
and if the applicant refuses to leave, the police may be summoned.
The applicant will be informed that an application will only be accepted
when his or her conduct is under control.
B.
If the administrator believes that an applicant's behavior
presents a threat to the health or safety of the public or to a municipal
employee, or if such behavior is violent, or if an applicant has engaged
in abusive, disruptive or harassing behavior and has been required
to leave on more than one occasion, then the applicant may be required
to designate a third party to apply for assistance on his or her behalf
and the applicant may be prohibited from entering the municipal building;
C.
When a third person applies for assistance on behalf of the
applicant, that person may be required to provide written verification
that he/she has been duly authorized to act as a representative for
the applicant (22 M.R.S.A. § 4308).