The City may recover the full amount of assistance granted to
a person from either the recipient or from any person liable for the
recipient, or his/her executors or administrators in a civil action.
Prior to taking a recipient to court to recover the amount of assistance,
the City will seek voluntary repayment from the recipient by notifying
him/her in writing and discussing it with the recipient. The City
shall not attempt to recover such costs if, as a result of the repayment,
the person would again become eligible for general assistance (22
M.R.S.A. § 4318).
All applicants who receive general assistance while receipt
of their supplemental security income (SSI) assistance is pending
or suspended, and which therefore may be retroactively issued to the
applicant at a later date, will be required to sign a statement on
an interim assistance agreement form distributed by the Department
of Health and Human Services which authorizes the Social Security
Administration to direct a portion of any retroactive SSI payment
to the City and/or the state in repayment for the general assistance
granted. Any general assistance applicant who has applied for or who
may be applying for SSI, or who may be required to apply for SSI pursuant
to 22 M.R.S.A. § 4317, and who refuses to sign the interim
agreement SSI authorization form, will be found ineligible to receive
general assistance until he/she provides the required signature (22
M.R.S.A. § 4318).
The spouse of an applicant, or the parents of an applicant under
the age of 25, are liable for the support of the applicant (22 M.R.S.A.
§ 4319). In addition, children and grandchildren, siblings,
parents and grandparents are liable for the burial costs of each other.
The City considers these relatives to be available resources and liable
for the support of their relatives in proportion to their respective
ability. The City may complain to any court of competent jurisdiction
to recover any expenses made on the behalf of a recipient if the relatives
fail to fulfill their responsibility (22 M.R.S.A. § 4319).