Program Overview
Alaska has set up a cash assistance program for its needy residents. The Adult Public Assistance (APA) program is for the aged, blind, and disabled Alaskans. It is meant to provide them with the needs that help them to achieve self-sufficiency. This independence can allow them to live their lives without compromising on any basic necessities. This program is also known as the APA program. It provides the recipients of Supplemental Security Income with cash. Along with these individuals, it also gives cash to those who come under their criterion. This is mainly the limitations of income and resources which must be followed by interested people.
APA recipients also get to enjoy Medicaid benefits. This is because being a part of the Alaska Adult Public Assistance grants them automatic eligibility. Thus, they can access the necessary benefits they require to live a life of ease and comfort.
Eligibility Criteria
The state of Alaska has outlined certain requirements for the eligibility of this program. This is to ensure that the limited funds of the APA are effectively distributed between the residents. The setup criterion helps to make sure that the most deserving people are catered to. The basic requirements of the program include the fact that the person must be:
- A U.S. Citizen or a qualified immigrant.
- A resident of the state of Alaska
- Under the age of 65
- A person is labeled as blind if their vision is 20/200 or less in the better eye. This is to be checked with the use of a correcting lens. Along with this definition, a person is also considered blind if they have a tunnel vision. It must be 20 degrees or less in the better eye. Only then would the person be considered as blind and thus, eligible for this program.
- Or, Disabled. It is important to consider what comes under the definition of disabled. This is a person who is unable to participate in any substantial gainful activity. This inability may be due to a medically verified physical or mental impairment. An impairment that has not taken place due to drug or alcohol addiction. The impairment is expected to have been there for a continuous period of 12 months. If not this time duration, then it must be an impairment that is expected to end in death.
The age limit associated with this program takes two things into account:
- An individual who is blind or disabled must be older than the age of 18.
- An individual who is not blind or disabled must be at least 65 years of age.
Along with these requirements, there is also an income limitation. It is important that the countable monthly income of the interested individual meets the specified limit. This means that it cannot be higher than the income limits of the APA program. These standards differ according to household type. To go through them and confirm your eligibility, the Alaska government website can be visited. The income development factors are also considered by this program. To make sure that the largest number of people are catered to, people are encouraged. This encouragement is in regard to them applying for and pursuing any other benefits. There are various other programs that they may be eligible for. These benefit programs include:
- Federal SSI benefits
- Private and public sector pensions and annuities
- Social Security Insurance benefits
- Unemployment Insurance
- Department of Veterans Affairs pension and compensation benefits
- Workers’ Compensation
- Other disability benefits
A resource limitation has also been set up by the program. They differ in amount for an individual and couple. The countable resources are not meant to exceed the amount of $2,000 for an individual. Similarly, this limit increases to the amount of $3,000 for a married couple.
How to Apply
To make the application process accessible for the residents of Alaska, the form is available online. It can easily be found through the government set-up website. Once downloaded, interested individuals can fill it out in the comfort of their house. They are then meant to mail or deliver it in person to their closest public Assistance office. To make it even easier, a list of the public assistance local offices can be found. This would help the applicants find the closest office in their vicinity.
For Further Information
Public Assistance Offices have been set up statewide. They are open on weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm to cater to the needs of people. If you wish to contact the offices in your districts, you can find their contact numbers through the website of the state of Alaska. That is http://dhss.alaska.gov/dpa/Pages/contacts.aspx