39-702. Definitions. The following words and phrases when used in this act shall, for the purposes of this act, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section:

(a) "Secretary" means the secretary for children and families, unless otherwise specified.

(b) "Applicants" means all persons who, as individuals, or in whose behalf requests are made of the secretary for aid or assistance.

(c) "Social welfare service" may include such functions as giving assistance, the prevention of public dependency, and promoting the rehabilitation of dependent persons or those who are approaching public dependency.

(d) "Assistance" includes such items or functions as the giving or providing of money, food stamps or coupons, food, clothing, shelter, medicine or other materials, the giving of any service, including instructive or scientific, and the providing of institutional care, which may be necessary or helpful to the recipient in providing the necessities of life for the recipient and the recipient's dependents. The definitions of social welfare service and assistance in this section shall be deemed as partially descriptive and not limiting.

(e) "Aid to families with dependent children" means financial assistance with respect to or on behalf of a dependent child or dependent children and includes financial assistance for any month to meet the needs of the relative with whom any dependent child is living.

(f) "Medical assistance" means the payment of all or part of the cost of necessary: (1) Medical, remedial, rehabilitative or preventive care and services which are within the scope of services to be provided under a medical care plan developed by the secretary pursuant to this act and furnished by health care providers who have a current approved provider agreement with the secretary; and (2) transportation to obtain care and services which are within the scope of services to be provided under a medical care plan developed by the secretary pursuant to this act.

(g) "Dependent children" means needy children under the age of 18, or who are under the age of 19 and are full-time students in secondary schools or the equivalent educational program or are full-time students in a program of vocational or technical training if they may be reasonably expected to complete the training before attaining age 19, who have been deprived of parental or guardian support or care by reasons of the death, continued absence from the home, or physical or mental incapacity of a parent or guardian, and who are living with any blood relative, including those of the half-blood, and including first cousins, uncles, aunts, and persons of preceding generations are denoted by prefixes of grand, great, or great-great, and including the spouses or former spouses of any persons named in the above groups, in a place of residence maintained by one or more of such relatives as their own home. The secretary may adopt rules and regulations which extend the deprivation requirement under this definition to include being deprived of parental or guardian support or care by reason of the unemployment of a parent or guardian. The term "dependent children" also includes children who would meet the foregoing requirements except for their removal from the home of a relative as a result of judicial determination to the effect that continuation therein would be contrary to the welfare of such children, for whose placement and care the secretary is responsible, who have been placed in a foster family home or child care institution as a result of such determination and who received aid to dependent children in or for the month in which court proceedings leading to such determination were initiated, or would have received such aid in or for such month if application had been made therefor, or in the case of a child who had been living with a relative specified above within six months prior to the month in which such proceedings were initiated, would have received such aid in or for such month if in such month such child had been living with and removed from the home of such a relative and application had been made therefor.

(h) "The blind" means not only those who are totally and permanently devoid of vision, but also those persons whose vision is so defective as to prevent the performance of ordinary activities for which eyesight is essential.

(i) "General assistance" means financial assistance in which the cost of such financial assistance is not participated in by the federal government. General assistance may be limited to transitional assistance in some instances as specified by rules and regulations adopted by the secretary.

(j) "Recipient" means a person who has received assistance under the terms of this act.

(k) "Intake office" means the place where the secretary shall maintain an office for receiving applications.

(l) "Adequate consideration" means consideration equal, or reasonably proportioned to the value of that for which it is given.

(m) "Transitional assistance" means a form of general assistance in which as little financial assistance as one payment may be made during each period of 12 consecutive calendar months to an eligible and needy person and all other persons for whom such person is legally responsible.

(n) "Title IV-D" means part D of title IV of the federal social security act (42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.), as in effect on May 1, 1997.

History: L. 1937, ch. 327, § 2; L. 1951, ch. 288, § 1; L. 1953, ch. 391, § 34; L. 1955, ch. 236, § 1; L. 1957, ch. 268, § 1; L. 1963, ch. 255, § 1; L. 1967, ch. 245, § 1; L. 1969, ch. 226, § 1; L. 1973, ch. 186, § 2; L. 1978, ch. 159, § 1; L. 1981, ch. 185, § 1; L. 1983, ch. 143, § 1; L. 1997, ch. 182, § 68; L. 2013, ch. 122, § 38, July 1.