2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 17b - Social Services
Chapter 319s - Financial Assistance
Section 17b-77 - (Formerly Sec. 17-82b). Application for aid. Notice of liability for repayment.

(a) Application for aid under the state supplement program, medical assistance program, temporary family assistance program, state-administered general assistance program and supplemental nutrition assistance program shall be made to the Commissioner of Social Services. The name and address of each such applicant shall be recorded with the commissioner. Such application, in the case of temporary family assistance, shall be made by the supervising relative, his authorized representative, or, in the case of an individual who is incapacitated, someone acting responsibly for him and shall contain the name and the exact residence of such applicant, the name, place and date of birth of each dependent child, the Social Security number of the supervising relative and of each dependent child, and such other information as is required by the commissioner. If such supervising relative or any such child does not have a Social Security number, the commissioner shall assist in obtaining a Social Security number for each such person seeking public assistance and during the time required to obtain such Social Security numbers the supervising relative and children shall not be precluded from eligibility under this section. By such application, the applicant shall assign to the commissioner the right of support, present, past and future, due all persons seeking assistance and shall assist the commissioner in pursuing support obligations due from the noncustodial parent. On and after October 1, 2008, such assignment under the temporary family assistance program shall apply only to such support rights as accrue during the period of assistance, not to exceed the total amount of assistance provided to the family under said program. Notice of such assignment shall be conspicuously placed on said application and shall be explained to the applicant at the time of application. All information required to be provided to the commissioner as a condition of such eligibility under federal law shall be so provided by the applicant, provided, no person shall be determined to be ineligible if the applicant has good cause for the refusal to provide information concerning the noncustodial parent or if the provision of such information would be against the best interests of the dependent child or children, or any of them. The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt by regulation, in accordance with chapter 54, standards as to good cause and best interests of the child. Any person aggrieved by a decision of the commissioner as to the determination of good cause or the best interests of such child or children may request a fair hearing in accordance with the provisions of sections 17b-60 and 17b-61. All statements made by the applicant concerning income, resources and any other matters pertaining to eligibility shall be certified to by the applicant as true and correct under penalty of false statement, and for any such certified statement which is untrue or incorrect such applicant shall be subject to the penalties provided for false statement under section 17b-97.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall notify each applicant for aid under the state supplement program, medical assistance program, temporary family assistance program and state-administered general assistance program of the provisions of sections 17b-93 to 17b-97, inclusive, in general terms, at the time of application for such aid. The commissioner shall notify each person who may be liable for repayment of such aid, if known, of the provisions of sections 17b-93 to 17b-97, inclusive, in general terms, not later than thirty days after the applicant is determined to be eligible for such aid or, if not known at the time the applicant is determined to be eligible for such aid, the department shall give such notice not later than thirty days after the date on which the commissioner identifies such person as one who may be liable for repayment of such aid. The notice shall be (1) written in plain language, (2) in an easily readable and understandable format, and (3) whenever possible, in the first language of the applicant or person who may be liable for repayment of such aid.

(1969, P.A. 730, S. 16; 1971, P.A. 871, S. 93; P.A. 75-420, S. 4, 6; P.A. 76-334, S. 3, 12; P.A. 77-614, S. 608, 610; P.A. 80-55; P.A. 87-171, S. 1; 87-589, S. 25, 87; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 27, 165; P.A. 07-247, S. 1; P.A. 09-9, S. 10; P.A. 10-183, S. 1; P.A. 11-25, S. 5; 11-122, S. 1.)

History: 1971 act replaced perjury penalty with false statement penalty and deleted reference to Sec. 53-143; P.A. 75-420 replaced welfare commissioner with commissioner of social services; P.A. 76-334 required application to contain applicable social security numbers, added provisions re assistance until numbers can be obtained, clarified responsibilities of commissioner and supervising relative and added provisions setting forth circumstances under which required information need not be given, giving commissioner power to make regulations and granting persons aggrieved by decision a fair hearing; P.A. 77-614 replaced social services commissioner with commissioner of income maintenance, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-55 required notice of assignment to be conspicuous part of application and required its explanation to supervising relative; P.A. 87-171 removed language providing for application to the local officer of the town the applicant resides in, added provision for application by an authorized representative of the supervising relative and in the case of an incapacitated individual, someone acting responsibly for him and made technical changes; P.A. 87-589 replaced reference to Sec. 4-168(b) with reference to chapter 54; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-82b transferred to Sec. 17b-77 in 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced a reference to aid to dependent children with temporary family assistance and made a technical change, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 07-247 replaced “absent parent” with “noncustodial parent” and provided that on and after October 1, 2008, assignment under temporary family assistance program shall apply only to support rights that accrue during period of assistance, not to exceed the total amount of assistance provided to family under the program, effective October 1, 2008; P.A. 09-9 replaced “food stamps” with “supplemental nutrition assistance”, effective May 4, 2009; P.A. 10-183 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added reference to state-administered general assistance program therein, and added Subsec. (b) re notice of liability for repayment of aid, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-25 made a technical change in Subsec. (a); P.A. 11-122 amended Subsec. (b) by rewording requirement of notice to persons known at the time of application to be liable for repayment of aid and adding provision requiring notice to persons not known at the time of application to be liable for repayment of aid within 30 days of date such person is identified, effective July 1, 2011.

Annotations to former section 17-82b:

Cited. 196 C. 403; 200 C. 656.

Cited. 11 CA 548; 31 CA 114.

Annotation to present section:

Notice provisions in section are directory; failure to follow them precisely does not invalidate the assignment. 37 CA 105.