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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 20

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 34 Chapter 20 Emergency and Special Assistance Programs

20.3.2.B Need Resources of the deceased shall consist of readily available liquid assets such as, but not limited to, life insurance policies, burial trust funds, cash, checking and/or savings accounts, certificates of deposits, etc. The Worker must verify the availability of these liquid assets prior to approval of the burial application. If the information is not known by the responsible relative it must be explained to the responsible relative they are attesting there are not sufficient resources by signing the DFA-67- A and DFA-BU-1, and that a claim will be placed against the estate of the deceased. If the applicant indicates that, for an adult burial, the deceased had at least $2,200 in available resources, the Worker must find the application ineligible for benefits. The income limit for the deceased must not have been more than 133% of the FPL. The income verification would just be for the deceased if the applicant is not a responsible relative. The income counted would be for the 30 days prior to the date of death. The SNAP budgeting rules would be followed for counting the deceased’s income. 20.3.3 APPLICATION PROCESS 20.3.3.A General Instructions Although it is preferable that the application for payment of burial expenses be made by the surviving spouse or other close relative, the application may be made by the person who has accepted responsibility for making burial arrangements. This includes, but is not limited to, the Funeral Home Director, friends, and neighbors. All applicants must be at least the age of 18. • Form DFA-BU-1, Application for Burial Benefits, will be used in taking applications for payment of burial expenses. • Form DFA-BU-2, Affidavit of Responsible Relative, is used to determine whether certain relatives, who are designated under State Law as liable for burial expenses, are financially able to make payment of all or part of the maximum payment allowed by the Department. In order to maintain the Department's policy of developing all possible resources, other relatives who are not designated under State Law as liable for burial expenses are also evaluated as to their ability and willingness to pay all or part of the appropriate burial rate.