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(a) Notwithstanding Section 12552, special circumstances shall also include the administration and payment by the department pursuant to this section of a recurring special need allowance to every eligible recipient who has a guide dog, signal dog, or other service dog, to pay for dog food and other costs associated with the dog’s care and maintenance.
(b) For purposes of this section, the special need allowance shall be fifty dollars ($50) per month.
(c) The department shall mail an application for the allowance to each recipient of benefits under the federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program who is known to the department to have a guide dog, signal dog, or other service dog, or who has requested an application from the department, and who is a legal resident of this state. The application shall include a disclosure of the applicant’s resources and all sources and amounts of the applicant’s income. The application shall be upon a standard form prescribed by regulations of the department and containing a written declaration that the affirmation is made under penalty of perjury subject to prosecution as the crime of perjury under the Penal Code. The recipient or, if the recipient is incapable, another person as described in Section 11054 may make the affirmation. In order to establish eligibility pursuant to subdivision (e), the applicant shall also be required to present a proof of income statement from the federal Social Security Administration. The department shall grant the special need allowance upon the basis of the affirmation by mailing a monthly warrant in the amount indicated in subdivision (b) to the recipient.
(d) The county welfare department shall cooperate in assisting the recipient in completing his or her application for the special need allowance authorized by this section.
(e) For purposes of this section, “eligible recipient” means any person legally residing in this state who is a recipient of benefits under the federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, provided for pursuant to Title II of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 401, et seq.) and whose income and resources are not in excess of the federal poverty level. For purposes of determining eligibility under this section, income and resources shall be defined in the same manner as those terms are used in determining eligibility for aid under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12000).