Asset restrictions on eligibility for FoodShare, Wisconsin Works, and Wisconsin Shares. (FE)

Under current law, an individual who is the parent of a child under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, under the age of 19, who needs child care services to participate in various education or work activities, and who satisfies other eligibility criteria may receive a child care subsidy for child care services under Wisconsin Shares. Under current law, an individual is only eligible for Wisconsin Shares if he or she meets certain eligibility criteria, including that the individual's family may not have more than $25,000 in liquid assets. The bill provides that an individual is not eligible for Wisconsin Shares if his or her family owns more than one home or owns a home that is used as the individual's primary residence and that is valued at more than 200 percent of the statewide median home value. Any agricultural land owned by the family is excluded when calculating the value of the primary residence under the bill. The bill also specifies that an individual is not eligible for Wisconsin Shares if his or her family owns personal vehicles with a combined equity value of more than $20,000. These restrictions only apply to new applicants under Wisconsin Shares under the bill.

The bill grants DCF the authority to promulgate a rule to establish a hardship exemption for the asset limitations for Wisconsin Shares. Under the bill, if an individual qualifies for a hardship limitation under the rule promulgated by DCF, the asset limitations established under the bill for Wisconsin Shares do not apply to that individual.

The bill provides a similar asset-related restriction on eligibility for FoodShare. FoodShare, also known as the food stamp program and the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is administered by the Department of Health Services. FoodShare provides benefits to eligible low-income households for the purchase of food. As of July 1, 2018, unless the federal government disapproves, an individual who is not elderly, blind, or disabled and whose household has more than $25,000 in liquid assets, such as cash or financial resources that can be converted to cash without penalties, is ineligible for FoodShare benefits. The bill, to the extent allowed under federal law, makes an individual who is not elderly or disabled and who is at least 19 years of age ineligible to participate in FoodShare in a month if the individual owns more than one home; the individual owns a primary residence that is worth more than 200 percent of the statewide median home value, excluding the value of agricultural land; or the combined equity value of vehicles, except those used for business purposes, owned by the individual is more than $20,000. The asset restriction does not apply to an individual who has a hardship exemption, if DHS promulgates rules regarding a hardship exemption.