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1. What information/documentation do I need to provide with my application?

The following must be provided for all household members and submitted with the application.

Identification for all adults and Social Security cards of all household members (including children)

• Passport/Visa and Immigration Paperwork (I-589, etc.)
• Proof of current expenses (most recent bills for your rent or mortgage, heating fuel, electricity, food, medical expenses, vehicle loans, etc. Bills must be current; GA does not pay back bills)
• Canceled checks, receipts, or other documents that show how you have spent any income you received during the past 30 days (repeat applicants)
• Bank and/or credit card statements for all accounts for the past 30 days showing the current balance
• Landlord Verification
• Doctor's statement (if you are unable to work)
• Proof of all current assets (vehicles etc.)
• Proof of all benefits received
• Proof of any and all money, including wages and commission, available to the household during the last 30 days. Income and financial resources are not limited to wages from jobs. Additional income sources include cash on hand, money received, or bills paid by family/friends, income tax refunds, unemployment benefits, child support benefits, social security benefits, SSI/SSDI disability benefits, checking/savings, veteran's Pensions, rental Income, loans, worker's compensation, savings bonds, trust funds annuity, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, school loans, financial resources, car/recreational vehicles, and/or real estate holdings.

It is your responsibility to show that you are eligible for general assistance. If you do not bring all the information requested, your case may be denied until such information is provided.

2. What if I have an emergency and the Town Office is closed?

If it is on a weekend or after hours and you have a life-threatening emergency, please call 207-922-5970. If you receive our voicemail, please provide your name, address, phone number, and a detailed message. We will return your call as soon as possible.

3. How can I apply?

Once you have completed the General Assistance Application (PDF) and have all the Required Documentation, please call 207.947.2781 to schedule an appointment.

4. What is General Assistance?

Every municipality in Maine has a General Assistance program (GA) that is designed to assist eligible residents with basic necessities when they are unable to do so on their own. General Assistance is intended to be a program of "last resort", other available programs, finances, or assistance programs must be utilized first before seeking GA. General Assistance is granted in voucher form only and does not pay overdue bills or security deposits. Town of Veazie General Assistance is available to Veazie residents only.

The General Assistance Program is the most accountable assistance program in the State of Maine, and applicants are required to reduce their reliance on General Assistance. This may mean searching for employment or applying for disability benefits, SNAP, TANF, and/or other state and federal benefits.

5. Do I have to be a Veazie resident?

For the purposes of this program a "resident" means a person who is physically present in Veazie with the intention of remaining in Veazie to maintain or establish a home and who has no other residence.

6. If I receive Food Stamps, TANF, Social Security, Veterans Benefits, Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation am I still able to receive General Assistance?

Maybe. If your income is less than your necessary expenses and the program's income maximum, you may be eligible to receive General Assistance.

7. How much assistance can I get?

The General Assistance Program is regulated by State Law, which has set an overall maximum amount of assistance that a household can receive. In addition, each municipality's GA guidelines contain the maximum amounts of assistance allowable for each category of assistance including, rent, food, electricity, etc. We cannot exceed those established maximums even though household expenses for various items may exceed those amounts. To be eligible, your income must fall below the overall maximum level of assistance for a household your size, and your income must also be less than the amount you need to pay for basic necessities using Town guidelines.

8. When will I get help?

We will issue you a written decision as to your eligibility within 24 hours after you apply and we will promptly furnish any assistance for which you are determined eligible within our guidelines. However, please be aware that if you have not furnished sufficient information, including the verification required, to enable us to determine eligibility, we must consider your application incomplete and find you ineligible for any assistance until you reapply with adequate information.

9. If I am eligible will I get cash or a check?

General Assistance does not furnish money directly to the eligible person or household. All assistance is issued in the form of Town vouchers payable to vendors who have provided your household with goods or services.

10. What would cause me to be ineligible or disqualified from the General Assistance Program?

General Assistance is a program that encourages clients to do all they can to prevent needing future assistance. An applicant may be found ineligible to receive general assistance if they: misspend or cannot account for their money, quit or are fired from employment, willfully make a false representation about their situation, fail to furnish information to the administrator, forfeit a benefit such as SNAP, housing subsidy, unearned income, etc. Applicants may be subject to a 120-day disqualification if they do not adhere to program rules.

11. How long can I continue to get help?

At the time an applicant receives a decision on their application, the administrator will inform them of their responsibilities for being eligible in the future. The period covered by your application and any assistance given under that application cannot exceed 30 days. However, there is no limitation on how many times a person can reapply and continue to be found eligible for assistance. The General Assistance program budgets your needs for 30 days forward from the date of your application. Upon a repeat application for General Assistance, the client must provide documentation (receipts) of all their spending over the past thirty days. The amount of income from all sources received by the household must be provided. The Applicant must show that they have utilized all potential resources the administrator referred them to on their notice of eligibility.

12. Is the information I give on my application kept confidential?

Yes. Your application and any case records pertaining to it are strictly confidential by law. You, the applicant, your attorney and certain government personnel may review your records. The Town will need to know who to pay your GA vouchers to, such as your landlord. The Town will also need for you to give permission for them to contact people who can verify your income and other necessary information. The general public cannot review your records unless you have given your written permission.

13. What resources should I use before applying for General Assistance?

You are required to use your income for basic necessities.

In addition, you must use any and all resources that would reduce your need for GA. If you refuse to use a resource without a good reason, you will be ineligible to receive assistance until you do so. These resources include:

• AFDC, TANF, SSI, SNAP, HEAP fuel benefits, and other government programs
• Trust funds
• Alimony or child support programs
• Educational, retraining, medical, or rehabilitative programs
• Money from others or bills paid by others on your behalf
• Unnecessary assets, such as extra vehicles and real estate, which you may be required to sell

14. Are there any work requirements?

If you are unemployed or underemployed, but able to work, you must:

• Register for work at the Maine Job Service
• Actively look for work
• Accept any job offer
• Participate in any no-cost training, retraining, educational, or rehabilitative program that would help you get a job if referred to such a program by your caseworker

If you do not comply with the work requirements, and you do not have a good reason for not complying, you will not be eligible to receive GA for 120 days.

If you have been working but quit your job without a good reason or got fired from your job, you are automatically ineligible to receive assistance for 120 days from the date of separation from your employment.

15. What are my responsibilities?

You have the responsibility to:

• Provide complete and accurate information
• Provide written documentation of your expenses (bills, receipts, etc.)
• Notify the caseworker if there are any changes in your circumstances (income, etc.)
• Use your income for basic necessities (food, rent, fuel, utilities, medicine, clothing)
• Make every effort to use potential resources, including other government benefit programs, private pensions, support payments, etc.
• Attempt to find and accept work
• Not quite work or get fired
• Participate in an education or training program to help you become employed
• Sell your non-essential assets at fair market price (vehicles, boats, real estate, etc.)
• Find affordable housing within your ability to pay
• Request assistance with bills that are current (due that month)
• Check fuel supply (oil, wood, gas) on a regular basis and request GA before running out
• Tell the truth - if you don't, you'll be disqualified for 120 days and may be prosecuted for committing a crime