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Show Housing subsidy payments may be retroactive Some Utahns who have participated in the federal Department of Housing and Urban Developments housing subsidy programs may be eligible for retroactive benefits, bene-fits, the Director of the Utah Department of Social Services Office of Assistance Payments said. "In the past, federal regulations regula-tions required that the benefits bene-fits from low income housing subsidies be counted as income in-come when figuring eligibility for food stamps. That policy has been reversed," Roy Cooper explained. "Utah residents may apply for benefits lost to them if they applied for food stamps after August 5, 1974 and were denied stamps because the housing subsidy amount made their income too high. Individuals Indivi-duals who received food stamps but had to pay a higher purchase price because of the inclusion of the HUD housing subsidy as income may also be eligible." Cooper said the Department Depart-ment has no way to tell just how many Utahns may be eligible for the retroactive benefits or how much is owed Utahns. "In some cases, individuals will receive a cash settlement. In other cases the purchase price of the stamps will be ' reduced till the retroactive benefits are made up," he said. He stressed that not all persons who participated in HUD programs are eligible. Individuals must have applied or received food stamps and been involved in one of the five programs: Section 221, Rent Supplement Program: Section 235, Mortgage Assistance Assis-tance Payment; Revised Section Sec-tion 23. Leased Housing; Section Sec-tion 8, Housing Assistance Payments Program; or Section Sec-tion 236, Interest Subsidy Program. Cooper said individuals who curren tly receive food stamps or participate in other assistance assis-tance Payments administered programs will be notified of the retroactive benefits during dur-ing their regular six month review. Individuals who think they might be eligible for the retroactive benefits should call the Assistance Payments Office where they originally applied for food stamps. If you no longer receive food stamps but did receive them during the eligibility period and meet the HUD program requirements, require-ments, call the Assistance Payments Office where you were receiving stamps. |