Minnesota Administrative Rules
Agency 192 - Veterans Affairs Department
Chapter 9055 - ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATION
Part 9055.0390 - SUBSISTENCE UTILITY AND HEALTH INSURANCE AND COBRA BENEFITS

A. For a recipient and members of the recipient's household if the recipient's benefit amount is greater than $0, the commissioner must provide subsistence assistance for:

B. The commissioner must prorate benefit amounts for utility charges, health insurance premiums, and COBRA payments according to part 9055.0280, subpart 5, if the legal obligation to pay for these items is shared with a person who is not eligible to receive subsistence.

C. The commissioner must assign subsistence assistance for utility charges, health insurance premiums, and COBRA payments to a specific benefit period. Subsistence assistance is limited to the current charges, applicable taxes, and other fees and charges in the billing cycle.

D. Subsistence assistance with past due amounts, late charges, or fees incurred before the start of the first benefit period is prohibited.

E. The commissioner must provide subsistence assistance only for the amount due stated on a billing document if the amount due is less than the current charges, applicable taxes, and other authorized fees and charges for the billing cycle.

F. The commissioner must provide subsistence assistance for the monthly amount budgeted for utility charges, applicable taxes, and other authorized fees and charges due for a billing cycle that is assigned to a specific benefit period if a recipient is on a budget payment plan.

G. The commissioner must provide subsistence assistance for payments required to balance an account for utility charges that are due during a billing cycle that is assigned to a specific benefit period if a recipient is on a budget payment plan.

H. The commissioner must evenly distribute amounts due for utility charges, health insurance premiums, and COBRA payments with billing cycles longer than 30 days over the number of benefit periods covered by the billing cycle.

I. The commissioner must assign utility charges, health insurance premiums, and COBRA payments to a benefit period if:

J. The commissioner must provide subsistence assistance for multiple utility charges, health insurance premiums, and COBRA payments at once if each payment meets the requirements of this subpart and is assigned to a specific benefit period.

K. Billing documents that have been altered or tampered with must not be accepted for payment of utility charges, health insurance premiums, or COBRA payments.

L. The commissioner must not duplicate payments for utility charges, health insurance premiums, or COBRA payments if a recipient receives assistance from another entity for the payments.