General Assistance Programs
(GA-U, GA-X, GA-W)

Purpose

The GA-programs are state funded programs that provide cash and medical assistance for persons who are unable to work due to incapacity. To meet incapacity criteria for GA, a person must be unable to work due to a mental or physical impairment. If a person is incapacitated due to a chemical dependency, please see information on the ADATSA/GA-W program.

General Information

There are three categories of General Assistance. Those categories are 1) GA-U; for persons with a short term incapacity other than drug or alcohol addiction, 2) GA-W (ADATSA); for drug/alcohol treatment, and 3) GA-X, which is for clients who receive a cash, grant and appear to meet SSI criteria for Eligibility. General Assistance is available to single individuals as well as married persons without dependent children in their household. When someone applies for GA, the department pays for a medical evaluation so an accurate assessment can be made to determine medical eligibility for assistance. The program includes a maximum grant amount of $339 and medical benefits.

General Eligibility

GA-Unemployable

To be eligible for general assistance-unemployable (GA-U) benefits, a person must be incapacitated from gainful employment as a result of a physical or mental impairment that is expected to continue for at least ninety days from the date he/she applies. In addition the person must:

Persons residing in a public institution such as Western State Hospital may be eligible for GA-U if they meet certain age and income criteria.

GA-W ADATSA

ADATSA is an acronym for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Treatment and Support Act. The ADATSA program provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction. Clients are assessed for chemical dependency at a designated assessment center. To be eligible for this program, they must meet all of the GA-U criteria and be incapacitated by alcoholism or drug addiction. In addition, they must be currently willing to attend treatment.

Resources

The resource limit for the GA-U program is $1,000. In addition, the GA-U client can have a vehicle with an equity value up to $5,000.

Income

All available income owned or possessed by a client is considered when determining the clients' eligibility and benefit level. Unearned income is counted dollar for dollar against any GA-U grant the client may be eligible for. For earned income, eighty-five dollars plus one half of the remaining gross income is disregarded when determining their benefit amount.

How to Apply:

You can apply for the General Assistance Programs at your local Community Services Office or apply online.