Arizona Legislative Changes for Cash Assistance and Nutrition Assistance

The following law changes were passed by the Arizona Legislature and are effective 08/09/17:

• Finger imaging is no longer required for Nutrition Assistance and Cash Assistance. ARS 46-217 and ARS 46-218 are repealed
• The Application of Benefits now informs Cash Assistance applicants that it is mandatory to cooperate with fraud investigations and that failure to cooperate could result in termination of benefits. ARS 46-201 (B)
• Individuals with a felony drug conviction that are, or would be, disqualified from receiving Nutrition Assistance (NA) are now able to end or avoid disqualification. In order to receive NA, those convicted of a drug offense must agree to random drug testing and meet 1 of 5 additional requirements. ARS 46-219
• Households can apply for a time extension of up to 12 months after reaching their 12-month State Benefit Limit, provided they are complying with the Jobs Program and their children are in school at least 90% of the time.  ARS 46-294 (G)
• Participants are not allowed to use their EBT card to purchase lottery tickets with their Cash Assistance (CA) benefits.  ARS 46-297 (B)
• Participants may be investigated for potential fraud when they request multiple replacement EBT cards in a 12-month period. They can also be subject to review when 10% or more of their Cash Assistance EBT benefits are used out-of-state in a 6-month period. ARS 46-297.01
• CA Participants will now have their case closed when they fail to comply with certain program requirements for the second time. ARS 46-300 (D)
  

  Additional sanction reasons were added for participants who voluntarily quit a job without good cause or have been convicted of a drug offense. ARS 46-300 (B)

• The Kinship Foster Care Child Only CA provision has been expanded to children in the legal custody of a tribal court or placed in an unlicensed foster care by a tribal child welfare agency located in Arizona.  ARS 46-101 (7)
• The Benefit Cap disqualification has been removed for children in DCS or Tribal legal custody whom are placed in unlicensed foster care with an unrelated adult and in Kinship Foster Care Child Only cases.  ARS 46-292 (I)

 For additional information, see the Cash and Nutrition Assistance Policy Manual.