Washington Administrative Code
Title 388 - Social and Health Services, Department of
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Chapter 388-410 - Benefit error
Section 388-410-0025 - Am I responsible for a food benefits overpayment in my assistance unit?

(1) We set up an overpayment for the full amount your AU was overpaid for every adult AU member at the time your AU was overpaid.

(2) Except as provided in WAC 388-410-0030 and 388-410-0033, each adult member is responsible for the whole overpayment until we recover the entire amount of the overpayment. We do not collect more than the amount your AU was overpaid.

(3) If we determine you are responsible for an overpayment, you are responsible for the overpayment even if you are now in a different AU than you were when you had the overpayment.

(4) You may be responsible for a Basic Food, FAP, or WASHCAP overpayment even if it was the department's fault you were overpaid.

(5) Equitable estoppel, described under WAC 388-02-0495, does not apply to Basic Food, FAP, or WASHCAP overpayments. Federal law provides that your AU is responsible for repaying any overpayment of benefits, as stated in 7 U.S.C. §2022 (a)(4) and 7 C.F.R. §273.18 (a). Federal law does not permit states to make exceptions based on equitable estoppel, as stated in the Federal Register at volume 63, page 29307 and volume 65, page 41765. This also applies to FAP overpayments because under RCW 74.08A.120, FAP rules must follow federal food assistance rules.