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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 4
West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 76 Chapter 4 Income
➢ Rent Subsidies A rent subsidy paid directly to the client's landlord is not counted as income and the amount of the subsidy is not used as a shelter deduction. A rent subsidy paid directly to the client or any other entity other than the client’s landlord is counted as income and the amount of rent payment actually made from the client’s income is used as a shelter deduction. A rent subsidy paid directly to the client or to the utility provider is counted as income, and the amount of the rent payment actually made from the AG’s income, including income counted due to direct receipt of a rent subsidy, is used as a shelter deduction. When the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is recovering an overpayment by withholding money for current and future subsidies, the client's contribution increases. Such an increase is not counted as an increase in shelter costs. ➢ Residents of Group Living Facilities (GLF) The portion of the payment made to the GLF, which can be identified as being for shelter or utilities, is used as a shelter deduction. If it is not possible to identify the portion of the payment that is for shelter, the Worker subtracts the maximum monthly benefit for the number of persons in the AG from the total monthly payment actually made from the AG’s income. The remainder is used as the shelter expense. 4.4.2.C.1 Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) SUAs are fixed deductions that are adjusted yearly to allow for fluctuations in utility expenses. AGs with utility expenses for both occupied and unoccupied homes may only use the SUA for one home of his choice. These deductions are the Heating/Cooling Standard (HCS), the Non-Heating/Cooling Standard (NHCS), and the One Utility Standard (OUS). The current SUA amounts are found in Appendix B. AGs that are obligated to pay from their resources a utility expense that is billed separately from their shelter expenses are eligible for an SUA deduction. AGs that are not obligated to pay any utility expense are ineligible for the SUA, even if other residents pay utility expenses. Eligibility