Effective October 2004 (yup, as in last fall), Combat Zone pay can be excluded as income for Food Stamps (NOT CalWORKs). Other than the fact that this impacts a number of LSC eligible clients, you should read this for the fascinating way that military speak has permeated the world of welfare ACL’s. Example: “that any additional payment received by a member of the United States Armed Forces deployed to a designated combat zone shall be excluded from household income for the duration of the member’s deployment if the additional pay is the result of deployment to or while serving in a combat zone, and it was not received immediately prior to serving in the combat zone.”
Basically, the amount of military pay in excess of what was available to the Household (HH) prior to deployment to the combat zone is excluded. Any household that had an increase in income from combat deployment pay is entitled to restoration of lost benefits. CWDs are to determine this “no later than” the next recertification, or upon HH request. “If it becomes known to the county” that a household was denied food stamp benefits because excludable income, the CWD is also to compute and restore the lost benefits. Remarkable use of the passive voice. [Download]