General Assistance FAQs

 

The general Assistance (GA) program in Maine is administered by each municipality in order to provide immediate help to eligible people who do not have enough money for basic needs, such as rent/mortgage, food, heating fuel, medications, non elective medical care and other items that are essential to maintain themselves or their families.

In order to receive GA, people must follow program rules and meet eligibility conditions.

GA is intended to help people who are in need and have nowhere else to turn. GA is a program of last resort.

 

 

People wishing to apply for assistance should call the department to schedule an appointment. Each person needs to complete an application in order to determine eligibility. Applications are taken on Thursday’s.

 

What to bring with you when you apply:

  

At the time an applicant receives a decision on their application, the administrator will inform them of their responsibilities for being eligible in the future. Once applying for general assistance all clients, regardless of whether or not they received any benefits, are responsible for showing that they have done all they can to prevent needing general assistance again. This includes providing documentation (receipts) of all their spending over the past thirty days (or longer if they are seeking assistance with back bills). Again, the amount of income from all sources received by the household must be provided. Additionally, the applicant must show that they have utilized all potential resources the administrator referred them to.

 

 

If you are unemployed or underemployed (working less than full time) but are able to work, you must:

 

Each applicant and any member of the household who is capable of working may be required to perform work for the municipality, including work for a non-profit organization, as a condition of receiving assistance. As part of the municipal work program, the municipality can require recipient to participate in training, education, or rehabilitative programs that will assist the recipient in securing employment.

 

 

At the time an applicant receives a decision on their application, the administrator will inform them of their responsibilities for being eligible in the future. Once applying for general assistance all clients, regardless of whether or not they received any benefits, are responsible for showing that they have done all they can to prevent needing general assistance again. This includes providing documentation (receipts) of all their spending over the past thirty days (or longer if they are seeking assistance with back bills). Again, the amount of income from all sources received by the household must be provided. Additionally, the applicant must show that they have utilized all potential resources the administrator referred them to.

 

 

General assistance is a program that encourages clients to do all they can to prevent needing future assistance. An applicant may be found ineligible to receive general assistance if they: misspend their money on items that are not considered basic necessities (this will count as money that is still available to the household and will effect the amount of eligibility); if a client forfeits a benefit ( subsidized housing, TANF, SSI, Food Stamps etc) this benefit will not be replaced; if a client quits a job without just cause, they are disqualified from receiving assistance for a 120 day period.; for failing to perform or complete a workfare assignment; for willfully making a false representation about their eligibility; for not providing or permitting the administrator to gather the necessary verification and documentation as required; as well as others.

Remember that it is your responsibility to show that you are eligible.

 

 

Generally, general assistance is determined for a one to thirty day period only. If an applicant needs to apply for general assistance again, they are responsible for making sure they have met the requirements for the program for eligibility.

 

 

If you disagree with the decision, applicants should discuss the matter with the administrator. All applicants have the right to request a Fair Hearing which would provide the applicant with a Board composed of individuals not involved in the decision to decide whether you are eligible for assistance. If you would like a Fair Hearing, you must request a hearing in writing within 5 working days of when you~receive your decision.

 

 

The town will grant assistance to eligible applicants for basic necessities according to the maximum levels for specific types of assistance. Basic necessities include housing, heat, LP Gas, electricity, food, personal and household supplies, and other basic necessities when they are deemed essential to an applicant's health and safety by the General Assistance Administrator.

 

 

Yes. You are required to repay the municipality when you become financially able to do so. If the municipality makes a mortgage payment or pays for a capital improvement on your property, it may place a lien on your property in the Registry of Deeds. There is also an automatic lien against any Workers Compensation lump sum payment that you may receive. In addition, there is a process in place that is effectively a lien against any future Supplemental Security Income (SSI) retroactive benefit you may receive. If you have applied for SSI, the administrator will ask you to sign an agreement form that will result in the municipality and the Department of Human Services being paid back for all the GA issued to you after you applied for SSI. if you refuse to sign this form you will be denied General Assistance.