                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

APPLICATION FOR ASSISTANCE (§ 63.2-501)

A. Except as provided for in the state plan for medical assistance services
pursuant to &#xA7; 32.1-325, application for public assistance shall be made to
the local department and filed with the local director of the county or city in
which the applicant resides; however, when necessary to overcome backlogs in the
application and renewal process, the Commissioner may temporarily utilize other
entities to receive and process applications, conduct periodic eligibility
renewals, and perform other tasks associated with eligibility determinations.
Such entities shall be subject to the confidentiality requirements set forth in
&#xA7; 63.2-501.1. Applications and renewals processed by other entities
pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to appeals pursuant to &#xA7;
63.2-517. Such application may be made either electronically or in writing on
forms prescribed by the Commissioner and shall be signed by the applicant or
otherwise attested to in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner under penalty
of perjury in accordance with &#xA7; 63.2-502.
			If the condition of the applicant for public assistance precludes his signing
or otherwise attesting to the accuracy of information contained in an
application for public assistance, the application may be made on his behalf by
his guardian or conservator. If no guardian or conservator has been appointed
for the applicant, the application may be made by any competent adult person
having sufficient knowledge of the applicant&#8217;s circumstances to provide
the necessary information, until such time as a guardian or conservator is
appointed by a court.

B. Local departments or the Commissioner shall provide each applicant for public
assistance with information regarding his rights and responsibilities related to
eligibility for and continued receipt of public assistance. Such information
shall be provided in an electronic or written format approved by the Board that
is easily understandable and shall also be provided orally to the applicant by
an employee of the local department, except in the case of energy assistance.
The local department shall require each applicant to acknowledge, in a format
approved by the Board, that the information required by this subsection has been
provided and shall maintain such acknowledgment together with information
regarding the application for public assistance.

C. Local departments or the Commissioner shall provide each applicant for
Medicaid with information regarding advance directives pursuant to Article 8
(&#xA7; 54.1-2981 et seq.) of Chapter 29 of Title 54.1, including information
about the purpose and benefits of advance directives and how the applicant may
make an advance directive.

D. The Commissioner and local departments shall administer the Child Care
Subsidy Program as provided for in the State Child Care Plan prepared by the
Department of Education.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 63-116, 63-140.3, 63-142, 63-180, 63-206; 1962, c. 621;
1968, cc. 578, 781, § 63.1-107; 1970, c. 721; 1972, c. 718; 1975, cc. 524, 585;
1996, c. 511; 1997, cc. 801, 921; 2002, c. 747; 2012, cc. 240, 530; 2015, c.
513; 2017, c. 106; 2020, cc. 860, 861.