Maine Revised Statutes
Chapter 1161: MUNICIPAL GENERAL ASSISTANCE
22 §4308. Applications

§4308. Applications
In order to receive assistance from any municipality, the applicant or a duly authorized representative must file a written application with the overseer, except as provided in section 4304, subsection 3. [PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. AAA, §6 (AMD).]
1. Initial and subsequent applications. Except as provided in section 4316‑A, subsection 1‑A, a person who makes an application for assistance, who has not applied for assistance in that or any other municipality must have that person's eligibility determined solely on the basis of need. All applications for general assistance that are not initial applications are repeat applications. The eligibility of repeat applicants must be determined on the basis of need and all other conditions of eligibility established by this chapter and municipal ordinance.
[PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. AAA, §6 (AMD).]
1-A. Limit on housing assistance. Except as provided in subsections 1‑B and 2, housing assistance provided pursuant to this chapter is limited to a maximum of 9 months during the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.
[PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. R, §2 (NEW).]
1-B. Extension of housing assistance due to hardship. An applicant is eligible for housing assistance under this chapter beyond the limit established in subsection 1‑A if the applicant has a severe and persistent mental or physical condition warranting such an extension or has an application for assistance pending with the federal Social Security Administration.
[PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. R, §2 (NEW).]
2. Emergencies. A person, including a person experiencing or facing homelessness, who does not have sufficient resources to provide one or more basic necessities in an emergency is eligible for emergency general assistance, even when that applicant has been found ineligible for nonemergency general assistance, except as provided in this subsection.
A. A person who is currently disqualified from general assistance for a violation of section 4315, 4316‑A or 4317 is ineligible for emergency assistance under this subsection. [PL 1985, c. 489, §§5, 14 (NEW).]
B. Municipalities may by standards adopted in municipal ordinances restrict the disbursement of emergency assistance to alleviate emergency situations to the extent that those situations could not have been averted by the applicant's use of income and resources for basic necessities. The person requesting assistance shall provide evidence of income and resources for the applicable time period. [PL 1991, c. 528, Pt. OOO, §1 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 528, Pt. RRR (AFF); PL 1991, c. 591, Pt. OOO, §1 (AMD).]
A municipality may provide emergency assistance when the municipality determines that an emergency is imminent and that failure to provide assistance may result in undue hardship and unnecessary costs.
[PL 2019, c. 515, §2 (AMD).]
3. Initial applicant. Notwithstanding section 4301, subsection 7, the household of an initial applicant that is otherwise eligible for emergency assistance may not be denied emergency assistance to meet an immediate need solely on the basis of the proration of a lump sum payment. Upon subsequent applications, that household's eligibility is subject to all the standards established by this chapter.
[PL 2001, c. 571, §3 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1983, c. 577, §1 (NEW). PL 1985, c. 489, §§5,14 (RPR). PL 1989, c. 322, §3 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 9, §§U5,6 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 528, §OOO1 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 528, §RRR (AFF). PL 1991, c. 591, §OOO1 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 410, §AAA6 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 45, §1 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 571, §3 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. R, §2 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 515, §2 (AMD).