WAC 192-220-030   What does equity and good conscience mean?   (1) "Equity and good conscience" means fairness as applied to a given set of circumstances.

     (2) It will be against equity and good conscience to deny waiver when repayment of the overpayment would deprive you of income required to provide for basic necessities including food, shelter, medicine, utilities, and related expenses. Unless there are unusual circumstances which would argue against waiver, the department will presume repayment would leave you unable to provide basic necessities if your total household resources in relation to household size do not exceed seventy percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) and circumstances are not expected to change within the next ninety days.

     (3) The department may also consider, but is not limited to, the following factors in determining whether waiver should be granted for reasons of equity and good conscience:

     (a) Your general health, including disability, competency, and mental or physical impairment;

     (b) Your education level, including literacy;

     (c) Whether you are currently employed and your history of unemployment;

     (d) Your future earnings potential based on your occupation, skills, and the local labor market;

     (e) Your marital status and number of dependents, including whether other household members are employed;

     (f) Whether an error by department staff contributed to the overpayment;

     (g) Whether the employer contributed to the overpayment by providing inaccurate information or failing to respond to the department's request for information within a reasonable period of time;

     (h) Whether you refused or were ineligible for other government benefits because you received unemployment benefits; and

     (i) Other factors indicating that repayment of the full amount would cause you undue economic, physical, or mental hardship.

     (4) The decision to grant or deny waiver will be based on the totality of circumstances rather than the presence of a single factor listed in subsections (2) and (3).



[Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010, 51.12.040, and 50.20.010. 08-21-056, § 192-220-030, filed 10/9/08, effective 11/9/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 50.12.010, 50.12.040, 50.12.042. 05-01-076, § 192-220-030, filed 12/9/04, effective 1/9/05.]